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A Saskatoon outdoor educator says bylaw changes to regulate bear spray is a step in the right direction, but also questions its enforcement.
Earlier this week, proposed bylaw changes were approved by Saskatoon City Council on how bear spray is bought and sold.
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The changes came after a formal request from the city’s police chief which included a minimum age requirement for 18 years for both buyers and sellers, and that those purchasing it would need to provide two pieces of ID.
Rebecca Mollison with Back 40 Wilderness First Aid Training said she doesn’t believe that reputable outdoors suppliers are the source of the issue with crimes involving bear spray, and suggests those who might be purchasing it for illegitimate reasons are getting it elsewhere.
“I’m more curious about who’s policing the stores that are perhaps maybe not in the broader outdoor industry,” Mollison said.
“At the end of the day, you can buy bear spray online (and) you can buy it outside of the city,” she said.
“Those who want it can probably find ways to bypass the ID and the registry, especially if nobody’s also using that and policing that.”
Mollison said when used correctly by someone that’s trained for its use, bear spray is an important tool for people frequently in outdoor environments.
“As a responsible bear spray carrier and user, especially my outdoor activities, it is a tool for personal defence in those spaces,” she said.
“We shouldn’t criminalize it to the point that we think that anybody that’s carrying it is using it for the purposes that we see in these criminal activities.”
Mollison suggested proper disposal of bear spray could be another sufficient way to help control its misuse.
“Many people probably have several expired cans at home,” she said.
She said while some people assume bear spray is safely stored in vehicles or during outdoor trips, it could be one of the ways bear spray ends up in the wrong hands.
Getting “some community information out there to get some of these older, expired cans off the streets (and) off our home shelves might be another way to help with this,” Mollison said.
Mollison said she wanted to reminds the community that if an incident with bear spray occurs it is a non-lethal event and proper first aid can help those impacted recover faster from exposure.
What to do if exposed to bear spray
Bear spray is a deterrent that contains capsaicin which is a chemical found in chili peppers, and has a propellant that makes it spray out of the canister.
Mollison said when bear spray is released a cloud escapes from the canister that can last up to 10 seconds. If a person comes in contact with it, they will experience irritation in their eyes, nose, throat and a burning sensation on the skin.
If people are exposed to bear spray, Mollison said the first step is to leave the situation and get to a safe place.
“It’s really important to try to keep the eyes open, even though your eyes are watering, and to be able to see what you’re doing is going to be important in any circumstance,” she said, noting that coughing and tearing is helpful to the body.
To break down the oils a person has been exposed to, Mollison recommended using a high concentration of Dawn dish soap in water to soak the affected area. She also said people can gently dab their skin with a cloth full of the soapy solution to remove the oil.
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