Bomb block removes 'volatile substance' from Winnipeg hospital research centre

The Winnipeg Police Bomb Squad removed a “volatile device” from the Winnipeg Hospital Research Center Friday afternoon, prompting an evacuation.

The Winnipeg Police Service (WPS) confirmed its bomb squad was called to the Albrechtsen Research Center at St. Boniface Hospital on Friday to “assist in the disposal of a volatile substance.”

A member of the bomb squad, dressed in full protective gear, was seen walking out of the building Friday afternoon carrying what appeared to be a container.

“Now everything is under control. Everything is safe for the general public,” said Const. WPS Public Information Officer Claude Chancey told CTV News.

A member of the Winnipeg Police Bomb Squad removes a “volatile object” from the Albrechtsen Research Center at St. Boniface Hospital on May 17, 2024. (Source: Jeff Keele/CTV News Winnipeg)

The hospital confirmed it was not a bomb threat. A spokeswoman for the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority told CTV News the substance was chemical in nature, but was there for a legal investigation.

“During the decommissioning of a routine laboratory at the Albrechtsen Research Center, an inventory of chemicals found in this laboratory identified a container that required further investigation,” the hospital said in an email shared by CTV News.

“Initial investigations indicate that the product may have been in the laboratory for some time and may have degraded to a form that is considered volatile over time.”

Around 2:30 p.m. Friday, Chancey confirmed the item had been removed and would be disposed of appropriately.

He said there were no injuries and the bomb squad cleared the scene.

The research center and the MRI facility were evacuated, and the emergency MRI was redirected

The “volatile substance” prompted the evacuation out of an abundance of caution, the hospital said.

The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority confirmed that St. Boniface Hospital's Albrechtsen Research Center and adjacent MRI facility had to be evacuated, but the rest of the hospital was not affected and operations are continuing as usual.

On Friday afternoon, the hospital confirmed that the research center and MRI facility had reopened.

Winnipeg police closed the entrance gate to the Albrechtsen Research Center at St. Boniface Hospital on May 17, 2024. (Source: Jeff Keele/CTV News Winnipeg)

WRHA told CTV News that any emergency MRIs were sent back to the Health Sciences Center as of Friday afternoon. Inpatient MRI services will resume at St Boniface on Friday evening, with regular outpatient appointments resuming on Saturday.

WRHA and the hospital said its occupational health and safety team has processes in place to ensure hazardous chemicals are inventoried and accounted for going forward, so something like this doesn't happen again.

Police say the situation is similar to the U of M evacuation last summer

Chauncey said the situation is similar to the June 2023 evacuation at the University of Manitoba after a small amount of an “unstable type” of the chemical was found in a storage room.

Chancey said the police bomb squad was also called in to dispose of the item in that case.