By contrast, all other Ottawa Public Library branches except for the Rideau Street location recorded fewer than 30 incidents over the same period. The Rideau branch had slightly more incidents than the central library, but according to Donna Clark, division manager of branch operations at OPL, they weren't as threatening. Clark said the data isn't surprising, given the central branch is the busiest Ottawa Public Library location, with 8,000 visitors a week in normal times. The data shows the "extremely stressful" number of incidents OPL staff and security guards are dealing with, Clark said. He said OPL staff have access to "a robust employee assistance program" if they need help after experiencing harassment or violence.

Source: CBC News July 27, 2020 08:00 UTC