One man has been arrested as police continue to investigate a bomb threat at the Port Alberni Shelter on Eighth Avenue.
Port Alberni RCMP received a call at 10:33 a.m. that a homemade bomb had been discovered at the Port Alberni Shelter, in the 3900-block of Eighth Avenue in Port Alberni.
“The shelter along with nearby homes were evacuated and a neighbouring school [John Paul II School] was advised,” Port Alberni RCMP Cpl. Amelia Hayden said.
“All students and staff were moved to a safe and secure area. Displaced residents took shelter from the rain at the Port Alberni (RCMP) detachment,” she added.
The explosives disposal unit from Vancouver has been contacted and the area around the shelter and the school will remain cordoned off until they arrive, Hayden said.
“At this time it is not known whether the device is real or not,” she said. The area around the shelter will remain closed off to all traffic, including pedestrians, until the bomb squad arrives to determine what is in the suspected bomb. Hayden said she did not know how long that would be.
