Police initially deemed that the threat Saturday afternoon was credible. Members of Parliament, senators and their staff were told to “shelter in place” as officers closed off streets while they investigated a “suspicious incident” and a “potential threat in the Parliament Hill area.”
Since then, multiple sources briefed on the situation have told CBC News that police are now investigating whether the source of the threat was a hoax. They’re also trying to determine if the tip that led to the massive police response was just a bad tip, according to the sources, who spoke on the condition they not be named because they’re not authorized to go on the record.
The sources also say there’s no threat to national security.
As of Sunday afternoon, police have not announced any arrests or charges. The sources said charges, if any, aren’t imminent.
Incident initially described as ‘potential threat’
A senior government source briefed on the situation confirmed the initial tip for the “suspicious incident” was received Saturday afternoon from the intelligence branch of the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), a detail that was first reported by Global News.
CBSA warned the potential threat to the parliamentary precinct involved possible explosives in vehicles parked near Parliament Hill, the source said.
Police tape is removed near Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Saturday. (Patrick Doyle/The Canadian Press)
Law enforcement sources said the potential threat was treated as credible at the time and seen as serious. An investigation — involving the Ottawa Police Service (OPS), Parliamentary Protective Service (PPS) and the RCMP, among others — was launched.
At 12:55 p.m. ET, the notice to shelter in place was sent to all parliamentarians and parliamentary employees by PPS — which leads the security operations in the parliamentary precinct — alerting them to what the service called a “possible threat.” Parliament Hill was also evacuated.
In Ottawa’s downtown core, city police closed Wellington Street between Elgin Street and Bronson Avenue, as well as Metcalfe Street between Albert and Slater streets.
Senior government sources told CBC News that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino were both briefed on the incident. At the time, Trudeau was in Los Angeles about to head back to Canada following the conclusion of the Summit of the Americas.
By 3:35 p.m., police tape that blocked access to Parliament Hill started coming down.
“Following an investigation, no public safety threat was identified,” Ottawa police said in a statement that afternoon, adding that two vehicles of interest and two persons of interest were located.
The sources said the vehicles were “cleared” and any potential threats they posed were unfounded.
Still no threat to public safety: Ottawa police
The investigation by multiple law enforcement agencies on Saturday afternoon began as what one source called “national security” in nature.
“By the very nature that the initial threat was related to Parliament Hill, and was related to potential explosives, it was initially treated as a national security threat,” the source said. “Was it a ‘major investigation’ initially when the threat came in? One hundred per cent. We didn’t know how serious the threat was.
“Since then, the threat has been proven not to be borne out. Would we characterize it as a ‘major national security investigation’ happening right now? Absolutely not,” the source said Sunday afternoon.
On Sunday, the OPS, which is leading the investigation, wouldn’t provide any updates, and referred CBC News to the statement the police service issued Saturday that said “the investigation into this matter continues,” reiterating there is no risk to public safety.
The sources said an investigation is ongoing to determine the origin of the threat.
Also Sunday, the RCMP said that “for privacy and operational reasons, the RCMP does not confirm, deny or release information relating to criminal investigations until charges are laid. Only when an investigation results in criminal charges, would the RCMP confirm its investigation, the nature of any charges laid and the identity of the individual(s) involved.”
The RCMP emphasized “there is no threat to the citizens of Ottawa or Parliament Hill at this time.”
CBSA said in a statement it “does not confirm, deny or comment on ongoing investigations or policing matters,” referring questions to PPS and the OPS.
VANCOUVER – Contract negotiations resume today in Vancouver in a labour dispute that has paralyzed container cargo shipping at British Columbia’s ports since Monday.
The BC Maritime Employers Association and International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 514 are scheduled to meet for the next three days in mediated talks to try to break a deadlock in negotiations.
The union, which represents more than 700 longshore supervisors at ports, including Vancouver, Prince Rupert and Nanaimo, has been without a contract since March last year.
The latest talks come after employers locked out workers in response to what it said was “strike activity” by union members.
