RCMP deem Thompson schools safe after bomb threats, evacuations

All of Thompson’s seven schools were evacuated Tuesday while RCMP investigated bomb threats that had been called in.

Police said the step was taken “out of an abundance of caution,” while the threats led to sweeps of the buildings.

No suspicious packages were found, and all the schools were deemed safe, RCMP said shortly after 2:30 p.m. No one had been arrested at that time.

The School District of Mystery Lake operates the six schools in northern Manitoba’s largest city. Division scolaire franco-manitobaine has one school in the community.

“There was no distinct school mentioned in the threat, so to be on the safe side, all schools were evacuated,” Mayor Colleen Smook said.

“It happened right over lunch hour, so basically the kids didn’t go back after lunch, and the ones who were there for lunch programs were sent home.”

In a statement, the School District of Mystery Lake said a “general” threat was made against its schools. Classes were cancelled for the remainder of the day and parents were advised to pick up their children.

“After completing their investigation and safety assessments, the RCMP have confirmed that the schools are safe,” the district said.

Classes are scheduled to resume Wednesday.

“The safety and well-being of our students and staff remain our highest priority,” the district said. “We appreciate the swift response and support of the RCMP and thank our families for their patience, understanding, and co-operation during this situation.”

In a letter to parents, Division scolaire franco-manitobaine Supt. Alain Laberge said École communautaire La Voie du Nord received a bomb threat by phone.

The school has students from kindergarten to Grade 12.

“All students remained safe, as we immediately activated our emergency plans, which required the evacuation of students and staff,” Laberge wrote.

“Law enforcement authorities were on site and conducted an investigation. Now that the situation has been resolved, students and staff have been able to return to school safely.”

Smook said a “robocall” system notified parents and caregivers about the situation.

“I’d just like to thank the RCMP and our school district for being on top of it,” she said. “It’s great to be so expedient so there’s no real source of panic.”

Smook recalled a situation that happened years ago when all of the city’s schools were closed owing to a threat. She said other past threats involved individual schools, usually R.D. Parker Collegiate.

“Usually, there’s nothing to it, but you can’t take that chance,” Smook said.

R. D. Parker Collegiate postponed a parade for graduates because of Tuesday’s threats. Smook said graduates decorate vehicles and tour the city for the annual event.

Tuesday’s threats were the latest in a rash of incidents involving schools across Manitoba this year.

Earlier this month, a 13-year-old boy from Sandy Bay First Nation was charged with uttering threats after he allegedly threatened to shoot students on graduation day at Isaac Beaulieu Memorial School.

In May, RCMP laid additional charges, including conspiracy to commit murder and counselling the offence of murder, against a 14-year-old boy accused of planning a school shooting at a high school in Rivers, north of Brandon.

The boy and a teenager in Nova Scotia were arrested in March for allegedly planning school shootings in their respective communities.

The Winnipeg Police Service said officers investigated 11 threats against city schools in a 16-day span in February, with none deemed credible.

Two Winnipeg teens and a 30-year-old Toronto woman were charged with uttering threats. A 10-year-old boy was referred to an alternative justice program.

chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca