OCAD University was closed Tuesday after Toronto police said it was one of four post-secondary schools across the city that received bomb threats.

The first call came at around 8:54 a.m., with 10 campuses at four schools involved, Toronto police said. Those affected were OCAD, Ryerson University, George Brown College and Humber College.

Const. Caroline de Kloet told the Star that the threats were “all similar in nature.”

OCAD said in a statement by early afternoon that police cleared the campus and that it will reopen Wednesday morning.

At about 9 a.m. Tuesday, OCAD had tweeted that its building on 100 McCaul St., near the Art Gallery of Ontario, was closed. Later it said that all buildings on its campus were being evacuated.

Fiona Enright, a fourth-year student at the art and design school, said she was “annoyed” and that she couldn’t do anything.

“It’s disrupting my education,” she said.

Students were notified Tuesday morning via email that the school would be closed until further notice. Enright said she wasn’t aware of the lockdown because she was commuting to school from Milton. She arrived on campus shortly after 10 a.m.

“I actually went into the Annex Building for class,” she said, adding that she walked past a security guard.

Once upstairs, she knew instantly that something was awry.

“Some of the lights were off,” she said. “I was thinking this is strange.”

Then she received a text from friends, at around 10:30 a.m., notifying her that the campus was shut down due to a bomb threat.

Several blocks away, the Chang School at Ryerson University was also closed Tuesday morning. By 10:45 a.m., Ryerson tweeted that it was given the all-clear by police and that the Chang School had reopened.

Evacuations were “school dependent,” de Kloet said.

George Brown College confirmed all campus buildings had been checked by 1 p.m., and police had cleared the school.

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“All classes and operations continue as scheduled,” the college tweeted. “We appreciate your patience and co-operation as we worked with (Toronto police) to ensure the safety of our community.”

Humber College confirmed on Twitter that a search of their campuses was conducted and that police advised that the school didn’t need to evacuate.

Toronto police Chief Mark Saunders told reporters that investigators are taking the threats seriously.

“In the past, we have apprehended people for making those false accusations,” Saunders said.

The police investigation continues.

Emma Sandri is a breaking news reporter, working out of the Star’s radio room in Toronto. Follow her on Twitter: @emmarosesandri

Jason Miller is a breaking news reporter based in Toronto. Reach him on email: jasonmiller@thestar.ca or follow him on Twitter: @millermotionpic

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