Ottawa police resources 'stretched' with Canada Day at LeBreton Flats

Final Canada Day preparations are made in downtown Ottawa on Wednesday, June 29, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Ottawa police chief Eric Stubbs says extra police officers from across Ontario will be coming to Ottawa to assist in Canada Day deployment because of the larger footprint for celebrations.

Moving the main Canada Day celebrations in Ottawa to LeBreton Flats creates some additional challenges for the police force, he said, but a "scalable" plan has been created.

A major construction project on Parliament Hill, including a big pit in front of Centre Block, is the reason festivities have been moved, but it means police have to monitor both the LeBreton Flats area and the area around Parliament Hill, where many tourists still visit despite the main show being several kilometres away.

"We do have a larger geographic area to cover and we have operational plans that account for that," Stubbs said when speaking to reporters Monday. "Now we're stretched all the way down past the War Museum and LeBreton Flats."

Stubbs said the Ottawa Police Service has asked for help from members of the Ontario Provincial Police and the RCMP.

"There's no doubt that is a challenge to get our numbers, so we're reaching out to our policing partners across the province to assist with us and we're getting that assistance," he said.

The number of neccessary officers can be adjusted, depending on how many are needed.

"If it's raining… obviously we can scale down very quickly. If it's a gorgeous day and numbers are higher and we have plans for that as well," Stubbs said.

Canada Day brings numerous road closures to downtown Ottawa. The annual celebration draws tens of thousands of tourists and, in recent years, protests. While the main stage will be at LeBreton Flats, there are events across the city.

Stubbs told the Ottawa Police Services Board that an increased police presence will be seen throughout the downtown core starting Friday and lasting all weekend. Canada Day is on a Saturday this year.

"We understand the effects road closures have on local residents in the downtown area and we will do our best to minimize the impact on them," he said.