Five homes were evacuated and a section of North Vancouver’s Dollarton Highway was closed into Wednesday evening as officials responded to a historical explosive device.
North Vancouver RCMP said someone bought the explosive as a novelty believing it was inert, but that they called police when they became concerned the device may still be a hazard.
Police could not specify whether it was an old grenade or another form of ordnance, but said it was military in nature.
As a result, RCMP explosives experts were called off, and specialists from the Canadian Armed Forces were deployed to assess the item.
Motorists were of significant delays in the area, with Dollarton Highway closed between Roche Point Drive and Dollar Road, as police held the scene for military experts.
Shortly before 7 p.m., police said armed forces personnel had attended the scene and were able to safely remove the item.