‘Suspicious’ white powder at Canada Post depot investigated by Hamilton police, fire

A package containing white powder that leaked inside a bin at a Canada Post facility in Stoney Creek was investigated by Hamilton police officers and fire fighters early Sunday morning.

The bin contained about 80 packages, and one had split open and the powder spread.

After being contacted by Canada Post, the suspicious package" call was responded to by Hamilton Police just before 4 a.m., with its Emergency Response Unit investigating, said east end station Staff Sgt. Catherine Lockley.

ERU officers took a sample of the powder substance outdoors, and by lighting it on fire in a controlled environment, they determined it was not an explosive.

The Hamilton Fire Department's haz-mat team, meanwhile, tested the powder further, and determined it had three components but was not a narcotic. Lockley said it was a cleaning solution: A benign product."

Fire fighters cleaned the bin area of the powder, and the building on Millen Road was declared safe before 9 a.m. Sunday.

Lockley said the packages had been flown to Hamilton from China, via Vancouver.