Ottawa City Hall rolling out 'hostile' new security measures
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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.
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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.
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'(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.
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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.
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'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.
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'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.'
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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.
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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.
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'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.
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