Extra security could be on the horizon after bear spray incidents at Saskatoon Ex

After days of record-setting attendance, the Saskatoon Ex ended on a bit of a sour note.

Bear spray was used three separate times during the six-day fair, which caused some worry for those in attendance and Saskatoon police.

One person experienced it on two separate days. Nancy Chandara was there on Thursday and Saturday, and she said both she and her husband felt the effects of the spray.

Chandara said it’s unfortunate that people’s experience may have been ruined, and wondered how the perpetrators were able to bring the spray onto the grounds.

“(It’s) very, very, very disappointing that someone would do such a dumb act,” Chandara said. “How does someone get into the Exhibition with pepper spray?”

In a statement, Prairieland Park, the host venue for the Saskatoon Ex, said the unfortunate actions from some have overshadowed the Ex, and now they are looking at ways to make the fair safer the future.

The park said staff will be researching different technological equipment that could be used in the future, including body scanners and metal detectors at large-scale public events.

Officers with the Saskatoon Police Service are investigating the incidents during the Ex, as using bear spray on humans is a criminal offence.

Prairieland Park declined a request to comment further.