Some schools in northern, eastern Ontario reopen after police investigate threats
Bomb threats made, payment demanded but no evidence of explosive devices, OPP say
Schools have reopened and classes are back to normal following an Ontario Provincial Police investigation into a number of threats against school boards in the province.
The French Catholic school board representing 10 schools in nine communities between Red Lake and Marathon in northwestern Ontario reported it received the threat overnight Tuesday and its schools were closed Wednesday.
Schools in northern Ontario from Temagami to Hearst, including Timmins were closed as well, while later in the day, police became aware of similar threats centred on eastern Ontario, in the Ottawa region.
Spokespeople for both the Lakehead Public District School Board and the Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board say none of their schools have received threats and classes have continued as normal.
Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) said multiple school boards in northern and eastern Ontario have been subject to bomb threats and the schools are being told to pay a ransom. Most, but not all the targeted schools are French. No evidence of any explosives has been found, police said.
"There have been no devices found and no reason to believe this is legitimate," said OPP spokesperson Bill Dickson."It just appears to be someone trying to make money. Best-case scenario it's just a huge inconvenience for everyone."
Local OPP officers and its cybercrimes investigators are working on the case.
Parents asked to stay in touch with school boards
The Thunder Bay police officers were at two local schools — École Catholique Franco-Supérieur and ÉSC de La Vérendrye — in response to the threats earlier Wednesday, said Insp. Jeremy Pearson.
The investigation is ongoing, but since those schools have been closed for the day, there is no immediate threat to public safety, he said.
Most of the schools across the region that have been subjected to a threat were closed, said Dickson.
Parents are asked to get in contact with their individual school boards for more information and to report any suspicious activity to police.