Kapuskasing police investigation leads to school and childcare closures

Few details are available, but a school and childcare facility in Kapuskasing were closed Monday due to a police investigation.

Const. Kyler Brouwer of the Ontario Provincial Police told CTVNewsNorthernOntario.ca in a phone interview Monday afternoon that officers are dealing with a barricaded subject on Algonquin Street.

Police were called around 10:45 a.m. and this resulted in a person barricading themselves in a home, Brouwer said.

Crisis negotiators and the emergency response unit were called to the scene.

There is no danger to the public, Brouwer said, but the road is closed and the nearby school is on hold.

It is not known if the person is armed.

The James Bay detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police issued an advisory of a heavy police presence on Algonquin Street in the small northern Ontario town just before 11:30 a.m.

“Avoid the area until further notice,” the social media post said.

A few minutes later, Conseil scolaire catholique des Grande Rivières posted on social media that no one is allowed in or out of local schools due to “a police situation outside the schools.”

Monday is a professional development day for teachers, so students are not in the classroom, but staff are on site and childcare is open.

Ecole catholique Jacques-Cartier is the closest school to Algonquin Street in Kapuskasing.

The situation continues as of 2:26 p.m

CTVNewsNorthernOntario.ca will continue to monitor the situation and update the article as more details become available.