Two months after a shooting forced the closure of Edmonton City Hall, the civic building will reopen to the public next week with new security measures in place.
Community members and visitors will be allowed to return to city hall on Monday, March 25.
Members of the public going inside will have to enter through a dedicated access point, and go through security screening and bag checks before entering the city room, the City of Edmonton said in a news release Wednesday afternoon.
All City of Edmonton staff and members of the media must wear visible identification while inside the building.
Anyone entering the building through the south corridor to access the Hallway Cafe or City Hall School, or those crossing through the corridor, will not need to go through security screening.
Stairwells will be locked for emergency use only and elevators will require City of Edmonton identification cards to operate. The city hall parkade remains restricted to authorized users, according to the city.
“City Hall is a vibrant gathering place for civic participation, celebration and commemoration,” city manager Andre Corbould said in a news release. “I am confident that we have achieved the appropriate balance of a safe and secure environment that is also open and welcoming.”
The final stage of the building’s phased reopening plan comes after a shooter opened fire inside the building on Jan. 23.
Police said the man was heavily armed when he entered the building through an underground parkade, fired a gun and lit several small incendiary devices, which caused a small fire outside an elevator.
No one was hurt, despite the building being full of people at the time. The bullets shattered glass and punctured ceilings and walls.
Since then, city staff have been working to replace glass panels, and repair walls, floors, carpets and doorways.
A phased approach to reopen the building started when Mayor Amarjeet Sohi, some councillors and city staff returned during the first week of February. In mid-March, more city employees returned to work in the building and some visitors were allowed inside for special events.
Earlier this month, RCMP said they believe the crime was politically motivated, meeting the threshold for terrorism charges.
Bezhani Sarvar, 28, has been charged with counselling commission of a terrorism offence and possession of property for terrorist purposes.
The Integrated National Security Enforcement Team said those charges are in conjunction with nine others that constitute terrorism offences, including intentionally possessing incendiary material while committing an indictable offence.
Sarvar is also charged with two counts of possessing a prohibited device, mischief, carrying a concealed weapon and possessing a weapon for the purpose of committing an offence.
— with files from The Canadian Press.
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