Westgate CVI closed Wednesday as Thunder Bay police investigate threat

THUNDER BAY – NEWS – Westgate Collegiate and Vocational Institute is closed today, Wednesday, April 8, after a threat prompted a police response at the school early this morning.

Thunder Bay Police Service officers responded at about 7:30 a.m., and Lakehead Public Schools later confirmed Westgate would remain closed for the day, with buses returning students home.

For Thunder Bay families, the closure is an immediate disruption and a reminder of how school threats have repeatedly unsettled local high schools in recent years.

Police response confirmed, school closed for the day

Thunder Bay Police Service says it is investigating a threat against Westgate Collegiate and Vocational Institute. Lakehead Public Schools told families the school is closed because of “a threat to the school community” and said student safety remains its top priority. As of publication, neither the police service nor the board had publicly released details about the nature of the threat.

The board’s notice states Westgate will remain closed for the day and buses will return students home. No further update on reopening had been posted on the board’s website by Wednesday morning.

This is not the first threat-related disruption for Thunder Bay schools

Threats against local high schools have disrupted classes before. In 2019, repeated anonymous threats forced multiple closures at Hammarskjold High School. By the time one of those cases reached sentencing in 2021, reporting noted the school had been closed for 12 days. On April 9, 2019, another anonymous threat also closed both Hammarskjold and Superior Collegiate and Vocational Institute.

Westgate itself was at the centre of a major scare in October 2019, when a social-media post showing what appeared to be a rifle warned the school it was “going to be next.” Westgate was closed, while St. Patrick High School was also affected by a similar online threat. In September 2019, Thunder Bay police also investigated what was described as a perceived threat involving St. Ignatius High School.

More recently, Westgate was placed under hold and secure in September 2025 because of what the board described as a threat outside the school community. That incident did not originate from inside the school, but it still triggered a visible police response and precautionary action by school officials.

Why it matters locally

Each new school threat carries consequences beyond the investigation itself. In Thunder Bay, past incidents have meant cancelled classes, interrupted transportation, anxious parents and students, and added pressure on school staff and police.

That history helps explain why any threat involving a high school draws immediate attention in the city and why families will be looking for clear updates from police and Lakehead Public Schools through the day.

This remains a developing story.