The city’s response: ‘We did well. We could still do better’
Pierre Poirier was on business at Virginia Tech on Oct. 22, 2014, when he learned about the shootings in the heart of Ottawa. It’s the same American university where a gunman killed 32 people in 2007.
Poirier, the City of Ottawa’s chief of security and emergency management, was on the phone that October 2014 morning getting briefed on the terror threat back home.
“Right at the desk I’m at I pick up a pamphlet,” Poirier said Friday. “It’s (Virginia Tech’s) protective measures pamphlet. I flip it open and it says, Terrorism and Active Shooter. It says do this, do this, do this. I’m on the phone and I’m like, holy, this is exactly what we need.”
The city had ways to engage municipal public servants in emergency situations, but it didn’t have a robust protective measures program.
On Oct. 22, 2014, a gunman killed Cpl. Nathan Cirillo at the National War Memorial before being shot dead in the Parliament Buildings. The City of Ottawa gathered its top officials to manage the emergency response at city hall, which went into lockdown that day. “We did well,” Poirer said. “We could still do better.”
Poirier said his department has been working with the city solicitor on a new protective measures program that will soon roll out.
In the security reviews that followed the 2014 shootings, consultants recommended city hall improve its closed-circuit system of 76 cameras, access controls on doors and communication protocols. Staff had already identified a deficiency with the security cameras before the Hill shootings.
A four-year, $1.4-million program that runs through 2018 includes updated cameras and additional recording equipment. The city finished installing an extra 52 cameras at city hall earlier this year.
“We have all of these cameras, but our intent isn’t to watch people,” Poirier said. “Our intent is not to be Big Brother.”
During his mayorship, Jim Watson has pushed to make city hall an attraction for residents, forcing security experts to reconcile the principle of having an open municipal headquarters with keeping people safe.
“It’s one of those healthy tensions,” Poirier said. “There’s a balance of saying we can provide a certain level of protection on the exterior doors, but we have tried to maintain this walkthrough space of city hall to make it very open.”
The city has beefed up its complement of security guards, adding one guard during business hours. Additional guards might be assigned based on threat assessments. It hasn’t affected the department’s operational budget, although Poirier said there could be a request for more resources in the 2017 budget.
The emergency communications protocol has been tweaked so information gets to key people quicker during an emergency. A benefit of the recent re-organization in the municipal public service is a flatter management structure, so critical information quickly gets to the right people.
Someone has been appointed to be the voice of the intercom system at city hall should there be a need to immediately address the building.
The city has also considered what should occur when an emergency happens during a council or committee meeting.
The first time the public saw the protocol in action was last March when there was a surprise Black Lives Matter protest inside city hall as council met.
People in the gallery of council chambers were asked to stay in the room while security got a handle on the demonstration.
The ongoing security review isn’t limited to city hall. Hundreds of city properties are being analyzed for potential security enhancements. The Mary Pitt Centre on Constellation Drive is currently under examination.
Looking back to the city’s actions on Oct. 22, 2014, Poirier is satisfied with how it responded to an immediate threat.
Now there’s a heightened sensitivity to making sure the city is prepared, he said.
“That never says you can never do better or improve how you do it,” Poirer said, “but overall the city did a fantastic job.”
There’s a balance ... we have tried to maintain this walk-through space of city hall to make it very open.