The $8.6-million project is intended to tighten perimeter security around the Hill by installing fixed and retractable bollards — short vertical posts — at the three main vehicular gates along Wellington Street.
Notice of the construction work was issued Friday to House of Commons staff by Sergeant-at-Arms Kevin Vickers.
Public Works was unable to provide any immediate details, though a previous departmental document says the barriers must be able to withstand “significant physical impact loads,” suggesting they are not only intended to control routine traffic but to counter vehicular attacks. The department says pedestrian access will remain unchanged.
While the parliamentary precinct is a prime target for anyone wanting to make a high-profile statement, the government’s long-term vision and plan for the area calls for an “unobtrusive” security perimeter.
The new barriers “must be designed to suit the heritage characteristics of the Parliament Buildings and avoid impeding the welcoming mood of the national historic site,” the proposal states, according to a project document.
“Hundreds of thousands of people visit Parliament Hill each year. As such, an open, public atmosphere is to be maintained, while balancing the protection of parliamentarians and citizens who visit the area.”
The main gates to the Hill are now generally open, but vehicular access is controlled by the RCMP. The Bank Street gate, called the Vehicle Screening Facility, has security officers who screen non-routine vehicles, while another gate has a single RCMP vehicle and officer to authorize entry.
Under the new plan, the Queen’s Gate, directly south of the Centennial Flame, will reportedly have retractable bollards and video surveillance installed, as will the Bank Street and Elgin Street gates. The retractable bollards are intended to allow authorized vehicles, such as those carrying dignitaries and parliamentary transportation buses, access to the Hill.
Vickers’ memo to Commons staff says “new custom-designed gates similar to the historic ones” also will be added.
A $1.5-million engineering contract for the project was awarded to Dessau Inc. in December.
Though terrorism jitters dominate concerns today, Hill security has always been an important consideration and dates right back to when the grounds were designed in the 1860s.
According to a parliamentary history brief, the site itself was chosen because it provided a natural boundary for the precinct, with protective topography along the east, north and west perimeters.
The wrought iron fence along Wellington was another early security feature as was the wide expanse of open lawn, a 19th-century military practice developed by the Royal Engineers.
The most recent major security breach took place in December 2009, when 20 Greenpeace protesters climbed to the top of two of the buildings on the Hill and unfurled banners protesting Canadian action on climate change and the oilsands.
In February 1997, a Quebec man drove a Jeep up the steps of Centre Block and stopped just short of crashing into the doors.
In 1989, an armed man hijacked a Greyhound bus on the front lawn of Parliament Hill. The six-hour standoff ended when he surrendered peacefully to police.
Original Article
Source: ottawa citizen
Author: Ian MacLeod
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