The Official Publication of the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police 11 I t has been a true honour and privilege for me to serve in policing for more than four decades. During my tenure of public service, I have never stopped learning from and being inspired by the incredible people, professions, communities and my Canadian emergency services family. From our nurses, to teachers, to police, paramedics and firefighters, to the members of our Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and all those that support them in keeping Canada safe and secure, I continue to be impressed by their unwavering dedication, professionalism and commitment to public safety. Over the past four years, I have been fortunate to connect with and learn from another dedicated, innov- ative, professional and civic minded collective: the General Aviation (GA) community. Across Canada, GA connects isolated and northern communities, supports wildfire suppression and emergency response, enables medical transport, powers local economies and sustains regional community hubs. Pilots, engineers, operators, airport F E A T U R E authorities and aviation volunteers form a deeply safety-focused, profes- sional and mission-driven community defined by responsibility, compliance and care. WHAT IS GENERAL AVIATION (GA)? GA refers to all civil aviation operations other than scheduled commercial airline services. In practical terms, it includes small fixed-wing aircrafts, helicopters and specialized aviation operations that support medical evacu- ations, firefighting, search and rescue, flight training, business travel, recrea- tional flying and transportation to rural, remote and northern communities across Canada. Yet, as has occurred across many legitimate transportation systems and intermodal networks worldwide, Transnational and Serious Organized Crime (TSOC) groups and Foreign Threat Actors (FTA) have sought to illicitly exploit elements of the GA domain. In Ontario – and increasingly across Canada – we identified a clear intelli- gence, border integrity and security gap associated with the GA domain. There was limited visibility, minimal shared intelligence and few opportunities for structured engagement between police, public safety agencies and the GA community. Importantly, this was not a failure of the GA community – it was a systemic gap that demanded a collaborative solution. The GA Strategic Intelligence Probe and Initiative was launched in 2023 by several agencies in Ontario. The goals of our GA initiative included: • Assessment of the illicit exploit- ation and vulnerabilities of the GA domain; • Improvement of GA situational awareness for aviation com- munity, police, law enforcement and public safety agencies; • Enhancement of collaboration between all GA stakeholders; • Strengthening of both safety and security through engage- ment rather than enforcement alone; and • Provide recommendations for a “whole-of-country” approach to address identified GA intelli- gence and security gaps. A WHOLE-OF-COUNTRY RESPONSE The threats facing Canada today are complex, interconnected and global. Resources across policing and public safety are increasingly constrained, while expectations continue to rise. In this environment, so-called “wicked problems” cannot be solved in isolation. A whole- of-country approach was required – one that brought police, public safety agencies and the aviation community together. Collaboration proved to be the force multiplier. The GA commun- ity’s observant, professional and “can-do” culture created the ideal conditions for trust-based partner- ships. Education, engagement and awareness became our cornerstones of progress. This initiative brought together highly dedicated investigators, By Inspector Barry Dolan, Deputy Director, Criminal Intelligence Service Ontario General Aviation: Security & policing
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