Advertisement 1

CNE begins opening day with heightened security

Article content

The 2017 Canadian National Exhibition kicked-off Friday morning with beefed up security in the wake of the deadly terrorist attacks in Spain.

CNE Chief Executive Officer Virginia Ludy said visitors will notice the exterior of the exhibition grounds have been “hardened” to prevent attacks similar to the van attack that killed 13 and injured 100 in Spain on Thursday.

Deliveries in and out of the Exhibition grounds have also been modified to increase safety, she said.

“Every year we go through and review all of our plans,” Ludy said. “It’s quite an intense review.”

“Clearly, when you’re inviting 1.6 million people to a community event, safety and security is always top of mind,” she added.

Ludy said while the CNE’s security arrangements have been under development for months, events like those in Barcelona have an impact. Security will be evaluated on an ongoing basis during the entire 18 day event, she said.

Mayor John Tory said he spoke to Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders about security at the CNE and was satisfied with the arrangements.

“Our objective each and every day, the police service, the city government, everybody else, is to keep people in Toronto safe,” he said. “I’m confident that everything is being done in cooperation with the security intelligence agencies to do just that.”

Tory condemned the attacks during a scrum with reporters.

“This is an attack on our way of life,” he said. “I extend our condolences as a city to the people in Spain...and to our Spanish community here.”

sjeffords@postmedia.com

Article content
Advertisement 2
Advertisement
Article content
Article content
Latest National Stories
    News Near Pembroke
      This Week in Flyers