Public safety threat made realted to Hayden Recreational Centre and Hayden high school. Social media run amok.

News 100 redBy Staff

June 6th, 2018

BURLINGTON, ON

 

On Monday June 4, 2018 and Tuesday June 5, 2018, the Halton Regional Police Service investigated two false reports of threatening incidents in the City of Burlington.

Both incidents involved the Dr. Dr. Frank J. Hayden Secondary School and the Haber Recreation Centre. Both of these facilities are attached in the same building complex located at 3040 Tim Dobbie Drive, Burlington, Ontario.

Alton has a spanking new high school with air conditioned classrooms; the envy of every high school student in the city. The school is part of a complex that includes a library and a recreational centre.

Hayden Recreational Centre

On Monday June 4, 2018, some unsubstantiated rumours began to be put forward that there was a threat of someone attending the school with a gun the following day. The school received calls from concerned parents as the rumours were apparently on a social media site. A citizen contacted a media outlet about these rumours.

School officials investigated the rumours in conjunction with the Halton Regional Police Service. The rumours involved a specific named person and the investigation concluded that this information was false and vexatious. The school sent a message out to parents, guardians and students advising them of the investigation and providing them information that there was no evidence of any kind of an actual threat was made. School activities were not impacted due to these rumours.

On Tuesday June 5, 2018, at approximately 8:00 pm, staff at the Haber Recreation Centre received an anonymous telephone call. The caller eluded that about an hour later there was going to be a bomb threat at the centre. The recreation centre is comprised of a library and a hall and staff elected to have the premise evacuated under an abundance of caution.

The Halton Regional Police Service attended and conducted a thorough search of the centre and found no threat or cause for any concern. The recreation centre was closed to the public for about 2.5 hours and then reopened for public use.

Nothing anywhere near something like this in any part of Burlington. Alton has charted new territory in the way neighbourhoods are developed. This set of buildings will house a Recreation Centre, a high school and a public library with a large series of parks right across the road.

Frank J. Hayden Secondary School when it was under construction

In both investigated incidents the vague threats were deemed to be false and vexatious in nature, clearly intended to cause alarm to members of the public. At this time it is not clear if one or more persons are responsible for both of these incidents.

School officials and the police want to reiterate to students, parents and guardians that there is no cause for any concern for students attending school on Wednesday June 6, 2018.

Anyone with information on these crimes is encouraged to contact the Burlington Criminal Investigations Bureau at 905-825-4747 Ext. 2316.

Tips can also be submitted to Crime Stoppers “See Something? Hear Something? Know Something? Contact Crime Stoppers” at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.ca.

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