Evidence of the shootings on Parliament Hill in Ottawa was visible in Manitoba. Police armed with automatic weapons patrolled the halls of the Legislative Buidling.
Authorities confirmed shots had been fired inside Parliament, at the National War Memorial and near the Rideau Centre shopping mall. At least two people are reportedly injured. A gunman has been killed.
Officials at the Manitoba Legislature said added security measures were taken and Winnipeg police were called to the scene.
The Winnipeg Airport Authority said there are added security measures now in place but there should not be any impact on passengers.
Word of the shooting had some Winnipeggers nervous.
"If I was walking around downtown Winnipeg and came around the corner and saw 50 cops with their guns drawn it would make me think," said Jeff Moore as he watched the on-going coverage of the shooting over lunch.
Meanwhile, Manitoba MP Niki Ashton was there at Parliament Hill when the gun shots rang out.
"I heard this really loud noise and by the second shot I realized it was a gun going off and it was moving closer to where I was. It was a very freighting experience to know something like this was happening in our House of Parliament,” said Ashton.
She was rushed to a secured room where she remained all day in lockdown with hundreds of others waiting as police did their work to find the gunmen.
Security at the Manitoba Legislature wasn't letting anyone without proper identification inside, not even a prayer group called Breath of Life.
"They just said everyone coming inside the building had to have photo id," said member Jessica Holmes.
There was an increased presence of officers at the public safety building as well.
Winnipeg police could not say how many officers were called in to enhance security around the city, but city officials did release an emailed statement that said:
“The City of Winnipeg takes the safety of people very seriously. In consultation with the Winnipeg Police Service, security is in place to protect citizens, council and employees, but we do not discuss such measures.”
At 17 Wing in Winnipeg, it was clear security was enhanced Wednesday. They listed the level of protection at high level of 5 and cancelled a scheduled media event on the base today.
They also issued a statement:
"As a precautionary measure, we are implementing additional domestic Force Protection measures in order to ensure the safety and security of DND/CAF members. For reasons of operational security we do not discuss specific Force Protection measures that are in place in order to ensure the on-going safety of our personnel," said the base.
At the CFB Base in Shilo, neighbours expressed their concerns.
“Makes you wonder where else they could do it," Murdock Mackenzie.
Due to ongoing security reasons, none of the police or government agencies could say how long enhanced security measures will be in place.
CFB Shilo said were no changes in place in security Wednesday morning.
Military police were seen by CTV News doing regular patrols but the gates at the two base entrances remained open.
CTV has not been granted access to go on base. But that's nothing out of the ordinary -- media always needs permission to go on base.
People travelling in and out of Shilo expressed shock at the Ottawa shootings but people we spoke with did not seem overly concerned with their own safety at this time.
The City of Winnipeg issued a statement about security.
“The City of Winnipeg takes the safety of people very seriously. In consultation with the Winnipeg Police Service, security is in place to protect citizens, council and employees, but we do not discuss such measures,” said the city.
- With a report by Sheila North Wilson
