A man was arrested after phoning in a threat against City of Burlington staff and elected officials, Wednesday, an incident which led to city hall being evacuated by police.

Shortly after 1 p.m., Wednesday, a man called the city and threatened to harm employees.

Police responded shortly after and called for a ‘hold and secure’ protocol – in which normal activity continued within the building but the exterior doors were locked.

Mayor Marianne Meed Ward says at first, she and her team thought it was a drill.

“So, you know, we're like, ‘oh yeah, we're in the middle of a meeting, what a time for a drill?’ And then we very quickly realized it was not a drill. There was a very real threat.”

Police then called for a total evacuation.

“You want to try to bring some normalcy”, Meed Ward said,

See Full Page