Saskatoon starts safety investigation after Gordon Howe Campground robbery

The City of Saskatoon has started an investigation after a 75-year-old woman was allegedly held at knife-point and robbed at a campground last Wednesday.

According to police, the incident happened at the Gordon Howe Campground, where the senior was forced to load belongings from her camper into her own truck, then the suspect allegedly stole the keys and drove off in the truck. Police are still looking for that suspect.

Andrew Roberts, the director of recreation and community development with the city, said he is aware of the “extremely troubling” incident, and an investigation has been launched which involves consultation with the corporate security manager to review the campground’s current safety and security measures.

“Although we are happy to know no one was physically injured, we do realize this was a very frightening experience for both patrons and other staff at the facility,” he said.

Roberts said there could be potential recommendations that come out of the investigation, such as more security and safety measures.

The campground currently has security guards in the evenings, and adding more staff or and expanding hours could be one of those recommendations, he said.

Roberts said such incidents are extremely rare.

“We take safety in all of our facilities as a priority, so hopefully this is an isolated incident,” he said.

Saskatoon’s deputy police chief, Dave Haye, spoke about the incident in an interview on The Evan Bray Show on Tuesday. To his knowledge, the robbery was random, which makes it harder for police to find suspects.

“Those things in our community are becoming more and more common, and they’re horrific. I think it’s a sign of our times, a sign of our economic situation, and we need to do something more proactive to deal with it,” he told Evan Bray.