By The Canadian Press

‘It’s not a joke’: Winnipeg police detail arrests amid a spate of school threats

Feb 25, 2026 | 2:35 PM

WINNIPEG — Police in Winnipeg are warning about a recent spate of threats to local schools.

Staff Sgt. Shaun Venn says none of the 11 separate calls received between Feb. 3 and Feb. 19 were credible.

But he says three people — two youths and a 30-year-old woman from Toronto — have been charged with uttering threats.

School safety has been a high-profile issue in Canada after a mass shooting at a school in Tumbler Ridge, B.C., on Feb. 10.

Venn couldn’t say if the threats after that date were inspired by Tumbler Ridge.

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But he says they are no laughing matter as they waste precious resources and can prove traumatizing to those who see police roll up to schools en masse.

“It’s not a joke. It’s not funny,” Venn told reporters Wednesday. “And I don’t think the police need to explain the … consequences of a criminal record that can follow you around for the rest of your life.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 25, 2026.

— By Aaron Sousa in Edmonton

The Canadian Press