A package containing an unknown powder caused Freisenbruch-Meyer Insurance staff to be quarantined and a portion of Front Street closed for nearly two hours yesterday afternoon.

At 3.15 p.m. the insurance company's Front Street office was hand-delivered by courier a package containing what employees described as "a strange-smelling powder," now believed to be a controlled substance.

Freisenbruch-Meyer's Vice President of Insurance Operations Larry Osbourne was inside the building at the time, and said that the staff were surprised by the events.

"Our receptionist opened it, and there was an envelope inside. Inside that, there was a strange smelling powder," said Mr. Osbourne. "It had an odd smell to it. That's what concerned me.

"The package was addressed to Freisenbruch-Meyers, but the name was badly misspelled. It's a difficult word to spell. It was an envelope that looked odd, but it could have just been a couple of papers."

Police and Fire officials responded, evacuating the building and blocking the section of Front Street between Queen and Court, from traffic.

Staff members were initially held in the building, but later allowed to move outside, across the street and quarantined there.

"At 3.47 p.m. the Fire Department was called by Police and told a white powdery substance was found in a box at Freisenbruch-Meyer Front Street," said Lt. Wanda Roberts of the Fire Department. "Five fire vehicles and ten firefighters were dispatched.

"The substance was contained and is being tested by Government analysts right now at the scene."

According to a press release by the Police, preliminary tests conducted on site suggest that the powder was "some form of narcotic," although what specific type of narcotic could not yet be confirmed.

Mr. Osbourne said that of the thirty staff present in the building, only one, receptionist, was taken to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital for testing after getting some of the powder on her. "She had to be showered outside in her clothes, and then she was taken away in an ambulance," said Mr. Osbourne. "It's not anything dangerous, She'll be fine."

The closing of Front Street during the afternoon rush hour caused traffic in the City to slow to a crawl before traffic was allowed to return before 6 p.m.

In addition to the traffic diversion, pedestrian travel was almost completely halted between Parliament and Burnaby Streets, with workers and shoppers allowed to leave, but not enter the buildings.