On April 9, The Omega reported on a threat received by TRU, following the university sending out a safety update.
At that time it was divulged that the university had received a threatening letter containing “a suggestion of potential acts of violence on the TRU Kamloops campus.” The communication would say that the RCMP was immediately informed and that while law enforcement could not find evidence that the threat was credible, the situation was being taken seriously.
The following day Castanet reported that the university received the threat on March 26, two full weeks before TRU sent out its safety alert. This revelation has prompted some to question why it took so long for the university and the RCMP to alert the public.
When reached for comment, TRU advised that the communication delay was the result of advice from the Kamloops RCMP and that any follow-up questions should be directed to them.
In a statement sent to The Omega, the RCMP confirmed that they were responsible for holding off on releasing information.
“There was a proactive presence by police, working in cooperation with the campus community safety team, to monitor and continuously assess the risk, which fortunately, did not materialize into anything further. The threats investigation is ongoing.
“Regarding the RCMP’s recommendation to TRU related to communications, the release of information is always carefully measured based on a thorough risk assessment developed through the investigational process. The media release issued by Kamloops RCMP Detachment was to confirm the presence of a police investigation, following the TRU communication to students.
“On March 26, 2025, just before 1 p.m., the Kamloops RCMP Detachment received a report of an unconfirmed threat to the Thompson Rivers University campus. The Kamloops RCMP General Investigation Support Team (GIST) and the Serious Crime Unit (SCU) actively investigated the nature and source of the threat to determine its reliability, while being mindful that threats can be made with ulterior motives to incite fear.
“Throughout the process, the Kamloops RCMP worked with TRU community Safety, prior to the weekend the threat was directed towards, TRU and police released statements to not only keep the TRU community informed of the threat, but also highlight the cooperative approach taken to reducing the potential risk seeking community support to report suspicious activity.”
As confirmed in the statement, the threat assessment has entered its fifth week and is still “ongoing.” No additional details, including the exact nature or type of threats that were made, have been released.