University of Manitoba students were warned Wednesday afternoon to keep a close eye on their food and beverages, as authorities suspect an employee’s water bottle was intentionally contaminated with a “noxious substance.”
Officials believe the contamination took place at the Bannatyne campus between May 9 and 10.
“I have to admit, I don’t keep that close of an eye on them, so I’ll probably do a better job of that,” said student, Brooke Osis.
But university officials didn’t sent out a security alert email to students at both campuses until Wednesday, urging staff and students not to leave food or drink unattended. And some feel that the warning came too late – almost eight days after the suspected incident took place.
“Oh, definitely,” Osis said, “I mean, a lot can happen in that time, for sure.”
“If it wasn’t a one-time incident, if it was random, I don’t know if either of those are true. Certainly, the student body and staff would need to know that’s the kind of risk they’re facing at the moment,” said Cstb. Rob Carver, Winnipeg Police Service.
Authorities couldn’t say what the substance slipped into the water bottle was, but indicated it wasn’t a “date rape” drug.
“It doesn’t look like it was part of a plan to facilitate some sort of, rendering someone unconscious or that kind of thing,” Carver said.
Police, university security and the public health inspector are still investigating the incident.
“A lot of those things are forensics-based and take some time,” Carver explained.
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