7-year-old boy bear sprayed in string of attacks sparks ‘concern’ from Saskatoon police

The Saskatoon Police Service (SPS) says it’s taking bear spray attacks seriously after a string of incidents, one including a 7-year-old boy, earlier this week.

Officers responded to five bear spray attacks within less than 24 hours.

The first incident happened in the Riversdale neighbourhood Monday morning when a 24-year-old woman was bear sprayed.

Later that day, police say an unknown person attacked a 7-year-old boy with bear spray in the Pleasant Hill community.

In the evening, police responded to two bear spray incidents in the Confederation Park and Mayfair communities.

The final incident happened just before 2 a.m. on Tuesday in the University Heights neighbourhood.

Police believe the incidents are not connected.

“Those types of incidents affect the community, those affect citizens, and how they feel about their safety,” said Inspector Tyson Lavallee, with the SPS.

“But I need to just reassure the public that our members of the service, we're also members of the community, and community safety is a priority for us.”

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Lavallee said there are “legal consequences” for possessing bear spray other than its intended use.

“You could face weapons charges, as well as, assault weapon charges,” he said.

Police have recorded 148 bear spray incidents this year, and about 141 incidents this time last year.

“While we're not much different than last year, it's still a concern for the service,” Lavallee said.

He notes there has been an increase in violence and weapons calls in the last five years.

“Mental health and addictions and homelessness, those are all challenges that we as a service are trying to address in a whole city approach, and so those are all contributing factors,” he said.

Lavallee said police often work with businesses that sell bear spray.

Jonas Hildebrandt, manager of Classic Outdoors, said they keep bear spray behind the counter to help limit accessibility.

“Typically we have just a really nice clientele that comes through, and we do ask for a driver's licence, and we write that number down on a sheet of paper. That way we do track that lot number with our client that buys that bear spray from us,” he said.

In March, the provincial government introduced new regulations surrounding bear spray possession in urban areas. Those charged could face fines of up to $100,000.

“The Ministry of Justice and Attorney General is aware that police services have started to lay charges under the regulations. The regulations are still new, and the Government of Saskatchewan will continue to monitor their implementation,” the Ministry of Justice and Attorney General said in a statement to CTV News.