Two envelopes, one with the word “bomb” written on it and addressed to a Carleton professor, were found in Robertson Hall Sept. 7, Ottawa police said.
Third-year architecture student Taylor Balodis said he was sitting in the university services office when the fire alarm went off and approximately 50 people were evacuated from the building.
“Everyone was out of [Robertson Hall] in five minutes,” Balodis said.
According to Const. Katherine Larouche of the Ottawa Police Service, the call was made shortly after 2 p.m.
According to Ottawa police, the building was taped off and University Avenue was closed to vehicle traffic. Firefighters and a hazardous materials team were dispatched shortly after, Larouche said.
“The packages were determined not to be a bombs,” said Larouche, “but the matter is still under investigation.”
The packages contained a benign, oily liquid which was sent to Health Canada for additional examination, according to a press release by Ottawa police.
Around 4:30 p.m. the building was deemed safe to re-enter.
Roughly 200 employees work in Robertson Hall, which houses admission services, awards offices, the undergraduate recruitment office and other university services.
“A similar incident happened roughly three to four years ago,” said Jason MacDonald, director of university communications.
According to Larouche, standard procedures in such events are to call in police tactical units, as well as the fire department’s hazardous materials team to handle and identify any unknown material.
“We would take any unknown package and consider it in the most serious of circumstances,” Larouche said.
Larouche would not comment on where the packages were discovered in Robertson Hall or to whom they were addressed.
Allan Burns, director of the department of university safety, would not comment on the ongoing investigation.