Manitoba reeve 'shocked' over armed man's arrest at Rideau Hall

An armed man arrested after allegedly ramming his truck through the front gate of Rideau Hall in Ottawa worked at a rural community grocery store in west-central Manitoba and had recently posted about hardships as a result ofCOVID-19.

Corey Hurren, 46, lived inBowsman, Man., a small municipality about 400 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg.

"We're all a bit shocked that something happened in Ottawa," saidWalter Pacamaniuk, the reeve of the municipality of Mintonas-Bowsman.

The reeve said he didn't know Hurren personally, aside frombrief interactions at the Co-op grocery store in the neighbouring community of Swan River, where Hurren worked behind the meat counter.

He described him as a "good community member" known for his friendly demeanourand for cookinggarlic sausagehis customers raved about.

"WhenI walked by him, it was not just, 'No answer,' it was, 'Hello, how are you doing today?' " Pacamaniuksaid.

Drove from Manitoba

Hurren, whomCBC News has confirmed isthe man in custody, was armed when his vehicle ran into the main pedestrian entrance at Rideau HallThursday around 6:30 a.m. ET.

The suspect then ran off toward theRideau Hall greenhouse.Police officers on foot caught up to him and arrested him, RCMP said.

While bothPrime Minister Justin Trudeau andGov. Gen.Julie Payettereside on the grounds, neither of them waspresentat the time.

Sources say Hurren drove from Manitoba and hada long gun and a note in his possession. His vehicle had Manitoba licence plates.

The RCMP said Friday that Hurren faces 22 criminal charges, including careless use of a firearm, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, possession of aprohibited or restricted firearm and uttering threats.

He was living in Bowsman, which is 386kilometres northwest of Winnipeg. The community, which has a population of less than 300,is one of the most northerly farming communities in the province.

Business launched in 2014

Hurrenalso operated GrindHouseFine Foods, which he launched in 2014, according to a LinkedIn account registered to Hurren.

In promotional material for hismeat-producing business, Hurren is described as a Royal Canadian Artillery veteran whorecently rejoined the military as a Canadian Ranger.

People who answered two phone numbers associated with Hurren's family members declined to speak to media Thursday evening.But recent social media posts, associated with GrindHouse Fine Foods and Corey Hurren, provide some details into his background and business.

The posts also indicate a concern about theimpact of COVID-19 on the economy, butdon't provide insightinto why he travelled to Ottawa.

Roughly an hour before Hurrenenteredthe Rideau Hall grounds, aFacebook page associated with his GrindHouse Fine Foods business posted a memeof a big outdoor party that would supposedly occur afterthe lockdown.

The post also directs people to look up "Event 201," a worldwide pandemic preparedness exercise run last year that conspiracy theorists now use to suggest Microsoft co-founderBill Gates is behind COVID-19.

Otherwise, Facebook posts from Hurren's business appearto poke fun at the hardshipsandfears spawned by thepandemic. The page shows a fondness forthe militaryas well.

In the same Facebook postfrom the GrindHouse account, Hurren acknowledges that hismeat-selling business is on pause during the pandemic.

"I am not sure what will be left of our economy, industries, and businesses when this all ends," he writes. "I would like to continue on with my meat products when my volunteer contract with the military is done, whenever that is."

BillGade, who runs the Swan River radio station and grew up with Hurren,said people in the community are angry overHurren's alleged actions.

The prime minister is "not anybody's hero"in the Western Canadian community, Gade said, but that doesn't excusethealleged actions.

"You wouldn't find a personin this communitywho hadn't said something to the effect of, 'If Ihad Justin Trudeau, Iwould tell him what's what.' Certainly no one here has ever acted on it before and I don't think anybody expected anybody ever would act on it," he said.

"That's not the way you solve any problem, is to show up to Ottawa with a gun."

Lions Club member

Hurrenhas been anactivemember of theBowsman Lions Club, a member of the volunteer club told CBC News.

A LinkedIn page under Hurren's name notes he grew up on a farm in the Swan River Valleyand worked in different parts of the meat and livestock industry for more than 20 years before starting GrindHouse Fine Foods.

The page says he studied computer and information sciences at Brandon University and Red River College in Manitoba.

A Facebook post from theBowsman Lions Club saidHurren served with the Royal Canadian Artillery in the late 1990sin Yorkton, Sask.