A lockdown at the University of Ottawa's downtown campus Friday afternoon ended after police arrested a man carrying a replica firearm near the LRT station, authorities confirmed Saturday.
The incident unfolded around 4:20 p.m. when campus security initiated the emergency lockdown following reports of a man spotted with what appeared to be a weapon near the uOttawa LRT station. Ottawa Police Service officers located and arrested the suspect on Waller Street, just north of the university campus, at approximately 6:50 p.m.
The 32-year-old man now faces two charges: possessing a weapon dangerous to the public peace and mischief. He appeared in court Saturday morning. A publication ban prevents the release of his name or further personal details.
"There were no injuries reported in connection with this incident," Ottawa Police Service stated in a Saturday release, though the investigation remains ongoing.
Communication Concerns Raised by Student Leaders
While the crisis ended without physical harm, the uOttawa Students' Union has raised serious questions about how campus leadership communicated with the university community during the emergency.
The University of Ottawa sent an alert instructing people "to run, hide or, if your life is in imminent danger, defend yourself by any means necessary until you can get away." However, students received these critical notifications through multiple channels—some via email and others exclusively through the SecurUO mobile app—creating an inconsistent and potentially dangerous information gap.
"Students didn't receive an email, they didn't receive many notifications, they didn't know what was going on, and so students were really afraid," said Elnaz Enayatpour, the Students' Union's operations commissioner, in comments to Radio-Canada. "We're asking for a stronger action plan and a stronger communication plan for the next time that something like this happens."
Enayatpour highlighted a critical vulnerability: not all students have the SecurUO app downloaded, meaning some community members remained unaware of the emergency while others received immediate warnings.
University Administration Responds
University of Ottawa President and Vice-Chancellor Marie-Eve Sylvestre acknowledged the incident Friday evening, stating that "the safety of students, staff and the university community is the university's top priority." She thanked those who complied with emergency protocols.
Jesse Robichaud, the university's director of public affairs, followed up with a message to the campus community Saturday afternoon, though specific details about any policy changes or improvements to emergency communications were not immediately disclosed.
Information in this report sourced from CBC News and Ottawa Police Service statements.