Security expected to be increased for Canada Day festivities
Security measures are expected to be beefed up at two Winnipeg locations Friday when Canada Day events get underway.
Those who attend The Forks and the Manitoba Legislature will notice an increased security presence after violent incidents at The Forks recently and the toppling of a statue of Queen Victoria on the legislative grounds last year.
“There will be an increased security presence on site and we have connected with the Downtown Community Safety Partnership as well as the Winnipeg Police Service,” said Clare McKay, the vice president of strategic initiatives at The Forks.
Events at The Forks are expected to look different from years past. There will be no fireworks or evening events. This year, programming will run during the day with spaces to celebrate and contemplate in an effort towards reconciliation.
“We had to look at our programming – especially at a site with 6,000 years of history, most of which is Indigenous.”
Justice officials said security will be ramped up at the Manitoba Legislature.
“We can confirm that enhanced security plans for the Manitoba Legislative Building and grounds will be in place for the Canada Day long weekend,” officials said in a statement to CTV News.
A march last year honouring children lost at residential schools ended with the statue of Queen Victoria being torn down.
This year, organizers of the Every Child Matters walk say, while they don’t condemn what happened, they want the march to be peaceful.
“We are in close contact with WPS and I think the security will be tighter this year,” said Diandra Powderhorn, the organizer of the walk.
The Winnipeg Police Service said it has resources and plans in place to manage Canada Day events.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Legendary hockey broadcaster Bob Cole dies at 90: CBC
Bob Cole, a welcome voice for Canadian hockey fans for a half-century, has died at the age of 90. Cole died Wednesday night in St. John's, N.L., surrounded by his family, his daughter, Megan Cole, told the CBC.
Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction overturned by N.Y. appeals court
New York's highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction, reversing a landmark ruling of the #MeToo era in determining the trial judge improperly allowed women to testify about allegations against the ex-movie mogul that weren't part of the case.
2 teens charged in Halifax homicide: police
Two teenagers have been charged with second-degree murder in connection to an alleged homicide near the Halifax Shopping Centre earlier this week.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that is banned at Queen’s Park.
12-year-old hippo in Japan raised as a male discovered to be a female
When Gen-chan arrived at a zoo in Japan in 2017, no one questioned whether the then-five-year-old hippopotamus was a boy. Seven years later, zoo staff made a surprising discovery: Gen-chan, now 12, was female.
Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
'Deep ignorance': Calls for Manitoba trustee to resign sparked after comments about Indigenous people and reconciliation
A rural Manitoba school trustee is facing calls to resign over comments he made about Indigenous people and residential schools earlier this week.
CTE: Researchers believe widespread brain injury may contribute to veteran suicide rate
Researchers are working to better understand if some Canadian military veterans may be suffering from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, also known as CTE -- a disorder previously found in the brains of professional football and hockey players after their death.
1 arrested in northern Alberta during public shelter order
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.