Canadian Armed Forces specialists removed an inert grenade from a campground in Quebec’s Montérégie region Tuesday after determining it contained no explosive material and posed no danger.
The Sûreté du Québec was called to Camping du Lac Cristal, 50 kilometres south of Montreal in St-Bernard-de-Lacolle, after the device was discovered close to a building.
Police established a security perimeter and asked campers to remain inside a building or at their campsites while officers worked with military specialists to assess the scene, an SQ spokesperson told The Gazette on Tuesday evening.
Two Canadian Armed Forces ammunition technicians were dispatched from CFB Valcartier and arrived at the campground at approximately 4 p.m., according to the Department of National Defence.
The technicians identified the device as an inert No. 36 grenade, commonly known as a Mills bomb, and confirmed it contained no explosive or other energetic material.
The grenade was removed from the campground and transported to the ammunition depot at CFB Valcartier for disposal, said Sgt. Guillaume Beauchemin, a Canadian Armed Forces ammunition technician.
The Mills bomb was introduced into the British army in 1915 and was widely used by British and Commonwealth forces during and after the First and Second World Wars. Live grenades and inert versions used for training were produced.