Paramedics were called to the Prime Minister's official residence in Ottawa over the weekend after an 18-year-old woman suffered from severe intoxication.

A source familiar with the matter said Prime Minister Stephen Harper's son, Ben, was celebrating his birthday at the time. Ben was born in 1996 and will turn 18 this year.

The Ottawa Paramedic Service confirmed that it responded to a call involving an 18-year-old who suffered from "possible alcohol intoxication" at an event at 24 Sussex Drive.

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The woman, who was not identified, is not an immediate member of the Harper family, but a friend.

The legal drinking age in Ontario is 19, but the RCMP, which is responsible for security at 24 Sussex and the protection of the Prime Minister and his family, said it will not intervene.

"We are aware of the Ottawa [Emergency Medical Services] attending the residence," said RCMP spokeswoman Lucy Shorey. "This was a medical call and not a police matter."

The Prime Minister's Office refused to say whether Stephen or Laureen Harper was present during the party. There was nothing in Mr. Harper's official itinerary that showed him to be out of town over the weekend.

Ben will be attending Queen's University in Kingston next fall after he was signed to the men's volleyball team. The school's coach described the 6-foot-4 teenager as "obvious standout" on a Queen's website. "I chose Queen's because as a student-athlete I felt that Queen's has the right balance between school and sport," Ben Harper said in a statement.