Nova Scotia’s legislative building is suspending access to visitors in light of “specific and non-specific” threats against Province House and nearby locations in downtown Halifax.
The temporary closure is slated to begin Friday and will last “until the risks abate,” said James Charlton, Chief Clerk of the House.
Charlton told Global News the decision was made on the advice of the Sergeant-at-Arms, following discussions with Halifax Regional Police and RCMP.
There have also been conversations with the other Sergeants-at-Arms in other provinces in the country.
While Province House will be closed to visitors, Charlton said access will be normal for staff, caucus staff and legislative members.
Tensions have been high amid growing protests against COVID-19 restrictions, including the ongoing trucker convoy outside Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
There is a similar convoy planned in Halifax this weekend, as well as outside New Brunswick’s legislative building in Fredericton.
Last week, Nova Scotia issued a directive under the Emergency Management Act “prohibiting protesters from blockading or disrupting traffic on any road, street or highway in Nova Scotia.”
This week, several suspicious packages were reported to police that were sent to the offices of Nova Scotia MPs, MLAs and councillors at Halifax City Hall.
In the case of Conservative MP Rick Perkins, a staff member at his Barrington office came into contact with an apparent skin and eye irritant while handling an envelope on Monday. Perkins said the staff member’s eyes and hands began to burn and he called 911.
A similar package was received that day at the constituency office for Chris d’Entremont, the Conservative member for West Nova.
On Thursday, Liberal MPs Mike Kelloway and Andy Fillmore both said their offices in Nova Scotia received suspicious packages as well.
Fillmore, who represents Halifax, wrote on Facebook that his staff members were shaken but otherwise ok. He called for people to “take a step back (and) return to a more civil discourse.”