A lockdown continues on Parliament Hill after a man “barricaded” himself inside the East Block, Ottawa police say.
“There is a large police presence in the area. East Block has been evacuated,” Ottawa police said in a social media post shortly before 5 p.m. ET on Saturday. The post said the Parliamentary Protective Service (PPS) is also on scene.
“There are no known injuries and police continue to deal with an individual in this ongoing incident that began just before 3 p.m. [ET],” the police force said.
Police hadn’t provided an update as of Saturday evening at 7:30 p.m. ET. Wellington Street, which runs in front of Parliament Hill, was cordoned off between Bank Street and Sussex Drive, Ottawa police said.
Officers brought in a robot to deal with the situation, and a large police truck has been ushered through the security roadblock.
Earlier on Saturday afternoon, the PPS declared a lockdown for 111 Wellington St., where the East Block is located. The notice was sent to staffers who work on Parliament Hill, and they were told to seek shelter in the nearest room, close and lock all doors and hide.
“If you are not in the immediate area, stay away until further notice. Do not travel to locations under lockdown,” the PPS said in the notice. “Wait for further instructions from first responders.”
A government web page says the East Block houses the offices of senators and their staff, but there is little activity on the Hill because Parliament is dissolved for the ongoing federal election.
The same web page says the building once held the offices of Sir John A. Macdonald and Sir George-Étienne Cartier,” and that it still contains “faithful recreations of the offices of its famous occupants from the 19th century.”
