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Old Posted Jan 10, 2018, 6:14 PM
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Security bollards to be installed outside of city hall after risk assessment

Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: January 9, 2018 | Last Updated: January 9, 2018 5:13 PM EST


Ottawa City Hall needs security bollards around the building in case a terrorist tries to use a vehicle to run over people, the city’s security boss says.

“With all the stuff going on in the world and the low-tech terrorism that has taken place, it really behooves the city to ensure the safety and security of patrons to city hall,” said Pierre Poirier, manager of security and emergency management.

“We’ve taken a look at what is the probability of that kind of event happening and it really is important for us to take some measures to secure, first and foremost, Marion Dewar Plaza.”

Marion Dewar Plaza, which is the festival space on the Laurier Avenue side of city hall, will be the first part of the property to get new bollards this year.

The city is also looking into plantings and stones to complement the security bollards and maintain a decent aesthetic on the traditional public face of city hall.

There are some bollards around the city hall property already, but they don’t have the appropriate security rating and they’re too far apart, Poirier said.

“We have to do a lot more,” he said in an interview.

Later this year the city will look into protective bollards on the Lisgar Street side of city hall and measures on the western and eastern sides of the property.

But the top priority is installing barriers around Marion Dewar Plaza, where festivals and special events happen.

“That is first and foremost the greatest risk to the greatest number of people. Our assessment said if you have 10,000 people there congregated for the marathon weekend, that is a significant risk,” Poirier said.

“For the most part, what we have been doing over the past year is we’ve been putting jersey barriers in place, but that is really a temporary solution.”

There have been several deadly attacks using vehicles around the world, prompting event planners to bring in concrete barriers and even dump trucks to block access points.

The City of Ottawa completed a security study on the exterior of city hall, following a 2014 risk study that mostly scrutinized the interior of the building.

“(As the world has changed) in the last few years, it was appropriate for us to revisit security of the facility, to do an appropriate risk assessment, and then try to mitigate those risks in the best way possible,” Poirier said.

Bollards, which are short posts, are common security barriers that still allow pedestrian movement. They are installed on Parliament Hill and outside the prime minister’s office.

At Marion Dewar Plaza, the city is looking to use a mix of fixed, retractable and removable bollards, between 30-40 bollards in total.

Poirier wouldn’t estimate how much the new security features will cost, since the city is currently receiving bids.

The city still needs to provide some motorized access to the plaza, since festivals require vehicles to transport gear. With the new bollards, the plan is to restrict access to an entry near the neighbouring drill hall and possibly a secondary access at the front of the plaza.

“Really, we’re looking at the perimeter and securing the perimeter and having a positive aesthetic so that it doesn’t look like it’s a fort,” Poirier said.

He anticipates receiving feedback from a landscape architect.

It might be seen as ironic to tighten security outside city hall in the year following the Ottawa 2017 events, but Poirier said the city had temporary measures in place last year.

Poirier said he started work on permanent security infrastructure last year and had hoped to have it done by November.

But, this being Ottawa, the city had to clear new security measures along Laurier Avenue with the National Capital Commission to make sure they wouldn’t sully the landscape.

Other security measures being implemented are simple policy changes. For example, the city will no longer allow festival organizers to store large propane cylinders under the building overhang near Marion Dewar Plaza, Poirier said.

jwilling@postmedia.com
twitter.com/JonathanWilling

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-...isk-assessment
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