Four Years And Counting: Part Four

By Michelle Cyr-Whiting

Team BC enters the packed Halifax Metro Centre for Friday night's opening ceremonies

(photo courtesy of 2011 Halifax Winter Games)

Prince George, B.C. - The Prince George contingent in Halifax during this first week of the 2011 Winter Games includes a member of the Prince George RCMP detachment.

Sergeant Todd Gray is on a fact-finding mission.  He's been has been tasked with determining the city's security needs when we host the Canada Winter Games in four years time. 

Prince George Media Relations Officer, Corporal Craig Douglass, says, "That would include venue security, airport security, as well as VIP security for the Prime Minister and whoever else possibly would attend.  And all points in between - things like safety routes, evacuation routes - whatever is necessary."

Douglass says Sergeant Gray will be looking at past games, like Whitehorse, and will likely attend the 2013 Summer Games in Sherbrooke, Quebec, to determine what "security fit" is needed here in Prince George.  "The scale and to what degree security is going to be needed will start to be determined in Halifax," says Douglass.

Douglass, himself, was involved in the 2010 Vancouver-Whistler Olympics, and says, obviously the 2015 Games will be viewed differently, from a security perspective, than an international event. 

Prince George has, in fact, had to prepare for two events of an international magnitude:  the 1986 visit of Princess Diana and Prince Charles, and Queen Elizabeth's visit in 1994 to officially open the University of Northern B.C..  While the security level was obviously of a higher magnitude, the security needs of the 2015 Games are for a longer period - two weeks. 

Corporal Douglass says part of this early preparation process "Will be to determine where those resources are going to come from, keeping in mind that we have to maintain the detachment-level minimum resources - the general duty, everyday policing - and that's foremost."  He says using off-duty officers from other jurisdictions could be a possibility and points out that, as a national event, a French component must be in place, as well.

Douglass says the local detachment will look at what Halifax does, what Whitehorse did, and compare and he thinks Prince George will land somewhere in the middle of those two, in terms of what its needs will be, security-wise.

"When the Halifax event is over, city officials and (2015) planners will certainly meet with Sergeant Gray and they'll begin discussing what resources will be needed to make this a successful event."

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For Part One of this series, click here

For Part Two, click here

For Part Three, click here

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