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Newsstand: November 27, 2009
Misinformation travels mighty fast these days. So when major news organizations around the city reported earlier today that there was word of one—or several—people with a gun in the Bickford Centre, a continuing education school on Bloor at Christie, and that police had swarmed the area, it was hard to separate what was really going on from what was alleged to be happening behind the building's walls.
According to our own Matt Kim, in the area as media and police arrived, "there are at least fifteen police cruisers gathered at Bloor and Montrose, with more on the way from the sounds of it. No traffic is being allowed west of Christie, pedestrian or otherwise. Looks like media crew are setting up tripods. There's some speculation, but a lot of uncertainty." CityNews (whose article has since changed) initially reported that:
An adult learning centre in the city's west end has been put on lockdown after reports that several people stormed the facility with guns.The alleged incident took place at the Bickford Centre at 777 Bloor St. W. at Christie just before 11am.
The area has been blocked off as police investigate.
There have been unconfirmed reports that a student or students may be holding the principal at gunpoint.
Initial reports suggest the drama is unfolding on the fifth floor but police say they have no confirmation of anyone with a gun.
No confirmation would ever come: the whole lockdown was a drill, and the confusion the result of, according to the Post, "a student unaware of the drill [who] sent word a gunman was in the school." One woman, lifted into an ambulance on a stretcher just after noon, was, according to CityNews, "in the late stages of a pregnancy," the treatment "precautionary." If nothing else, her kid will surely have one heck of a story to tell.
All photos by Nick Kozak/Torontoist.
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You'd think it would be basic procedure that they should call the police and notify them ahead of time that it is just a drill to prevent something like this from happening.
I wonder how much this entire scare costed the city in terms of man-hours for the emergency teams and lost revenue to nearby businesses? Couple hundred thousand dollars maybe? Whatever it was it could have been prevented with a simple phone call ahead of time.
A personal note to this story - I live nearby and was walking up my street when I saw two preschool teachers I know who work at the Bob Abate Centre (which is right by the Bickford Centre). They were in a classroom with 8 toddlers when uniformed officers burst into the room with guns drawn and shouted at everyone to get down on the floor. The teachers and kids had to evacuate immediately. I talked to them before it had been announced that this was all a mistake. They both were still shaking over what had happened. One big flowery apology better be forthcoming and soon.
My sister, who lives in Ottawa, actually called me asking if I'd heard what was going on, told me there was a hostage situation, and asked that I avoid the area (I'm at Ossington).
Happened to be walking by around noon. Very intense to see police officers in the park behind the school... hiding behind trees with guns drawn.
The Toronto EMS shirts that have the inverted "EMS" (third pic) always look like "Toronto Elvis" to me.
Yeah))) Flying Elvises team
I thought I was the only one who sees Toronto Elvis every single time I see the EMS logo!