Province House Reopens to Public

NOTE: House Speaker Danielle Barkhouse announced the reopening following question period today, April 2.

Effective immediately, Province House is reopened to members of the public, including access to the visitor galleries. Access to the second floor will remain limited to those with a Province House pass, such as MLAs, accredited media and House, caucus and government staff.

For the remainder of the sitting, these additional rules will apply to visitors in the galleries due to the refusal of some visitors earlier in the sitting to adhere to the rules for gallery pass holders:

• Persons who were in the galleries on Tuesday, March 24, will be restricted from entering the galleries until the end of the sitting or the conclusion of the investigation by the Sergeant-at-Arms into the identity of those who obstructed the House on that day. Persons who disrupted the House or refused to remove themselves from the galleries when asked to do so will be subject to a short-term prohibition from entering the legislative precinct, which includes the grounds of Province House and the committee room in One Government Place. There will be no consequences for visitors who obeyed the rules.

• The use of cell phones, tablets and similar electronic devices in the gallery will be strictly prohibited. Visitors may bring cell phones into the galleries provided they remain unseen and unheard. This is prompted by multiple incidents of visitors using cell phones and other devices to surreptitiously record and take photographs of the proceedings in the House.

• Visitors may not sit in the front row of the east and west galleries. This is due to multiple incidents of visitors leaning over the railings, posing a danger to themselves and those below them in the chamber.

• Visitors may not read, write, sketch or speak during debates. This rule is observed in the galleries at the House of Commons in Ottawa and will now be enforced here to better ensure that there is no activity in the galleries that may serve as a distraction to members.

• The existing prohibition on wearing clothing displaying lettering or pictures that could be perceived as conveying a message to the House of Assembly will be strictly enforced. If words or pictures on an article of clothing can be seen and recognized from the floor of the gallery, the visitor will have to remove the clothing in question or cover up the words or pictures. Failure to do so will result in the person being prohibited from entering or being removed from the gallery.

These restrictions apply to holders of a gallery pass only. Accredited media and House, caucus and government staff with Province House passes remain subject to the rules that were in place before the closure of the precinct.

Other than cropping, Province of Nova Scotia photos are not to be altered in any way.