Provincial court building evacuated in St. John’s

Police in St. John’s were investigating a bomb threat at Atlantic Place Tuesday morning, a building that houses provincial court, shops and offices.


According to Canadian Press, the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary’s canine team and explosive disposal unit were at the building around 10 a.m. local time and it was evacuated for about 90 minutes. 


Earlier, a tweet from police read: “We are currently at Atlantic Place investigating a threat of an explosive device in the building. Evacuations are underway. Updates to follow.”


Melissa Royale, a lawyer at Benson Buffett PLC Inc. said she and others at the law firm, which has offices in Atlantic Place on Water Street, saw the activity unfolding on Twitter before being alerted to leave the building.


“They evacuated the court first,” she says. “As the provincial court is in the building this kind of thing has happened before.”


Royale said coffee shops around Atlantic Place were full with office workers while police conducted a search but everyone was able to return to work without incident.