Suspicious packages at City Hall force evacuation

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This article was published 06/07/2015 (3751 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

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The Winnipeg city hall campus was re-opened just before noon today, after it had been evacuated 20 minutes earlier as a precautionary move with reports of suspicious packages delivered to two councillors.

Two thick packages had been delivered to the offices of Couns. Matt Allard (St. Boniface) and Jason Schreyer (Elmwood-East Kildonan).

“I thought it might be a book but it was very sketchy looking,” Ryan Palmquist, Allard’s executive assistant, said.

The Winnipeg police bomb squad was dispatched to the council chambers and the evacuation was lifted shortly afterwards.

Civic employees and politicians and their staff were cautioned Friday to be alert for suspicious packages, following the bomb attack at a lawyer’s office Friday morning. The caution directed city hall personnel not to take chances with any suspicious packages and to report them immediately.

“I’m just glad everyone followed the protocols,” Allard said.

Winnipeg police said they were also dealing with another suspicious package at a Donald Street location.

Earlier in the morning, the Canada Post building on McDermot was evacuated following the report of a suspicious package found there as well.

But an x-ray of the package revealed it contained only a DVD.

 

aldo.santin@freepress.mb.ca