The start of the lockout was then followed by several days of no engagement between the two parties, prompting federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon to speak with leaders on both sides, asking them to restart talks.
MacKinnon had said that the talks were “progressing at an insufficient pace, indicating a concerning absence of urgency from the parties involved” — a sentiment echoed by several business groups across Canada.
In a joint letter, more than 100 organizations, including the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Business Council of Canada and associations representing industries from automotive and fertilizer to retail and mining, urged the government to do whatever it takes to end the work stoppage.
“While we acknowledge efforts to continue with mediation, parties have not been able to come to a negotiated agreement,” the letter says. “So, the federal government must take decisive action, using every tool at its disposal to resolve this dispute and limit the damage caused by this disruption.
“We simply cannot afford to once again put Canadian businesses at risk, which in turn puts Canadian livelihoods at risk.”
In the meantime, the union says it has filed a complaint to the Canada Industrial Relations Board against the employers, alleging the association threatened to pull existing conditions out of the last contract in direct contact with its members.
“The BCMEA is trying to undermine the union by attempting to turn members against its democratically elected leadership and bargaining committee — despite the fact that the BCMEA knows full well we received a 96 per cent mandate to take job action if needed,” union president Frank Morena said in a statement.
The employers have responded by calling the complaint “another meritless claim,” adding the final offer to the union that includes a 19.2 per cent wage increase over a four-year term remains on the table.
“The final offer has been on the table for over a week and represents a fair and balanced proposal for employees, and if accepted would end this dispute,” the employers’ statement says. “The offer does not require any concessions from the union.”
The union says the offer does not address the key issue of staffing requirement at the terminals as the port introduces more automation to cargo loading and unloading, which could potentially require fewer workers to operate than older systems.
The Port of Vancouver is the largest in Canada and has seen a number of labour disruptions, including two instances involving the rail and grain storage sectors earlier this year.
A 13-day strike by another group of workers at the port last year resulted in the disruption of a significant amount of shipping and trade.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.
The Royal Canadian Legion says a new partnership with e-commerce giant Amazon is helping boost its veterans’ fund, and will hopefully expand its donor base in the digital world.
Since the Oct. 25 launch of its Amazon.ca storefront, the legion says it has received nearly 10,000 orders for poppies.
Online shoppers can order lapel poppies on Amazon in exchange for donations or buy items such as “We Remember” lawn signs, Remembrance Day pins and other accessories, with all proceeds going to the legion’s Poppy Trust Fund for Canadian veterans and their families.
Nujma Bond, the legion’s national spokesperson, said the organization sees this move as keeping up with modern purchasing habits.
“As the world around us evolves we have been looking at different ways to distribute poppies and to make it easier for people to access them,” she said in an interview.
“This is definitely a way to reach a wider number of Canadians of all ages. And certainly younger Canadians are much more active on the web, on social media in general, so we’re also engaging in that way.”
Al Plume, a member of a legion branch in Trenton, Ont., said the online store can also help with outreach to veterans who are far from home.
“For veterans that are overseas and are away, (or) can’t get to a store they can order them online, it’s Amazon.” Plume said.
Plume spent 35 years in the military with the Royal Engineers, and retired eight years ago. He said making sure veterans are looked after is his passion.
“I’ve seen the struggles that our veterans have had with Veterans Affairs … and that’s why I got involved, with making sure that the people get to them and help the veterans with their paperwork.”
But the message about the Amazon storefront didn’t appear to reach all of the legion’s locations, with volunteers at Branch 179 on Vancouver’s Commercial Drive saying they hadn’t heard about the online push.
Holly Paddon, the branch’s poppy campaign co-ordinator and bartender, said the Amazon partnership never came up in meetings with other legion volunteers and officials.
“I work at the legion, I work with the Vancouver poppy office and I go to the meetings for the Vancouver poppy campaign — which includes all the legions in Vancouver — and not once has this been mentioned,” she said.
Paddon said the initiative is a great idea, but she would like to have known more about it.
The legion also sells a larger collection of items at poppystore.ca.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.
