Two city teens, Toronto woman charged for making violent threats to Winnipeg schools

Two Winnipeg teens and a 30-year-old woman from Toronto are facing charges after a wave of violent threats targeting city schools earlier this month.

The Winnipeg Police Service has investigated 11 threats directed at kindergarten to Grade 12 facilities across the city. None was deemed credible, and five investigations remain open.

WPS Staff Sgt. Shaun Venn condemned what he called “a deeply concerning trend” on Wednesday.

“Every single one of these hoax calls, these pranks, puts our entire city at risk…. It’s not a joke. It’s not funny. These are very serious criminal offences,” Venn said during an afternoon news conference.

Not only do offenders risk a criminal record, which can limit their future employment and travel, but they are also wasting critical emergency resources, he said.

The police response can involve multiple patrol units, the tactical support team, canine-unit officers, drones and the force’s helicopter, he said.

The threats, made between Feb. 3 and 19, were directed at 11 different schools in various neighbourhoods.

A 13-year-old suspect has been charged with uttering threats involving Niji Mahkwa School at 450 Flora Ave.

A 16-year-old is facing three counts of uttering threats to Marymound School at 442 Scotia St.

Both teenagers were let out on undertakings.

A 30-year-old woman from Toronto is also facing charges related to threatening the community at Hastings School, located at 50 Hastings Blvd. in St. Vital.

Police said a 10-year-old has been referred to an alternative justice program following a threat at St. John’s High School.

A second threat at the North End school is under investigation.

Officers are also still investigating threats made to schools on Selkirk Avenue, Jefferson Avenue, Cottonwood Road and Chalmers Avenue.

Investigations into threats involving H.S. Paul School in St. Vital and Transcona’s Bernie Wolfe School are complete. No charges were laid in either case.

Venn did not provide any specific details about the nature of any of the threats or whether they were inspired by the Feb. 10 mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge, B.C.

School safety has been top of mind for communities across the country after an 18-year-old killed her mother and half-brother and then opened fire at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, killing six more people and injuring six others.

“While our investigations to date have determined that none of (the local) threats were credible, the impact that they’ve had on our city, on our students, on our teachers, on our families, is very real,” Venn said.

He appealed to parents to talk to their children about the gravity of making threats.

“As a parent of kids in the school system, I certainly empathize with parents who are concerned about the news,” said Alan Campbell, president of the Manitoba School Boards Association.

“While our investigations to date have determined that none of (the local) threats were credible, the impact that they’ve had on our city, on our students, on our teachers, on our families, is very real.”

Campbell, a father of two, emphasized how rare acts of violence are in Manitoba classrooms while reminding families to bring any concerns they have to their school leaders.

School staff are ready to answer questions and, when need be, connect students with mental-health support workers, child psychologists and other clinicians, he said.

Campbell was among those who gathered at the Prince Charles Education Resource Centre in Winnipeg Wednesday for the first of a series of school safety forums.

The event brought together representatives from both the kindergarten-to-Grade 12 sector and government departments, including health and justice.

Campbell said it was “extremely beneficial” for people from different sectors to talk about best practices.

Representatives are brainstorming how to make safety policies and procedures more consistent and effective, he said.

The group is planning to meet again on three different occasions.

Education Minister Tracy Schmidt met with her counterparts across the country earlier this week to discuss school safety in the wake of the Tumbler Ridge violence.

The tragedy has reinforced the importance of schools establishing clear emergency protocols and doing regular drills, Schmidt said,

The minister indicated she’s been talking to her three school-aged children about how they’ve been feeling in response to recent headlines.

She urged other Manitoba parents, as well as teachers, to do the same.

They should provide reassurance and reminders about the consequences of making threats of any kind, Schmidt said.

— With files from Erik Pindera

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca