More schools closed after Manitoba middle school receives another threatening voicemail
Several schools in southeast Manitoba were closed Friday after a round of threatening voicemails came in over the last week.
The Hanover School Division said all Steinbach schools and Kleefeld School are closed Friday after Clearspring Middle School (CMS) received the threatening voicemail late Thursday afternoon. According to an update on the division’s website, the caller issued threats to CMS and Steinbach Regional Secondary School.
“We take threats to schools or persons very seriously; therefore, upon receiving the voicemail today, staff immediately contacted the RCMP,” the post on the division’s website said.
“The RCMP are taking this very seriously, and an active investigation continues to be underway. We thank the RCMP for providing support to the Hanover School Division.”
According to the division, all Steinbach schools and Kleefeld School will switch to remote learning on Friday.
This comes after two similar voicemails were left last week at CMS, one of which directed a threat to that school.
“Upon investigation, the RCMP determined the call was associated with a US telephone number,” Hanover School Division superintendent and CEO Shelley Amos said in a letter posted to the school’s website on Jan. 19.
“There are indications that this is not a legitimate threat, but this has not yet been confirmed. An active investigation by the RCMP is underway.”
CMS was closed the next day out of an abundance of caution, the division said.
Another threatening voicemail came to CMS on Thursday, issuing threats to Kleefeld School.
Both CMS and Kleefeld School were closed Thursday as a result of those messages.
RCMP say those previous three calls originated from the same phone number in Wisconsin, but police there have ruled out the homeowners.
Officers are now trying to track down the caller by focusing on identifying the IP address associated with the calls.
- With files from CTV's Charles Lefebvre
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Donald Trump indicted; 1st ex-president charged with crime
Donald Trump has been indicted by a Manhattan grand jury, prosecutors and defense lawyers said Thursday, making him the first former U.S. president to face a criminal charge and jolting his bid to retake the White House next year.

Police find 6 bodies, including 1 child, in St. Lawrence River
The bodies of six people, including one child, were found in the St. Lawrence River Thursday afternoon after an air search involving the Canadian Coast Guard, the Akwesasne Mohawk Police said.
'Nova Scotians' sense of safety was rocked': RCMP failures dominate inquiry's final report into 2020 mass shooting
A long list of failures by Nova Scotia RCMP leadership and policing systems dominate the final report into Nova Scotia's April 2020 mass shooting.
Meet the Canadian astronauts up for a seat on the Artemis II mission to the moon
This Sunday, NASA and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) will announce the four astronauts that will be blasting off to fly around the moon for the Artemis II mission, one of whom will be a Canadian astronaut.
Gwyneth Paltrow not at fault for ski collision, jury decides
Gwyneth Paltrow won her court battle over a 2016 ski collision at a posh Utah ski resort after a jury decided Thursday that the movie star wasn't at fault for the crash.
Memes, ski etiquette and that missing GoPro video: Highlights from the Gwyneth Paltrow trial
When two skiers collided on a beginner run at an upscale Utah ski resort in 2016, no one could foresee that seven years later, the crash would become the subject of a closely watched celebrity trial.
Facebook users consume more fake news than users of Twitter, other social media sites: Study
When it comes to election misinformation on social media, Facebook takes the cake, according to a new study which found heavy Facebook users were far more likely to consume fake news than Twitter or other social media sites.
People may buy less alcohol when stores have non-alcoholic drinks on sale, study suggests
Researchers believe the availability of non-alcoholic drinks can help to combat drinking problems.
EXCLUSIVE | Security increased for prime minister's advisers after break-and-enter incidents
Ottawa Police are investigating an attempted break-in at the residence of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's national security adviser, the second such incident involving one of his top aides in recent months.