A woman has been charged after a suspicious package was delivered to a downtown Toronto building home to the offices of Liberal Leader Bob Rae and Ontario MPP Glen Murray, prompting a brief evacuation.
Police said an envelope containing a white powder was delivered to the constituency office on Parliament Street, north of Carlton Street, shortly after 2 p.m. on Tuesday.
Seven employees began coughing, sneezing and itching. Police were contacted and immediately evacuated the area. The employees were treated at the scene and released.
Police arrested a 59-year-old woman who hand-delivered the package. Const. Tony Vella said Thursday that she had been charged in connection with the incident.
Office staff said she is frequently visits the office.
The package has been taken in for testing.
Rae was not at the office at the time of the incident. Local MPP Glen Murray, whose office is housed in the same building, was also not at the scene.
In a statement released on his website, Murray said he was proud of the way his staff handled the scare and thanked emergency crews for how they handled the situation.
