Protest signs, outside food banned as city boosts council security

Want to take in an Ottawa city council meeting in the new year? You'll likelyhave to go through security first.

Gates will soon be installed at the two entrances to the foyer outside Andrew S. Haydon Hall, with security personnel on-hand to sift through thepersonal belongings of would-be attendees, the city said in a news release Friday.

The list of banned items runs the gamut from outside food and drinkto knives, box cutters, firearms and other devices that could cause harm.

Signs and banners will also be prohibited, the city said, as will noisemakers, megaphones and air horns.

The installation of the gates will begin Tuesday, the city said, and should be in place by January.

Security measures vary across Canada: audit

Enhancing security for"high profile council meetings"was among the recommendations put forward ina corporate security audit issued in April 2019 by Ken Hughes, the city's auditor general.

Hughes's auditsaid concerns had been raised about council meeting security "because of the close proximity of the public."

The audit noted that among the Canadian municipalities it reached out for context, there were three Vancouver, Hamilton, and Mississauga, Ont. that did not screen members of the public before council meetings.

Other citiesincluding Toronto and Winnipegcarry out bag checks, the audit said, while Calgary and Edmonton both checked bags and required attendees to file through metal detectors.

As for Ottawa's new security measures, theywill apply to council meetings, committeeand transit commission meetings held within council chambers, and "other special events, if required," the city said.

It should take one minute to get through the new security screening, the city said. There will be a separate lineup for people withaccessibility requirements.

Measures 'problematic,' says councillor

On Sunday, Coun. Jeff Leiper called for the changes to be "put on pause," until council can vote on the matter.

In a note posted to Twitter, the Kitchissippi ward councillor said he worries that limiting access to the chamber could further marginalize groups wary of security.

"Councillors and staff have concerns about their personal safety when participating in public meetings, and I won't de-legitimize those," he wrote.

"But there is a balance to achieve here, and the measures as proposed are more problematic than they are helpful."