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Kelowna  

No threat at IH building

Alanna Kelly

UPDATE: 1 p.m.

Over 800 people were evacuated from a public health building in Kelowna on Wednesday.

A duffel bag was discovered on the second floor of the Interior Health building and was left unattended and opened for a while, according to building operations manager Peter Grewal.

“Nobody in the waiting room was taking claim of it so at that point we followed protocol and contacted the RCMP,” he said. 

The bag was noticed at about 10 a.m. in the clinical area of the building, which includes their mental health unit and children programs. 

After a police dog and its handler investigated, the bag was deemed safe and the building was reopened.


UPDATE: 11:10 a.m.

Police have determined the suspicious package found inside the downtown Kelowna Interior Health building was not a threat, and they have since left the scene. 

The IH building operations manager, Peter Grewal, said a duffel bag had been left in a waiting room of a clinical area on the second floor of the building. After it had sat there for some time and no one claimed it, Grewal said they followed protocol and called police at about 10 a.m. 

The building, which has 800 to 1,000 occupants, was quickly evacuated.

The package was deemed non-suspicious by police at about 11 a.m.


Alanna Kelly

UPDATE: 10:55 a.m.

A police service dog is currently searching the IH building in downtown Kelowna after a suspicious package was found inside.

The building, on the corner of Ellis Street and Doyle Avenue, has been evacuated and yellow police tape surrounds the block.

Several police vehicles surround the building at this time.


ORIGINAL: 10:45 a.m.

The Interior Health building in downtown Kelowna has been evacuated Wednesday morning, and police, firefighters and paramedics are surrounding the building.

Police have said a "suspicious package" was found inside the building and they're currently investigating. 

Yellow police tape is surrounding the building, on the corner of Ellis Street and Doyle Avenue.

Police have currently closed off a section of Doyle Avenue near the building.

Castanet will have more information as it becomes available.



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