PEI school evacuation: Police investigation continues

The police said the students were being taken to safe locations in their communities around the island, which is off Canada’s Atlantic coast and is the country’s smallest province with a population of approximately 146,000.

All 60 schools on PEI have been evacuated due to the bomb threat, and the province’s universities are also shutting down for the day as the schools are swept for potential explosives and weapons.

Baillie said RCMP worked closely with municipal forces to conduct searches in Island schools on Wednesday.

But territorial officials said they must prioritize the safety of students and staff.

Schools were not put into lockdown and were not evacuated, the division said.

However, police said early indications are that the treat is unfounded. “It didn’t specify which schools, it did say a bomb would be detonated”, RCMP spokesman Sgt. Kevin Baillie said.

“The investigation is very active and ongoing”, said P.E.I.

The University of Prince Edward Island said in note on its website that it was closed for the day, “given the situation happening across the province”.

“We are also aware there’s been similar threats received at a schools and campuses in Nova Scotia and other jurisdictions, and one of the things we’re following up at this time is whether or not those threats are related to this one”, Baillie said.

The provincial government said in a tweet that information about whether schools would reopen on Thursday would come on Wednesday evening. In another press conference in the afternoon, Baillie assured that the RCMP is still trying to track down who sent in the threat. He acknowledged that “the parents affected must be going through a hard day”.