Suspicious packages sent to Nova Scotia MP offices, Halifax City Hall

Police in Nova Scotia are investigating after suspicious packages were delivered to at least four public offices in the province, including one incident where an employee was injured after opening the package.

Police believe some of the packages contained a chemical irritant and further testing is being conducted to identify the substance.

Conservative MP Rick Perkins confirmed to CTV News that his federal constituency office in Barrington Passage, N.S., was one of the targeted locations. 

Perkins says his assistant had difficulty breathing and his eyes and skin became irritated after he opened a package that had arrived at the office, so the man called police.

"After pulling the materials out that were inside, shortly thereafter, he started to have trouble with his eyes watering and irritation and having trouble seeing, and painful feelings on his hands," said Perkins.

According to Perkins, the envelopes contained disturbing images.

"In it were images of things like the Nuremberg trials, politicians being hung, that kind of thing as I understand it, which is imagery that I understand is going around on social media right now," he said.

The RCMP responded shortly after 11 a.m. Monday and secured the scene until officers trained to handle irritants could attend.

The building was evacuated and Perkins’ assistant was taken to hospital as a precaution. Perkins says he is doing fine.

Around the same time, members of the Bridgewater Police Service were responding to a similar complaint at Perkins’ office in Bridgewater, N.S.

Police say the employees were aware of the incident in Barrington Passage so no one had handled the package, and no injuries were reported.

The office was evacuated and Bridgewater police seized the package for testing.

The RCMP notified all federal constituency offices in Nova Scotia about the incidents.

Shortly after 1 p.m., the RCMP responded to a complaint about a suspicious package at Conservative MP Chris d'Entremont’s federal constituency office in Yarmouth, N.S.

Police say the package hadn’t been opened, but an employee’s skin became irritated after handling it. The employee didn’t require medical attention.

Yarmouth RCMP seized the package for testing.

d'Entremont says he is now considering changing the way mail is handled in his office.

"There was nothing that would make this make us suspect anything was in it, but it does cause you to stop and go, 'Maybe we should adopt a better procedure for that kind of mail,'" he said.

Heather Bradley, the director of communications for the House of Commons, says a memo regarding the packages was distributed to all MPs as a precaution.

RCMP say all three envelopes were seized and have been sent away for testing.

HALIFAX COUNCILLORS RECEIVE SUSPICIOUS ENVELOPES

Federal constituency offices weren’t the only buildings targeted in Nova Scotia.

Halifax Regional Police responded to Halifax City Hall around 7:45 p.m. after a number of suspicious envelopes were delivered to the building.

Police say members of its forensic team seized the envelopes and testing is underway to determine their contents.

Police say no one was injured and no illnesses have been reported in connection with the envelopes in Halifax.

Coun. Tony Mancini confirmed to CTV News that each HRM councillor received a brown envelope with no return address and that some councillors turned them over to Halifax Regional Police.

"I received the envelope last week before the incident with the MPs," said Mancini in an email. "My package contained numerous documents related to rants about vaccine restrictions. There was no irritant in the envelope I opened."

Anyone with information about the suspicious packages is asked to contact Halifax Regional Police at 902-490-5020, Southwest Nova RCMP at 902-365-3160, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).