Victoria was shocked and unsettled at the news that an alleged terror plot unfurled at the B.C. Legislature as an estimated 40,000 people celebrated Canada Day nearby.
Victoria Mayor Dean Fortin told the National Post that the incident comes as a shock to everyone in a city that's widely known as a "safe community."
B.C.'s capital hosted a two-day Canada Day celebration with artists including The Odds, Hey Ocean! and Kathryn Calder of The New Pornographers.
Calder, a Victoria native, told The Globe and Mail that she was disturbed by the news.
"You don’t want to start panicking or freak people out, but I was quite upset when I heard," she said.
George Taylor, founder of the Le-La-La Dancers who were performing at the celebrations, told the Globe that the news was "scary" , especially on what was otherwise, he said, a perfect day.
Officials at the legislature were informed of the plot but decided to let celebrations go on when they found no imminent threat to the public, Attorney-General Suzanne Anton said.
Check out the slideshow below for photos from the Canada Day celebrations, as well as reactions to the alleged terror plot:
