William (Will) Urquhart - President

Following university Will worked seven years in adjusting, examining and supervisory positions with general insurers, earning along the way the designation, “Associate, Insurance Institute of Canada”, the precursor of today’s Certified Insurance Professional (CIP).  He received valued, relevant, additional training from his insurance company employers and substantial experience.  In addition to his claim responsibilities he was a training officer and ombudsman, mediating when the lines of communication between the claims person and the policyholder had broken down. 

Favouring the investigative aspect of his initial career, Will next spent 11 years as staff investigator with a law firm, primarily in insurance litigation.  This provided a unique perspective on the claims and litigation process plus many professional development opportunities commonly available only to lawyers.  When in 1990 the Province of Ontario introduced its first comprehensive no fault automobile insurance plan, Will started this private investigation agency. 

During the early years of the agency, finding a dearth of relevant professional organisations for private investigators, Will was instrumental, as a founding director and editor (writer) of its newsletter in formation of the Council of Private Investigators-Ontario.  He is a past president.  Now, membership in the Council allows private investigation agencies to claim investigative body status under the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA).  This in effect mandatory membership had been proposed by Will in a research paper published in 1999. 

Among Will’s initiatives with the Council was the bringing about a requirement of mandatory liability insurance for private investigators.  He contributed to the design of coverage suitable and affordable for the smaller agency, many of which were uninsured. 

In 1996, Will was designated a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) and subsequently served on the board of the Toronto Chapter of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners.  Other achievements and contributions to the industry include:

• For the Director of Police Services, served on the Private Security Industry Advisory Committee (PSIAC), chairing the Best Practices and Training Sub-Committee for private investigators.  Other members of PSIAC included chiefs of police, representatives of large security firms and of national accounting firms with forensic branches.  He wrote the report of the sub-committee, including a proposal for mandatory membership for licensing of private investigators in a professional organisation. 
  
  
• Has been accepted as an expert witness for the Registrar of Private Investigators to interpret the public interest section of the former Private Investigator and Security Guards Act.
  
  
• Has presented to client and investigation industry groups on a number of topics relevant to their needs.  With past experience as a consumer of investigative services and observer of the benefits and risks of using private investigators, plus being one himself, his perspective is unique.  (See the Fact, Research & Opinion section of this site for a cross section of his writings on topics of interest to those considering their need of investigative services.)  

Since 2003, Will’s focus has been on special projects and the more complex investigations, others assuming responsibility for the day to management and direction of investigations.   

< back