Saskatoon Police Report 7 Bear Spray Attacks Over the Weekend: Cause for Concern

October 17, 2024 TruthUSA

Saskatoon witnessed seven distinct bear spray attacks over the Thanksgiving weekend, demonstrating a concerning trend in the use of this defensive tool as a weapon in local criminal activities.

“The Saskatoon police have observed a troubling surge in bear spray-related incidents throughout 2024,” a spokesperson for the Saskatoon Police Service informed The Epoch Times. “These incidents are often associated with assaults with a weapon and robbery investigations.”

Police received reports of three bear spray attacks on Oct. 11, one in the afternoon, another in the evening, and the last at 10:30 p.m., as stated in an Oct. 15 press release. In the second incident, the suspects were two boys, aged 12 and 13, whom the victim decided not to press charges against.

The following day, two bear spray incidents were reported to the police. The first involved an attack on a city bus where the suspect and victim were believed to be strangers. The second incident was a robbery an hour later, where the suspects used bear mace inside a business and fled with stolen items.

On Oct. 14, the police received another report of a robbery involving bear spray, where the suspects also left with stolen goods. Later that day, there was another incident on a city bus where a man allegedly sprayed a group of females. However, neither the suspect nor the victims were present when the police arrived at the scene.

According to police data, cases involving bear spray have been on the rise since 2019. The most significant increase was from 2019 to 2020 when cases surged from 114 to 238 annually. The rate then decreased from 2020 to 2022 to 180 cases per year. In 2023, it reached a new peak with 256 annual cases.

Police have documented over 200 cases this year and anticipate reaching 285 cases at the current rate—a five-year peak.

Bear Spray Regulations

Earlier this year, the Saskatchewan government passed laws to control the possession and usage of bear spray in public urban areas.

“Over the past few years, there have been numerous public disturbances involving bear spray across the province,” Justice Minister and Attorney General Bronwyn Eyre stated in a March 12 release. “These new regulations aim to enhance public safety and offer police and wildlife officers more tools to confiscate and charge individuals found in possession of bear spray, including in shopping malls, movie theaters, urban parks, and exhibition grounds.”

Under this legislation, individuals caught illicitly carrying bear spray or tampering with its packaging to conceal it could face fines up to $100,000.

Officials clarified that these regulations do not apply in rural or northern regions where bear spray is used for safety reasons, nor do they impact retailers or individuals who use it for work or recreational activities, such as conservation officers and hikers.

The Saskatoon Police Service informed The Epoch Times that the legislation enables them to be more proactive in addressing bear spray misuse through ticketing. So far, nine such tickets have been issued by the police.

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