Many schools in Ontario, particularly in the east and north of the province, were evacuated Wednesday following bomb calls.
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) explained that “several schools affiliated with several school boards” were the targets of bomb threats. The perpetrator(s) of the threats demanded a sum of money from the targeted establishments.
“As a precaution, several schools have been closed,” said the police, specifying however that so far, no explosive device has been found.
The OPP was unable to provide the exact number of schools targeted, only indicating that the majority are in the north of the province or in the east, near the border with Quebec.
Various school boards indicated that they closed their schools on Wednesday due to the threats. This is particularly the case for the English and French counterparts of the Northeast Ontario school board, based in Timmins, and the Grandes Rivières Catholic District School Board, which have indicated that their schools will reopen on Thursday.
The south of the province was not spared. Three schools in the Toronto area were also evacuated Wednesday, as well as a school in Burlington, local police said. Again, no bomb was found.
The OPP has refrained from establishing a link between all these events, limiting itself to saying that it is continuing its investigation.