Public safety of utmost concern, Niagara Parks chairwoman says
Deadly Toronto attack raises questions about similar event happening at Horseshoe Falls
Oscar Nilsson was planning to tour downtown Toronto with his family on Monday but decided to take to play tourist in Niagara Falls instead.
“It was a last-minute sort of thing,” the Swedish resident said as his family checked out the Falls from Table Rock on Tuesday afternoon.
“We just arrived in Toronto on Monday and we ended up driving straight to Niagara and stayed overnight. I’m glad we made that choice.”
Toronto was the scene of a deadly rampage Monday that killed 10 people and injured 15 others. Police say a man drove a rented van down Yonge Street sidewalks, striking pedestrians in his path.
Alek Minassian, 25, of Richmond Hill, is charged with 10 counts of first-degree murder and 13 counts of attempted murder.
“My heart goes out to all those affected,” Nilsson said.
Vo Nguyen, who is vacationing in Niagara with his family, agreed.
“It is just awful what happened,” the Vietnamese man said. “Canada is such a safe country.”
Despite Monday’s tragedy, the father of three said he felt completely safe in Niagara Falls.
Said Niagara Falls mayor Jim
Diodati, “We’re very aware of the vulnerabilities of having millions of people visiting a very popular natural attraction.
“You’re never going to make anything 100 per cent … but you can make it very difficult for someone to carry out something horrible as what we saw in Toronto,” he said.
“We want to make sure we do as much as within reason to help prevent this type of occurrence from happening in Niagara Falls.”
David Adames, chief operating officer at Niagara Parks, said the provincial agency regularly reviews its safety and security measures and makes adjustments where required.
An expanded pedestrian promenade along the east lane of the Niagara Parkway between Table Rock and Murray Street, for example, will limit vehicular traffic on the parkway starting Friday and continue until Thanksgiving.
“We’ve used a combination of materials, such as barriers and planters, to provide a pedestrian promenade for the enjoyment and safety of our guests,” Adames said.
Niagara Parks Commission chairwoman Janice Thomson said public safety is of “utmost concern” to Niagara Parks, Niagara Parks Police and Niagara Regional Police “as we welcome millions of visitors every year.”
“We are horrified by the tragic event in Toronto yesterday, as is the rest of the world,” she said Tuesday.
While the nature of the Toronto incident poses challenges to law enforcement in terms of prevention and predictability, NRP
Chief Bryan MacCulloch said the police service works in collaboration with partner law enforcement agencies at the local, provincial and federal level to share both information and resources.
“These partnerships are so important for information and resource sharing,” he said. “We also rely heavily on members of the public to be vigilant and report things that are suspicious.”
The city is also a member of Niagara Region’s emergency management program committee, which would be called in to action in the event of an emergency. Representatives from all regional departments and emergency services meet on a regular basis to review the ongoing readiness of the plan.