Police Chief Cam McBride said Saskatoon has recorded more than 300 bear spray attacks in 2024.
Bear spray sales in Saskatoon could be regulated by a bylaw if city council acts on a suggestion made to a city council committee this week.
The idea, raised by Cary and Sherry Tarasoff in a message to the planning, development and community services committee, is to have the city administration work with police on ways to curb the use of bear spray as a weapon.
“The number of bear spray incidents we’re seeing is growing. We were worried that we were going to hit the 300 mark … we’ve already surpassed that. We’re sitting at 309 bear spray incidents right now,” McBride said, adding that there are no signs of things slowing down.
McBride noted the provincial government is already looking at ways to discourage public possession of bear spray in urban areas.
The province announced the Safe Public Spaces (Street Weapons) Act on Thursday. It allows municipalities and First Nations to opt into new rules aimed at people who carry weapons like bear spray and machetes.
“This legislation will ensure public spaces such as parks, theatres and arenas can be enjoyed without fear and build public safety across the province,” Justice Minister and Attorney General Tim McLeod said.
The act allows police to seize large knives or bear spray from people carrying them in places where the municipal government has opted into the new rules, without laying a criminal charge, and prohibits those items from being altered in any way to make them easier to conceal.
“I think controlling point of sale is important,” McBride said.
The fine or penalty for carrying or using something like bear spray needs to have a strong deterrent effect, he added.
Saskatoon isn’t the only place having issues with bear spray, McBride said, adding that he’d like to be a leader in promoting a change.
While some bear spray cans have serial numbers, some brands do not — and those serial numbers are needed if police move toward a system of tracking bear spray canisters, he said.
Cary Tarasoff said his request was made after consulting with police officers.
Some vendors selling bear spray are good at recording buyers’ identity information, and that should be widespread across the city, he said.
“They’re being used for crime, so why aren’t we tracking them as if they are?”
In an October interview with The StarPhoenix, police Supt. Tonya Gresty noted bear spray is also easy to buy online and can then be resold at the street level.
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