For many people, background checks seem like a waste of time, resources and money. In Alberta, and many other provinces in Canada, this simply isn’t true. Background checks help to save time, resources and money, in many different ways.
What is a Background Check?
A background check is a type of service that a professional like a private investigator can provide. Background checks help to prove that an individual is who they say they are, or that they have the right qualifications for a particular job. Whether you’re the hiring manager of a company, or want to make sure that your new boyfriend doesn’t have a criminal record, running a background check is a great way to uncover all sorts of information.
Background checks can be mandatory during a job application. For example, when a company needs a Chief Financial Officer (CFO), they will want to make sure that a potential hire doesn’t have a criminal record for fraud or theft. In Alberta and throughout the rest of North America, background checks are required for anyone who wants to work with children. After all, a school or daycare should not hire anyone convicted of child abuse! And what about truck drivers? In Alberta, a company should not hire anyone who has a suspended license.
While there are situations where a background check is mandatory, anyone can run a background check on someone at any time. For example, let’s say that your ex-wife starts dating someone new and you have two children. You can run a background check on the new boyfriend to make sure they don’t have a shady past.
Information most commonly included in a background check includes,
- Criminal Record
- Superior and Provincial Court
- Marrital Information
- Education
- Employment Verification (Previous and Current)
No Background Check? See you in the News!
In the province of Alberta, you can often find good examples of the need for proper background check procedures and processes in the news. Check out the following examples:
Alberta’s Political Parties & Background Checks
According to Global News, in Alberta, it doesn’t take much to become a political candidate. In fact, anyone can nominate him or herself to become a candidate for any of the province’s parties. What this means is, those political parties need to control or vet the candidates. After all, one of the major campaigning activities involves candidates going door to door to speak with the public. Also, let’s not forget that to hold a position on a political party, the person needs to be someone the public can trust to do a good job.
Once a candidate passes through an initial round of screening, they must go through a more extensive background check. This background check includes social media, as well as a search for any criminal records. Alberta’s liberal party is one of the only political parties in the province that uses a third party to conduct their candidate background checks. This third party investigates the candidate’s social media for what he or she is liking, commenting on, and more. The third party will then provide a report for the nomination committee to review.
Ultimately, each political party wants to make sure that the candidates picked to run in any election have the right set of values. To do this, they run background checks.
Background Checks & Community Leaders in Alberta
A priest in Alberta has been accused of sexual misconduct. Since the allegations, the priest has withdrawn from his position at his church. According to Global News, these allegations dropped the same day that new standards for protecting children from sexual predators was announced.
These new standards include stricter guidelines for members of the Church including, more thorough background checks.
Hire a Private Investigator in Alberta
If you live or work in Alberta, you should consider hiring a private investigator. A private investigator will provide background check services, and tailor them to your specific needs.
Good private investigators earn their licence by taking a private investigator’s course. In Alberta, this course is monitored and managed by the provincial government. It is also possible for private investigators from other provinces to earn a license to work in another province. Therefore, before you hire the first private investigator you find, you must make sure to check for a valid license.
How Can Private Investigators Help?
A private investigator is a great person to hire to run any background check. There are many reasons why so many people, all over the country turn to a private investigator for help. These main reasons include,
A Private Investigator is a Dedicated Resource
Quite often an Human Resources (HR) representative or even someone who starts dating someone new doesn’t have the time or know-how to run a detailed background check. Quite often, people will simply run a Google search and if nothing horrible shows up, they’ll call it a day. The problem with this method is that there’s more to a background check than meets the eye.
When you hire a private investigator, you gain a dedicated resource. A private investigator will run a variety of different checks to make sure that all bases are covered. They will dig as deep as they need to and sift through mounds of information to make sure that you get the information you need. If they find anything suspicious, and even if they don’t, they will send you a detailed report.
All of this information takes time to find and a dedicated resource to work through. A private investigator provides this service, and because they know what to look for and where to look, you get the results you need sooner rather than later.
A Private Investigator has Access to Information
Private investigators have access to lots of information. Some of this information is available on special database that a private investigator can use to run a background check.
In Alberta, is illegal to go through an individual’s trash, searching for information. While dumpster diving is permitted, finding and using someone’s personal information during a legal process is not. Don’t make the mistake of obtaining information illegally as a way of running a background check on an individual. Work with a private investigator who is familiar with Alberta law. That way, if you do find anything incriminating, you can at least take it to court and use it to win a case.
A Private Investigator Provides Follow-Up Services
After a private investigator runs a background check for you or your company, you can continue to use that private investigator in the future. The private investigator will know what kind of information you’re looking for and will always provide you with a detailed report.
At the end of the day, it’s a private investigator’s job to present you with the facts. If they find nothing of note on a person, they will let you know. More importantly, if and when they do find someone with a criminal record or anything else, you’ll have the information. You can make an informed decision and avoid the hassle that comes from trusting the wrong person.
Looking for someone to help you run a background check? We can help! Contact The Smith Investigation Agency for the details. Our private investigators in Calgary and Edmonton can assist.
Info@SmithInvestigationAgency.com or 1-888-950-4113
About the Author
Whitney Joy Smith
Founder of The Smith Investigation Agency in 2014, Whitney Joy Smith’s extensive background as a private investigator is matched only by her passion for the role. A graduate of several respected institutions, including Northwest Florida State College and George Brown College, her early years in life were spent between Canada and the United States. This education, along with her formative years as a private investigator in various agencies, informed much of her knowledge of private investigative laws, regulations, and operating standards in both countries.
The recipient of numerous industry awards and accolades, including the Consumers Choice Award, Best in Ottawa, and many others, Whitney takes pride in working closely with her ever-growing agency to raise the bar, maintain compliance, and meet the investigative needs of clients. Whitney is active in various membership and supporting roles, including the CPIRC, CBN, CAPI, Canadian Women’s Chamber of Commerce, and many others. Her experience-driven, thought-provoking articles have been featured in everything from Readers Digest to Business News Daily, and she strives to continually redefine standards for those in the private investigative and security fields. Learn more about Whitney and the team at The Smith Investigation Agency today.
