Suspicious package found at Halifax military base destroyed

CTV Atlantic: Suspicious package spotted People working at the Navy dockyard in Halifax experienced a brief lockdown Wednesday after a suspicious package was found.

People working at the Halifax Navy dockyard found themselves under a lockdown Wednesday morning after a suspicious package was found at a bus stop.

Military police then had the Navy dockyard around the Rainbow Gate cordoned off soon after the call came in at 7:30 a.m.

The same group within the diving unit that would look for explosives on the bottom of the Halifax Harbour was called into deal with the suspicious package. Their robot was maneuvered into the bus shelter to blow it apart.

A small area of the dockyard was cleared out. Everything opened againat around 9:30 a.m.

"We got the buildings back in order,” said Danny Bouchard of the Fleet Diving Unit. “We did have a couple of buildings evacuated again for the safety of the public and the military personnel."

Military police say there was nothing dangerous in the package. They say it was a cardboard box with trash inside.

Military spokesman Mike Bonin says the military's explosive ordnance team detonated the package.

“People followed the right procedures, they made the right phone calls, people reacted appropriately to the situation,” he said. “And, you know, it's always better to err on the side of caution and safety.”

They say they consider the incident a good training exercise.

With files fromThe Canadian Press and CTV Atlantic’s Ron Shaw