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In what seems to be a growing trend in Saskatoon, police responded to three separate bear spray incidents within a 12-hour period this week.
The first incident happened Wednesday at around 3:30 p.m., when officers were called to the downtown bus terminal on 23rd Street East for a report that bear spray had discharged.
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“Upon arrival, officers learned that several youths believed to be responsible for the bear spraying had boarded a stationary city bus,” the Saskatoon Police Service said in a statement.
“As officers entered the bus, a male matching the suspect’s description was located; canisters of bear spray were also found both on his person and outside the bus on the ground.”
The 16-year-old boy is now facing charges of possession of a dangerous weapon, and carrying a concealed weapon.
Then, at around 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, officers were called to “an establishment” on 22nd Street West for a report that a fight between a group of people had ended with bear spray being discharged.
“Upon police arrival, a man standing outside the establishment was identified as the person who had discharged the bear spray; upon search of his person, police located two canisters of bear spray and a large knife,” the police service said.
The 30-year-old Saskatoon man was charged with possession of a dangerous weapon, and carrying a concealed weapon, the police service said.
The third incident happened at around 3 a.m. Thursday, when police were called back to that same establishment on 22nd Street West for a second reported bear spraying.
“Upon arrival, officers located a woman suffering from mild effects of bear spray; Medavie Heath Services West provided her with medical assistance,” the police service said.
“The suspect had fled the area and was not located but police are continuing to investigate.”
The incidents this week follow three bear sprayings that occurred over the weekend in the Bridge City.
In one of those cases a bus driver was allegedly attacked, and another took place on a Saskatoon Transit bus.
Bear spray is a deterrent containing capsaicin, a chemical found in chili peppers. The canister releases a cone-shaped cloud of spray to a distance of approximately 10 m and at a speed of over 100 km/h. Capsaicin inflames the eyes and respiratory system of both animals and humans.
According to bearwise.org, the spray is oil-based, so first aid for the bear spray is to wash off the residue with soap and water, don’t rub your eyes or nose, and rinse your eyes with clean water until the irritation lessons. Effects generally wear off in about 45 minutes, the bear awareness site says.
Late last year, the provincial government announced new regulations aiming to reduce the number of criminal incidents involving bear spray.
The changes include regulations to restrict the possession of bear spray in public urban spaces and a ban on altering bear spray in order to hide or disguise the product’s identity.Anyone charged under the new regulations could face fines of up to $100,000.
According to the provincial government, police in Saskatchewan have responded to over 3,000 bear spray incidents over the last five years, but the total number of incidents involving bear spray could be much higher when factoring in unreported cases.
