Royal University Hospital and Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital were on lockdown Wednesday afternoon, as police respond to a bomb threat.
At 2:30 p.m., Saskatoon police provided the “all clear,” meaning that the threat has been resolved and the lockdown was lifted.
Less than 15 minutes later, the Saskatchewan Health Authority said “access to all hospital services, including emergency services, has resumed.”
“The SHA extends its deep appreciation to our staff and physicians for their quick activation of appropriate emergency protocols, as well as to patients and the public for their support and understanding during the disruption,” the SHA said in a statement Wednesday afternoon.
“The SHA also extends its thanks to Saskatoon Police Service, Saskatoon Fire Department and EMS for their support in responding to this situation.”
Within the Saskatchewan Health Authority, staff are trained to respond to a “code black” — which covers bomb threats, discovery of suspicious packages or objects at the hospital, or actual bomb explosions for which no prior warning was received — by following a standard set of procedures.
Staff will help search their area of the hospital for suspicious objects, defer to law enforcement once police and/or RCMP officers arrive on site, and “if an evacuation is justified, remove all clients, personnel and visitors to a location well away from the threatened area as quickly as possible.”
Bomb threats in Saskatoon are rare, but not unheard of.
In 2017, a man was arrested after setting off an explosion with propane tanks at the provincial courthouse in Saskatoon; there were no injuries but the courthouse itself was damaged.
In 2015, a WestJet flight bound for Edmonton diverted to make an emergency landing at the Saskatoon airport after a bomb threat; once again, no one was injured.
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