Recent white powder scares in Saskatoon could be connected to string of November incidents, say police
5 scares in March; 1 day in November saw several businesses hit
Saskatoon police have confirmed they are investigating a possible connection between five recent white powder scares and a November incident that targeted five businesses in one day.
Five suspicious packages containing white powder were delivered to Saskatoon businesses within a two-hour period on Nov. 29, 2016, prompting a major emergency response involving between 40 and 50 fire department workers.
Alexa Emerson was charged with mischief and uttering threats in connection with the hoax, which cost emergency services about $66,000.
- Alexa Emerson to stand trial over white powder hoax charges in May
- Alexa Emerson claims frame-up in mystery white powder case
She pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to stand trial in May. She was release on bail in Alberta.
Police said at the time that two people who delivered the packages to the businesses were released after it was discovered they didn't know the contents.
5 incidents in March
In the past month, two office towers, a school, the Saskatoon Cancer Centre and one business have received suspicious packages, each prompting a full emergency response. The latest three incidents occurred in the past two days.
- White powder scares taxing resources, says Saskatoon fire department after 2 incidents Monday
- Suspicious package delivered to Saskatoon school latest in series of hazmat scares
On Tuesday afternoon, police confirmed they were investigating a link between the recent five incidents and those that occurred on Nov. 29.
A police spokesperson, however, did not draw a specific connection between Emerson's case and the five white powder scares this month.
Fire spokesman Wayne Rodger said the calls are taxing crews, and proving expensive. He said it costs about $20,000 to scramble fire crews and the hazmat team to a call. This cost does not include police and paramedics.
Motivations difficult to pinpoint, says prof.
University of Saskatchewan assistant professor of political studies Colleen Bell, who studies security and police, said there was no clear motivation for the recent spate of white powder scares in Saskatoon.
"The only thing that I can speculate about is whether — and this could be serious — somebody is engaged in a process of trying to test emergency response in the city, which some would suggest could mean that there could be something else coming."
She said it was also possible the hoaxes were simply a nuisance that posed no real threat to the public.
She added that people who orchestrate hoax or terrorism-type incidents are often seeking media attention.
Role of the media
Bell said it is important that coverage of such incidents is "measured" and representative of the true risk to the public.
"In any kind of act that's designed to get people worked up and excited, the media plays a critical role in amplifying that," she said.
"At the same time, the media has an obligation to tell the public about things that are in the public interest to know. And, so, I would say that the media is continually caught in this difficult position where it's sort of damned if it does and damned if it doesn't."
Even without media coverage, she said people are alerted to incidents through social media and alert apps.
She said there is no obvious way to discourage the people behind the hoaxes.
With files from CBC's Dan Zakreski