How much security is too much?

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 15/02/2024 (569 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

City hall is long known to be as nimble as an oil tanker.

It took decades of violent events and countless calls for action from passengers and a bus-drivers’ union before the City of Winnipeg acted this year by posting peace officers aboard Winnipeg Transit buses.

Once in a rare while, though, civic politicians can react to events with the cat-like reflexes of Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, especially if the violence hits closer to home.

That’s certainly the case in the City of Winnipeg’s snap decision to seek a new security head in the wake of a shooting at Edmonton’s city hall on Jan. 23.

Many people were in the building that morning, including Edmonton’s mayor and several members of city council, when a man with a rifle entered the premises from an adjoining parking garage and fired shots that shattered glass and punctured walls. He also ignited a Molotov cocktail, which caused little damage.

While no one was injured and an arrest was made, it didn’t take long before the shock waves began to reverberate in Winnipeg.

Six days after the Edmonton incident, to be precise, the City of Winnipeg decided to add a new security-focused position, a “campus security lead,” who will review existing policies and procedures and make recommendations to improve security at city hall and other City of Winnipeg properties.

“I’m hopeful that Edmonton is a wake-up call,” Coun. Sherri Rollins said, calling for an external review of security, which she described as “grossly immature.”

The city has long turned to hiring consultants to help council with decisions on all kinds of civic matters and then wait months to learn the recommendations and their eventual cost.

They can be expensive, but some outside expertise might have spared city officials and politicians some criticism regarding security at the Millennium Library.

The city received a heavy backlash when it brought in extra security guards to the downtown library in 2019 to search visitors’ bags with metal-detecting wands. The public, especially the library’s users, were not consulted prior to the decision, which the city admitted later was an overreaction.

A slaying at the library in December 2022 forced the city to act quickly again, shutting the library’s doors for a month. When it reopened, visitors had to walk through airport-style detectors before gaining access to library services.

The city said the detectors were a temporary measure, but the equipment has since gained approval from library staff and remains in use a year later after it was installed.

It’s wise for the city to review its security measures, and the new security chief ought to use the knowledge gained from the lessons it learned at the Millennium Library if it plans on major security changes at city hall.

The city must balance the safety of those working at city hall with the access citizens have become accustomed to expect, such as entering the building to pay a property tax bill, apply for a building permit or attend council or committee meetings.

City councillors have a right to a safe workplace, especially as politicians face more violent confrontations and the vandalism of constituency offices for federal and provincial representatives increase.

City hall staff deserve the same protection from outside threats.

Whomever the city appoints to head its security must learn the lessons from the Millennium Library: city hall is a public building and Winnipeggers have the right to access its services. Heightened restrictions on public access, without consultation, risks a similar, negative response.