Eastview residents concerned by reoccurring ‘loud booming’ noise

Several Eastview neighbourhood residents say a loud, reoccurring booming noise going off several times a day has caused disruption and raised safety concerns. While some speculate it could be gunshots, a bird cannon, or fireworks, the source remains a mystery.

Sheena Rorke, a long time resident, said it started around three weeks ago when she heard a loud bang. Initially, she thought it might be a firework, but as someone familiar with fireworks in the area from the University of Saskatchewan Huskies games, she quickly realized the sound was far too loud to be one.

She noted the loud noise goes off several times a day, at all hours, be-it 9 a.m. noon or midnight.

“There was no reason for when this big bang would go off and it would shake the house,” she said “It would just terrify us.”

“The fish tank is rattling, the dogs are barking — we’re stopping in our steps (thinking) who’s doing this?”

Rorke said she believes the sound is similar to a bird cannon, a device commonly used by farmers to scare away wildlife, because of the volume.

Initially, Eastview resident Susan Leitch said she was concerned by the sound because it sounded like a gunshot.

Several Eastview neighbourhood residents say a loud, reoccurring booming noise goes off several times a day. (Mia Holowaychuk/650 CKOM)

“I think maybe what it is is some sort of clapping device to scare away animals,” Leitch said, noting the sound typically comes in groups of two or three.

Rorke said she has tried to find the source of the sound by asking neighbours around her, and has narrowed it down to a specific area.

She explains that the issue persists despite reaching out to police multiple times.

“We want it to stop,” Rorke said. “We’re a safe neighbourhood. And the last three weeks, we don’t know what is going on, and we’re scared to be outside.”

She urges concerned residents to contact the police when the sound goes off, and to record the time if possible.

Saskatoon Police Service Deputy Chief Dave Haye said on Tuesday he recently heard about the situation, but currently has few details regarding the source or nature of the sound.

“There’s so many things in our community that can make those loud noises, (a) bird cannon is one of them,” he said. “I don’t know if they’ve been working on the railway south of Stonebridge because they put the devices on the tracks to warn the rail crews (and) they make a loud bang.”

According to the Saskatoon Police Service, the information provided by residents has been shared with the Community Liaison Officers for the Eastview area.