Patios were crowded today in Ottawa’s Byward Market, as the rain held off and the sun shone. While many patrons had heard about Thursday night’s bombing at the Bombay Bhel, an Indian restaurant in Mississauga, there wasn’t a worry as they sipped their drinks and ate their burgers.
“It won’t change my view on restaurants and eating out,” said Kyla Groves, as she sat on an outdoor patio at the Lowertown Brewery.
“It’s nothing more than what I’ve always been worried about.”
Steve Monuk is with York Entertainment, which owns the Lowertown Brewery, along with about a dozen other restaurants in Ottawa.
“We rely heavily on police,” Monuk said, “We have a good rapport with them and rely on them to tell us if there's any kind of threat.”
Monuk said there hadn’t been even a ripple of worry today among restaurant staff and patrons.
“You probably have a greater chance of dying in a car accident than you do of an attack like this,” he said, “You can't live your life thinking about this kind of thing. Sure, you have to be cautious, just like when you’re driving a car. Know your surroundings, but you can't be worried about this every day of your life.”
Dean Whitney would agree. He’s visiting Ottawa from Hawaii.
“We're much more likely to be eaten by sharks in Maui than being in a restaurant bombing.”
Ottawa's Sikh Society said it has been in contact with community leaders in Mississauga.
"Canada is a peaceful country and a place we all call home," said Daljit Singh Nirman, the Legal Counsel for the Ottawa Sikh Society and Inderjit Singh Sambi, the President, “so it is with disgust that we learn of yet another heinous attack on its residents. Reading about such senseless incidents has become an all too common occurrence as of late and we condemn them to the fullest effect. Such evils will never be accepted in our society.”
