Ottawa taking stock of security resources ahead of 2017 celebrations

Amid calls for Canada to step up its counter-radicalization efforts after a suspected terrorist plot was uncovered this week, Mayor Jim Watson is vowing not to turn Ottawa into a fortress for next year's extensive celebrations planned for Canada's 150th anniversary.

We're not going to be paralyzed through 2017 because we think that's an important year to celebrate, for tourism, for economic development and just the spirit of our country.- Mayor Jim Watson

Aaron Driver, who died in a confrontation with police in southwestern Ontario on Wednesday, allegedly planned to use a bomb to carry out a suicide attack in a public area when police intercepted him in a cab outside his home.

"It reminds us that we're as vulnerable as any other city or community, probably more so because we're the nation's capital," Watson said of the disturbing incident.

"But we're not going to be paralyzed through 2017 because we think that's an important year to celebrate, for tourism, for economic development and just the spirit of our country."

More welcoming, but more vulnerable too

That doesn't mean that the city isn't thinking about security for Canada's 150th anniversary celebrations in 2017.

Watson said that the city's Special Events Advisory Team — or SEAT — is working with police to see what resources are required for additional security at events planned for next year, from Canada Day to Grey Cup Week.

The Ottawa Police Service has a three-person team specifically dedicated to planning the security detail for 2017 celebrations in the capital.

"We are going to have a lot more tourists in the city and a lot more events, so we have to be prepared for that," said Watson. "We know we're going to be more welcoming, but also at the same time potentially more vulnerable to people coming and wanting to try to disrupt an activity or to cause some harm."

Watson said that part of the funding for 2017 celebrations goes towards supplementary police and other first responder costs.

Cost of extra security not known yet

However, it's also not clear how much Ottawa 2017, the non-profit agency that's planning the city's sesquicentennial celebrations, has earmarked for security.

Ottawa 2017 spokeswoman Denise LeBlanc confirmed that it raised more than $20 million in external funding, although the group's business plan has not yet gone to council. 

The police officer heading the security planning says it's too early to have an exact estimate of how many additional resources will be needed for 2017, or how much it will cost.

"We're painting that picture now," said Joan McKenna, acting superintendent of the emergency operations directorate of the Ottawa police.

The police planning team looks at each event and determines whether it is of high, medium, or low risk in terms of security and public safety.

Because the capital is home to many annual events — as well as large protests — local police already have plenty of experience in planning security for these kinds of events.

Security plans 'embellished' for 2017

"For example, we have a well-established plan for Canada Day," said McKenna, "but that will have to be embellished for 2017."

And there are precedents for security planning for events like the Grey Cup week-long celebrations. McKenna suggested that Ottawa Police will confer with Toronto to see what that force has done in the past.

One factor in the planning is the police's ongoing "redeployment" strategy, a new cost-saving model that proposes shifting some community, neighbourhood, and beat officers to front-line patrol duty.

Once that's sorted out, said McKenna, the security team will have a better idea of how many officers will be available for 2017 security duty, and how much more help they'll need.