Manitoba Legislative Building evacuated due to 'prank call or false alarm' Thursday

The Manitoba Legislature was evacuated during question period on Thursday after what a fire chief called a "prank call or false alarm" came in about a toxic substance in the building.

"Call came that there was a toxic substance left in the chamber area. They hung up," saidDistrict Chief Barry Carpenter of the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service.

"As a precaution, we evacuated the building and checked the area in question. We're going to say it was a prank call or a false alarm, is what it is."

Carpenter said two members of the Winnipeg Police Servicebomb squad searched the building but didn't find anything suspicious.

"Due to the situations [that have] been happening in the world lately, we have to take these kinds of precautions," Carpenter said.

Evacuation at the Manitoba Legislature

7 years ago

Duration 0:29

The Manitoba Legislature was evacuated during Thursday's Question Period for a possible security breach.

Just before 3 p.m., question period was carrying on as usual when security guards went through the gallery where members of the public can sit, directing guests to leave and searching beneath seats.

Shortly afterward, alarms sounded throughout the building and Speaker MyrnaDriedger told legislators to leave, too.

During the evacuation, police asked the public to avoid the area, as emergency crews congregated at the legislature and searched the building.

Nearly an hour and a half later, police announced the threat was unfounded and people were allowed back inside.

'Mischief-making'

Premier Brian Pallister called the phone call "mischief-making."

"It's a behaviour that's counterproductive to creating a sense of security, and there's always a balance in terms of how we react to it," he said. "You don't want to let the pranksterwin."

He said he's concerned a strong reaction could encourage "repeat activity."

The premier described the "delicate balance" of keeping the legislative building secure but open to the public.

"You want to protect people, but you don't want to make it so impenetrable so that a citizen in Manitoba feels it's a castle they can't get into," he said. "It's the people's building."

New security protocols signed hours before threat

Tory House leader Cliff Cullen said given security concerns elsewhere in Canada and the U.S. following attacks on the public in Edmonton and Las Vegas, some security measures have to be taken.

"It is a different time, for sure. We recognize that we need to improve security around the building as well," he said.

He pointed to new security protocols signed by the Speaker and Manitoba justice minister earlier Thursday afternoon.

"Ironically, the justice minister and the Speaker just signed a memorandum of understanding just this morning in regards to security in the building," he said.

The new rules will come into effect on Saturday, according to a new release from the province sent out on Wednesday.

They include requirements to create a new position of legislative security, grant peace officer status to security officers and authorize the officers to bar people or vehicles from entering the grounds and create a working group on legislative security.

First 2 days of fall session scrapped

MLAs including NDP Leader Wab Kinew and Health Minister Kelvin Goertzen praised the work of the legislative security team and police.

Kinew said he was "very impressed" by the emergency response and emphasized the priority should be "safety first," but voiced concerns that little government business was accomplished during the first two days of the fall session.

Wednesday's question period was largely dominated by Independent MLA Steven Fletcher, who raised nine points of privilege in the 3 hour sitting meaning the new NDP leader still hasn't had the opportunity to go through a business-as-usual day of session.

• Independent MLA Steven Fletcher frustrates 1st day back at Manitoba legislature

"The concern that I do have is that there's a lot of issues that are top-of-mind for Manitobans right now, whether it's the hospital closures, whether it's the local vehicles-for-hire act, or it's the tuition increases that are being proposed for students and their parents to pay," Kinew said.

"And we haven't had the opportunity to debate those as much as we would've liked."