More than 10,000 Canadians received a medically-assisted death in 2021: report
Quebec Superior Court suspends Bill 96’s translation requirement until constitutionality determined
The Ontario government has given Maggie an ultimatum: the disabled teen can lose her funding or her independence
FBI took 11 sets of classified material from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home while investigating possible Espionage Act violations (US)
Ontario class action settlement reclassifies volunteers as employees, setting new precedent
Availability of Judicial Review in SABS Disputes
Are masking policies still valid?
Justice Canada releases commission report on impact of lack of legal aid in family law disputes
Harmonized sales tax part of maximum amount of attendant care benefits owed by insurer: court
New rules coming next month to help Canadians with cancelled and delayed flights
Stephen King set to testify for govt in books merger trial (US)
New law program in Quebec to begin next fall, a first in 50 years
The Impact of the Lack of Legal Aid in Family Law Cases
SCC rules that when someone is required by their partner to wear a condom but do not, they could be guilty of sexual assault.
Big Plastic suing feds over single-use ban — again
Tim Hortons offers coffee and doughnut as proposed settlement in class action lawsuit
The SCC has refused to hear the appeal to declare the renewal of the state of health emergency by the Quebec government invalid
Federal privacy commissioner investigating controversial ArriveCAN app
Kraken, a U.S. Crypto Exchange, Is Suspected of Violating Sanctions (US)
Ontario court certifies class action on former patients’ anxiety from notice of risk of infection
The stakes couldn’t be higher as Canada’s top court decides whether to hear climate class action lawsuit
Professor Barnali Choudhury selected by EU as trade and sustainable development expert
The Supreme Court decision on the ‘Ghomeshi’ amendments will help sexual assault victims access justice
AFN Reaches $20 B Final Settlement Agreement to Compensate First Nations Children and Families

‘Major’ national security investigation underway into Parliament Hill explosives scare

Police were on scene on Saturday near Parliament Hill in Ottawa after the area was closed while law enforcement dealt with a "possible threat."

 
PHOTO: Police were on scene on Saturday near Parliament Hill in Ottawa after the area was closed while law enforcement dealt with a "possible threat." A shelter in place was put into effect for MPs and senators amid the investigation – Jun 11, 2022
 
A “major” national security investigation is underway in light of a warning from Canadian border security agents about potential explosives in vehicles parked near Parliament Hill, sources tell Global News.

Parliamentarians and their staff were told to “shelter in place” Saturday afternoon as police descended on Ottawa’s downtown core due to what law enforcement sources described as a credible threat of explosives in the area.

Police searched two vehicles, one parked near the intersection of Slater Street and Metcalfe Street, the other near Canada’s Supreme Court building. Two people were detained in relation to the incident.

Multiple national security and law enforcement agencies, including a RCMP-led national security team, the Ottawa Police Service and high-ranking intelligence officials, are engaged in the investigation.

Two law enforcement sources told Global News that the tip about potential explosives came from the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), whose intelligence branch focuses on detecting “high-risk people and goods at the earliest point” of their travel to Canada.

In a statement to Global News, the CBSA refused to confirm or deny their participation in the investigation.

Emergency call logs reviewed by Global News suggest police detained a suspect near Slater and Metcalfe, a busy downtown intersection three blocks from Parliament Hill, at roughly 1:42 p.m. Ottawa police then set up a perimeter around a vehicle.

That vehicle was “cleared” before 2:53 p.m., according to the logs, before a warning about a second vehicle near the Supreme Court on Wellington Street. That vehicle was cleared by 3:33 p.m.

It wasn’t clear Saturday night what, if anything, police found in the vehicles.

“Following an investigation, no public safety threat was identified. At about 4 p.m. the area was cleared and is now accessible to the public,” the Ottawa Police Service wrote in a social media post Saturday evening.

“The investigation into this matter continues.”

Parliament Hill was evacuated early Saturday afternoon and the Parliamentary Protective Service – the agency responsible for security on Parliament Hill – advised any parliamentarians and staff to “shelter in place” while the investigation unfolded.

“As the situation is ongoing, our highest priority continues to be the safety of the parliamentary community and the public,” a spokesperson for the protective service said in a statement.

“We continue to work closely with our security partners.”

Tensions in the parliamentary precinct have been high after February’s convoy protests, and there is an active discussion among MPs and senators over rethinking Parliament Hill’s security posture in the wake of that event.

Responsibility for security on Parliament Hill itself lays with the protective service, while Ottawa police are responsible for Wellington Street directly in front of the Hill.


 
GOOGLE ADVERTISEMENT

Want direct access to the latest LITN content?

Stay in the loop ➞ Subscribe to LITN instant notifications.
Receive the latest content delivered directly to your device.
Unsubscribe at anytime.

Latest News

Subscribe

Join the LITN Newsletter ➞ the latest news delivered to your inbox. Unsubscribe at any time.


GOOGLE ADVERTISEMENT

Instagram Feed