CALGARY – Officials say security measures at City Hall and the Municipal Building in Calgary have been beefed up, amid an attack in Ottawa on Wednesday, during which Cpl. Nathan Cirillo was shot and killed at the War Memorial.
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In Calgary, security around the perimeter of the grounds at City Hall has been increased, according to a security official.
“Corporate Intelligence has some other things in place,” says the man, who didn’t want to give his name.
City spokeswoman Heather Domzal, speaking on behalf of Corporate Security manager Owen Key, said Corporate Security is “definitely aware of the shootings at Parliament Hill and we are monitoring it.”
At the Visitor Management Office, staff were watching coverage of the shootings on a TV screen behind the counter.
Official Statement
In an official statement, the city says:
“Although Parliament Hill and other legislative building across the building are currently in lockdown, the City of Calgary has not escalated our security measures to the point of locking down City of Calgary buildings, we have heightened our awareness.
“The City’s Corporate Security continues to monitor the situation closely and ensures employees and staff that their safety remains paramount.”
There were no changes to access to City Hall buildings, and the public could still enter and exit the front doors of the Municipal Building freely.
Domzal says Corporate Security won’t talk about whether there are any extra officers providing security.
Security was enhanced at MacDougall Centre. The building located along 6th Avenue S.W. is the Government of Alberta’s southern office.
READ MORE: Canada under lockdown after Ottawa shootings
Meanwhile, it appeared to be business as usual at several other high profile locations throughout the city.
The Calgary Courts Centre continued operations as normal.
At the Military Museums of Calgary, officials continued on with an event to debut a refurbished CF-104 called the ‘Starfighter.’
Officials tell Global News they discussed cancelling pre-planned event, but decided to continue on because it speaks to Canada’s resiliency to keep moving forward with business as usual.
Officials also say it has been business as usual at the Mewata Armouries.
Both Calgary Transit and the Calgary International Airport say they’ve advised their security staff to be extra vigilant.
“We want to make sure that we’re not going to be missing anything,” said Calgary Transit’s Ron Collins. “We’re always looking for anything suspicious, and if that happens, staff should be reporting it to our control centre.”
Calgarians express their sadness
It was business as usual at Mewata Armoury, where someone left flowers as a tribute to Cpl. Nathan Cirillo, a Hamilton reservist, who died in the shooting Wednesday.
Calgary police took to social media to express their sadness over the events in the nation’s capital, as did Mayor Naheed Nenshi.
Statement from Premier Jim Prentice on Ottawa attack
“On behalf of all Albertans, I would like to offer my sincere thoughts and prayers to the family, friends and comrades of the soldier shot today while standing on guard at the National War Memorial in Ottawa.
As the situation in Ottawa is ongoing, we will continue to monitor the events as they unfold.
Here in Alberta, we continue to be vigilant. We have robust security that includes armed Sheriffs, security instruments and protocols with the Edmonton Police Service. No further details will be disclosed publicly for security reasons.”
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