On June 28, 2023 at approximately 3:30 PM, an assailant armed with two knives entered a classroom and seriously injured a professor and two students.
Shortly after, chaos ensued in the nearby area with no response from the university, despite the police arriving on the scene within three minutes of the first of many 911 calls. Some students had just finished their classes and walked out into the hallways of Hagey Hall, potentially into harms' way, as the attacker had not yet been apprehended, and they were unaware of the present danger. Witnesses have described chaotic scenes of people running, screaming, and blood on the floor in the moments following the incident.
The University had tested their existing Emergency Alert System, WatSAFE, earlier that day. At 4:46 PM, an hour after the incident was called into 911, the University posted an alert on the WatSAFE app, saying police were responding to an incident on campus, without specific mention of a lockdown at Hagey Hall until a later announcement at 5:25 PM. This is the first time since WatSAFE's inception that the alert system had to be used.
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Timeline of Events:
- 3:30-3:35 PM: Armed man stabs two students and one professor
- 3:37 PM: 911 calls received regarding a stabbing
- 3:40 PM: Police arrive at scene and apprehend the suspect
- 4:46 PM: Vague WatSAFE alert regarding an investigation on campus with no location
- 5:25 PM: WatSAFE advises people in Hagey Hall to remain inside until escorted out by WRPS
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We are demanding the University of Waterloo completely rework their Emergency Alert System in response to this critical failure. This includes looking to implement emergency alerts delivered in the form of text messages, cellphone calls and campus landline telephone calls with a recorded warning message/ further instructions, banners on University computers/televisions, as well as a siren/loudspeaker system on campus grounds. These systems are already in place at other universities across Canada and the United States, and would be far more effective than a mobile phone notification delivered well after the threat was neutralized.
A properly working Emergency Alert System is essential to ensure the safety of all the staff, students, and faculty at the University. Should another incident happen, a system like this one could save lives.
