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Ottawa courthouse using metal detectors, screening as of today

Everyone who enters the Ottawa courthouse must now use a single entrance with metal detectors and X-ray machines, according to new security measures put in place today.

The changes come due to new provincial standards crafted after two incidents: the Oct. 22 shooting in Ottawa and a shooting inside the Brampton, Ont., courthouse in March 2014.

The courthouse at 161 Elgin St. will be limited to the one entrance on Elgin as of Monday, which has been reopened after months of construction.

Also, x-ray machines and magnometers (metal detectors) have been installed and members of the public will be screened prior to entering the courthouse, according to a news release from Ottawa police.

Items subject to screening include handbags, briefcases and backpacks, police said.

Tweezers, nail clippers banned from courthouse

Prohibited items include the obvious, such as knives and objects with sharp edges or points, flammable items, firearms and ammunition, plus other items including tweezers, nail clippers and alcohol.

The full list of banned items can be found here.

Ottawa police is responsible for the increased court security, which came at an estimated cost of more than $1 million, according to an estimate from November 2014.

A portion of the new provincial law — Bill 35 — did raise the ire of the Defence Counsel Association of Ottawa, a group of Ottawa defence lawyers.

The group's president, Trevor Brown, said police can now question or search anyone without a warrant, and fine or imprison people who don't comply, as part of the law that came into effect in late June.

Brown said police should be able to ask a person's name and reason for coming to court, but Bill 35 gives officers too much discretion in the name of public safety.