Beefed-up security will greet public entering Manitoba Legislature after pandemic hiatus
Members of public expected to get access to gallery, return to guided tours first: Kelvin Goertzen
While the Manitoba government is telling two encampments they're no longer welcome to protest on the legislative grounds indefinitely, the province is making plans to open up the seat of government to the general public again.
The Manitoba Legislative Building has been closed to members of the public for two years owing to pandemic restrictions, but Justice Minister Kelvin Goertzen said visitors should be able to enter the stately building again in the coming weeks.
There are discussions among House leaders to permit visitors to watch question period from the gallery after the upcoming spring break, in late March, followed by a return to guided visitor tours, Goertzen said in a recent interview.
"I think our priority right now is to get those galleries back open because there's a public forum of democracy to that, to allow the public to see — to the extent people want to see question period."
Those visitors will, however, encounter a legislature with tighter security measures than before.
Anyone invited into the building who does not work there must now exchange photo ID for a visitor's pass. They may also be asked to walk through a metal detector.
Visitors escorted in legislature
The new security procedure has been operating since September 2021, and also requires visitors to be escorted once they enter the building.
It hasn't been decided yet if members of the public will be able to roam the building freely, as before, once they can return, Goertzen said.
Recent incidents, such as a truck barrelling onto the building's front steps last July, have prompted conversations about beefed-up security, the justice minister said.
But there have been long-term plans to catch up to security standards employed by other provinces, he said.
"The legislature is still the people's house. We want people to be able to come and visit and tour the legislature," said Goertzen.
"We have an expectation and a responsibility to ensure the building is accessible for the public, but [that] it's also safe for the public that's visiting here, those that are working here and those who are here for other reasons."
In the days after the truck sped onto the legislative grounds, blowing through the pylons at the front entrance, temporary concrete barriers were installed at various points around the building.
The province has also contracted the services of a Winnipeg police officer since July of last year.
The barriers remain in place, but Goertzen said more permanent barricades will be put in place that are not as obtrusive as large slabs of concrete.
Another permanent security measure will be monitoring of vehicles that enter onto the grounds. For months, security staff have been stationed in vehicles, but Goertzen said there are discussions around developing a permanent structure of some kind.
That may put an end to "honk-a-thon" protests — a form of protest that was used early in the pandemic, when people were not allowed to gather in large numbers, and involved people driving around the legislature honking vehicle horns.
"I think that there are ways to protest and there are ways to reasonably protest," Goertzen said.
"There's also counterbalancing measures and there are not many legislatures or state governments [in the U.S.] … where you can just randomly drive around the building."
Despite the new security measures, Goertzen suggested Manitoba's legislature will remain one of the most accessible in Canada to public visits.
He also said the front entrance, which was blocked off entirely in February in preparation for the anti-COVID-restrictions protest last month, will be opened again.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
