Eaton Centre still not safe, security expert says
CBC News
Posted: Aug 1, 2012 10:03 PM ET
Last Updated: Aug 2, 2012 7:37 AM ET
A security consultant who worked at the Eaton Centre during the 1990s says the mall appears to have changed little since June's fatal shooting.
David Nako says he conducted a survey of the shopping mall recently and recorded it, finding few cameras and no guards in about 30 minutes of wandering.
"When I can walk through the whole mall, and not see one security person there, then that really concerns me," he said.
Nako said a decade ago, the iconic shopping centre would have several guards on duty, including one posted full-time in the food court.
He said he doesn't understand why he saw so little security after the June 2 shooting in the mall's food court left two men dead and wounded five others.
"Where is the wake-up call?" said Nako, who has worked in private security for 26 years.
"If somebody came to me and said, 'Go down and check for me and see what's changed, see if anything has changed, so I can take my family down there and know that I'm going to be safe' … to be quite honest, I can't report back to them and say they've changed and they understand what's going on. I can't say that."
CBC News took a similar tour and saw one security guard in 20 minutes, but none in the food court.
The company that owns the Eaton Centre, Cadillac Fairview, said in a statement to CBC News that it can't comment on specifics, but officials said security is their top priority and they are reviewing security procedures.
Officials also said a person on the outside cannot fully understand or properly comment on security at the mall.
Share Tools
Latest Toronto News Headlines
- Toronto councillors say Ford scandal not over
- One Toronto city councillor says he doesn't believe Rob Ford and that the mayor should resign. And a top Ford supporter says he doubts the scandal is over. more »
- Big-time lobbyists attended pricey Mammoliti bash
- Two of the most powerful lobbyists at city hall attended a $5,000-a-table fundraising soirée involving Coun. Giorgio Mammoliti, CBC News has learned, raising questions about whether all three people followed municipal rules governing their conduct. more »
- Veteran Blue Jays reliever Darren Oliver goes on DL
- The Toronto Blue Jays have placed left-handed reliever Darren Oliver on the 15-day disabled list with a left shoulder strain, while lefty J.A. Happ has also been moved to the 60-day disabled list as he recovers from injuries after taking a ball in the head during a game earlier this month. more »
- Will Rob Ford's supporters leave Ford Nation?
- The growing controversy over a purported video alleging to show Toronto Mayor Rob Ford smoking crack cocaine may be testing the faith of even his most die-hard supporters. But experts say Ford's policies may trump whatever personal issues he's facing, and that his supporters may rally behind him. more »
Must Watch
Top News Headlines
- Will Rob Ford's supporters leave Ford Nation?
- The growing controversy over a purported video alleging to show Toronto Mayor Rob Ford smoking crack cocaine may be testing the faith of even his most die-hard supporters. But experts say Ford's policies may trump whatever personal issues he's facing, and that his supporters may rally behind him. more »
- Royal Bank pledges not to outsource jobs for cash savings
- Royal Bank has promised it will never outsource a Canadian job to a foreign worker solely to save money. more »
- Neil Macdonald: How serious is Obama about curbing the drone surge?
- In a key speech this week, the U.S. president set out a host of supposed new safeguards for America's controversial practice of remote-controlled rough justice. But as Neil Macdonald writes, the underlying rationale for drone use has not fundamentally changed. more »
- Making The Mandela Tapes
- Producer Robin Benger describes how he obtained broadcast access to interviews Nelson Mandela recorded in the 1990s. A CBC Radio Ideas program on the Mandela tapes airs May 28. more »
- Toronto Mayor Rob Ford denies using crack cocaine
- The mayor of Canada's largest city told a packed news conference that he doesn't use crack cocaine and isn't a crack addict. more »
- Toronto Mayor Rob Ford denies using crack cocaine
- Rob Ford fired chief of staff for telling mayor to 'get help'
- Toronto councillors say Ford scandal not over
- Man charged 20 years later in sexual assault of 9-year-old girl
- Executive committee calls on Ford to address crack video allegations
- Read Toronto Mayor Rob Ford's full statement
- Alleged Ford crack video seller not responding to calls
- Big-time lobbyists attended pricey Mammoliti bash
- Toronto Mayor Rob Ford fires chief of staff


Toronto traffic with Joan Chang