BIO - David Guscott, MCIP

President & CEO
E-Comm 9-1-1
Emergency Communications for Southwest British Columbia

As president & CEO of E-Comm, one of Canada’s largest consolidated emergency communications centres, David Guscott is intent on building the most resilient emergency communications systems possible.

With an interoperable radio system managing more than ten-million transmissions each month, an annual 9-1-1 call volume of more than one million and dispatch provider to 30 police and fire departments, E-Comm is focused on how to best unite the highly specialized communication systems that have been established in southwest B.C. in order to meet the many new demands of today’s wireless world and the convergence of technologies.

For David, convergence is an extremely important part of E-Comm’s future because it will have a dynamic impact on the next critical update of its radio network infrastructure and how the centre manages the technology it uses for communicating with the public: Texting and the ability to receive audio and video from 9-1-1 callers are good examples of this. Both David and E-Comm’s voices have also been added to the current efforts by Canada’s emergency service leaders to secure dedicated 700 MHz spectrum for public safety broadband.

Recognized for his well-honed ability to forge relationships and facilitate communication, David is the former executive vice-president in charge of partnerships with governmental bodies and the highly successful opening and closing ceremonies for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. He is also a former deputy minister of several high-profile ministries in the Ontario provincial government.

Born and raised in Toronto, Guscott holds a master of public administration from Queen’s University and a bachelor’s degree in urban and regional planning from the University of Waterloo. He is a member of the Canadian Institute of Planners and the Institute of Public Administration of Canada.

David is an avid sailor who is married with two teenage children.