All hands on deck for Canada 150 bash in Ottawa

Be alert but not alarmed, police are urging Canadians who will congregate under the Peace Tower next month for Canada 150 celebrations – a massive public gathering for which intelligence agencies and emergency teams have spent months preparing.

Experts are well aware of what is at stake on July 1, especially in the wake of the deadly shootings that erupted on Parliament Hill in 2014.

“When you’re talking about (Canada) 150, you’re talking about bringing a number of Canadians together,” said Terence Chase, a former Canadian Forces soldier and director of B.C.-based security consultants Defense Intelligence Service.

“It is exactly the target-rich environment that (attackers) are looking for.”

Ottawa police Supt. Joan McKenna, who oversees planning for Canada Day events, said officers in the national capital will take an all-hands-on-deck security approach that will include everything from canine units to carbines and long guns.

“We can’t control everything,” McKenna said in an interview.

“What we can control is that there is strong communication between the federal intelligence agencies, the RCMP and our Ottawa police intelligence section. This happens daily, so there’s lots of communication happening with our police partners in this area.”

The public should be vigilant, but not afraid, she added.

“There’s lots of eyes and ears out there – not just the police but there’s the public ... city workers, anyone part of emergency planning,” McKenna said.

“We will be standing up significant police resources for Canada Day and all will be alert for any suspicious situations that they see and suspicious calls to police warrant investigation ... There will be high visibility with police on that day.”

A number of road closures and barricades will also be in place to prevent vehicle access, McKenna said.

“We will have controlled pedestrian access to certain areas and there will be identified routes in and out and that’s for everyone’s safety.”

Emergency personnel will also be deploying special resources in order to effectively navigate the security envelope, said Marc-Antoine Deschamps, superintendent of public information with the Ottawa Paramedic Service.