City hall security gates cost $150K, went up before review wrapped

Newsecurity gates at Ottawa City Hall that have caused a stir cost just under $150,000 and were installed beforea wider security review was finished, the city has revealed.

Two new security checkpoints, with gates that don't include metal detectors, were installed in the final days of 2019 outside the main council chambers for the first meetings of the new year.

Some councillors were upset they went up without a vote, while advocacy groups worried the gates and other security upgrades would discourage participation in meetings and quell protest.

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Councillors Shawn Menard and Mathieu Fleuryasked the city's emergency and protective services department for more information last month about the decision to add the gates, including what the cost was and who was consulted.

In a reply posted online Thursdayas part of the agenda for thenext finance and economic development committee (FEDCO) meeting, the city said the gates cost $149,109.55 with all but about $2,000 going toward the purchase and installation.

The installation was approvedbyemergency and protective services senior managers who have the power from a city bylaw officially known as "delegated authority" to make corporate security decisions.

As it's done before, the city pointed to an corporate security audit conducted in April 2019.

The city's auditor general recommended management review its guidelines for high-profile meetings although he never specifically mentioned checkpoints outside the council chamber.

The audit said staff studied what other similar cities had done, noting that Toronto, Winnipeg, Calgary and Edmonton all either check bags, run guests through metal detectors, or both.

The city said there would be some public consultation as staff develop anew corporate security policy, which will go tocouncil later this year for approval.

"Staff recognizes that consulting with elected officials, along with having a more detailed communication plan, could have improved the implementation of the most recent security measures for council chambers," the city's response said.

6 knives, 2 complaints

As justification for the enhanced security measures, the city's response pointed to the 2014 attacks at the National War Memorial and Parliament Hill, during which the first shotswere fired about one kilometre from city hall.

Italso mentionedan unspecified "national security threat" that drew Ottawa police and RCMP to the building, as well asa few protests around council.

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Six knives have been confiscated at the new checkpoints since they went up onJan. 23, the city noted. There have also been two formal complaints about the changes.

The responses will be part of the next FEDCO meeting on March 9.