Police investigating another bear spray incident at Midtown mall

Police in Saskatoon are investigating yet another incident involving bear spray at the city’s Midtown mall.

According to police, officers were called to the shopping centre on First Avenue South just before 5:30 p.m. for a report that a group of youths had discharged bear spray in the mall’s food court area.

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“While there were some people experiencing mild effects consistent with exposure to bear spray, no injuries were reported,” the police service said in a statement.

“The suspects were not located and we are continuing to investigate.”

According to the province, police have responded to more than 3,000 bear spray incidents over the last five years. However, that number could be much higher when factoring in unreported cases. (650 CKOM file photo)

There have been a number of bear spray incidents at the two-level shopping centre in recent months.

Most recently, a 13-year-old and 16-year-old were charged after bear spray was discharged at one of the mall’s entrances on December 16.

A 13-year-old boy was charged after allegedly firing the stinging spray at one of the mall’s entrances on November 28. The teen was charged with possession of a dangerous weapon, carrying a concealed weapon, and breaching court-imposed conditions.

Prior to that, bear spray was discharged at the downtown mall on Nov. 13.

“Upon arrival, officers determined that a group of several males were inside the mall when two of them momentarily entered a store and discharged a can of bear spray before fleeing the area,” the police service said in a statement.

“The Saskatoon Fire Department assisted in assessing multiple people experiencing the effects of bear spray.”

No arrests were made in connection with that incident.

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.

Earlier this 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.