Operations at a Canada Post sorting depot in London returned to normal Thursday, the day after a suspicious package triggered a large scale Police response.
Early Wednesday morning, the building on Highbury Avenue was evacuated after a suspicious package and powder were discovered.
Fire crews, the London Police Forensics Unit and the bomb squad were all called to the scene.
Employees were given the “all clear” around 1:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Approximately 12 employees who came into contact with the substance were temporarily isolated for everyone’s protection.
“We released them when we completed some of our on site testing,” said London Fire District Chief Wayne Brown. “We determined that the immediate risk was lowered, so they were sent home and advised to take necessary precautions washing their clothes and that sort of thing.”
As of Thursday morning, the substance still has not been identified – although it’s said to be “organic in nature.”
“We have mitigated the immediate emergency response (and) stabilized the situation.” Brown told AM980.
Mail service to some east London residents was delayed or postponed for the day. It’s expected to return to normal today.
“Prior to 9-11, someone would have found the powder and just brushed it away, we live in a different era and and we have to make different assumptions about substances,” Brown said.
No word yet on where the suspicious package was sent from.
Mail service in the east end of the city was expected to return to normal Thursday after it was temporarily suspended Wednesday.
