Mayor of Stephenville, N.L., questions why police brought suspected WW II-era explosive to town

Stephenville city manager cork Byrnes says it's "concerning" the RCMP brought a suspected back domain War-era volatile to a residential neighbourhood this week, sparking distress in his community.

Military experts agree: moving the explosive shell was the wrong decision.

Military members detonated the shell Thursday night, after residents faced potential evacuation.

It weighed about 50 pounds and was about a foot high, the mayor described. A resident found it on a St. George's beach and notified RCMP, who brought it to their detachment in Stephenville on Wednesday.

"Maybe it wasn't a great idea to put that in your car and drive over to Stephenville with it," said Byrnes.

Moving the shell is "highly" not recommended, said Lt. Andrew Macleod, executive officer of the Canadian Armed Forces Atlantic fleet diving unit. His team traveled to Stephenville to assess and destroy the explosive.

While the shell turned out to be stable, in other cases a small interaction could lead to explosion.

With potential explosives, it’s "not good to move it at all," Macleod said.

Byrnes said he's meeting with RCMP and local military members next week to discuss how to handle these events in the future. The ordeal was anxiety-inducing for the hundreds of people who lived nearby, he said.

Byrnes said some people did choose to evacuate their homes. He added people don’t realize the “psychological effect" on residents being told they may need to leave due to a possibly explosive military device.

The RCMP say it was "imperative" the shell be secured and continuously monitored by police due to its dangerous nature.

O’Donaghey said the RCMP acknowledges the anxiety the situation posed, and "deeply appreciates" the community's co-operation during the "unusual incident."

"We look forward to reviewing the event with the town and other partners as we continue to build and improve on emergency preparedness and planning in Stephenville and across the province," he said.

The Canadian Armed Forces team traveled to the community from Nova Scotia.

Nearby residents were told to prepare for evacuation, but the team determined the device was stable and safe to move. The shell was explosive, said Macleod, but the fuse was not active.

The experts detonated the shell Thursday night, he said. They also detonated a cannonball somebody else had called in after seeing the news.

Owen Russell, who lives in Stephenville, said he heard a "big bang" that shook the house Thursday night, and a second bang a little while later.

Russell says he was "surprised" police moved the device and brought it into Stephenville.

Macleod stressed the danger of touching items like this, and said people shouldn't worry about getting into trouble. Just back away and call the police, he said.

"The best course of action is to not touch it," he said. "We're more than happy to come deal with it appropriately."

RCMP said military munitions can "vary greatly in shape, size, markings, condition and age," said O’Donaghey.

"Even items that appear old, damaged or inactive should always be considered extremely dangerous."

Laura Howells is a reporter and radio producer in St. John's. She's worked in Toronto, Hamilton and Whitehorse. Get in touch at laura.howells@cbc.ca.

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