A local advocacy group says the new enhanced security measures coming to Ottawa City Hall at the end of the month will stifle residents’ abilities to make their voices heard.
According to a memo sent out on Friday afternoon, the city said it will require visitors to only enter City Hall using the Laurier Avenue West and Lisgar Street entrances. Visitors will be required to have their bags screened and go through a metal detector before entering the building.
The changes are scheduled to start on Monday, May 26.
“Over the years, security risks and incidents have evolved, resulting in various levels of government updating their security procedures for entry into their administrative and legislative centres,” the memo read.
“As a result, the City will be adopting security screening measures, which is a best practice model that it is currently in place in other public-facing government buildings in the national capital region, as well as at City Hall buildings in Toronto, Edmonton and Montreal.”
But city staff did not provide details about what specific incidents, if any, led to these new security measures. The Ottawa Citizen asked the city for those details, but those questions were not answered.
Instead, staff pointed to the corporate security framework and an independent review conducted in 2024 to evaluate industry best practices and recent events,
including the shooting at Edmonton City Hall last year.
“These findings have informed new security measures that are consistent with those in place at other public-facing government buildings in the nation’s capital,” Ryan Perrault, general manager of emergency and protective services, said in an emailed response.
“We thank residents for their understanding as we implement these changes. Our goal is to ensure the screening process is efficient, respectful, and courteous. Accommodations will be made available upon request for individuals with disabilities or other individualized needs. It’s important to note that public access remains unchanged, and visitors are still welcome during regular hours, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., seven days a week.”
It also comes in the wake of
the proposed controversial bubble bylaw
, which would prohibit certain demonstrations within an 80-metre distance of vulnerable social infrastructure if passed. This includes schools, hospitals, long-term care facilities and places of worship. Staff are expected to come back with a draft bylaw in the next nine months.
Tom Ledgley, a coordinator with local advocacy group Horizon Ottawa, called the new security measures extremely problematic and hostile because it is a barrier for residents who want to make their voices heard in council chambers or with their councillors.
In an interview with the Ottawa Citizen, Ledgley said the measures give the impression that the city does not want to be scrutinized in a public forum.
“(City staff) are not coming out with really strong evidence for why this is necessary. To us, it really sends a bad message at a particularly bad time. It’s telling folks that they’re not welcome and discouraging people from showing up to city hall in person to do things like deliver delegations,” Ledgley said.
The advocate also called the new security measures “invasive,” especially for people from communities which have been historically marginalized by law enforcement. These communities already face a lot of barriers trying to make their voices heard in council chambers, he said.
“A lot of these people are the ones that we really should be hearing from at these public meetings, and these people are going to especially be the ones who are discouraged from showing up,” Ledgley added.
“When you tell people that there’s going to be extra security and we’re putting them through metal detectors, it gives the impression that (the city is) trying to find something they’re doing wrong. That can be really stressful for people.”
But most importantly, Ledgley said Ottawans will be losing a public space. City Hall was
designed by famed architect Raymond Moriyama
to be open and spacious, drawing in thousands of people weekly. Around 35,000 people pass through the building each week, and another 1,000 people work in the building.
On any given day, high schoolers can be seen walking through the halls to grab food and snacks during lunch break. Tourists and visitors often stop and admire the art installations inside the building. Others are grabbing coffee in the cafe or getting paperwork sorted at the Service Ontario office inside.
“I don’t speak on behalf of every resident of the city, but to me, that feels really hostile. I just really don’t like that feeling walking in there (with the enhanced security measures),” Ledgley said.
“It’s supposed to be a public space, and it’s supposed to have as much access as we can possibly afford.”
