With a hope of curbing bear spray offences in Saskatoon, City Council has approved several bylaw changes to the way the product is purchased, including a buyer registry.

The registry would require the documentation of the name, address, telephone number and date of birth of the person buying the bear spray; the identification number from two pieces of identification, one of which must include a photograph; a description of the goods purchased, including the manufacturer, model, size, quantity, serial number, or identifying mark of the product; the day, month and time of the purchase; the name of the employee who sold the bear spray, along with confirmation from the employee that the identification provided matches the purchaser. This record must be kept in a form acceptable to the City for at least 2 years past the date of sale.

Other amendments include prohibiting the sale of bear spray to anyone under the age of 18 or anyone who fails to identify themselves. The employee selling the spray must also be at least 18. The product must be stored out of view of customers and be inaccessible to the public, and only products containing the manufacturer’s serial numbers and labels may be sold. Containers that have been altered or tampered with in any way cannot be sold.

Businesses that do not adopt these practices may be subject to fines, suspension of the business license to operate and/or termination of the business license to operate.

The proposed Bylaw will now proceed to Council on July 30. If the amendments are adopted, Administration and the Saskatoon Police Service will contact businesses that sell bear spray and educate them on their new requirements. Following implementation of these changes, the SPS will continue to monitor bear spray incident frequency to determine their effectiveness.

Bear spray incidents have been on a steady climb over the last five years in Saskatoon. For example, 2023 saw 256 events and 2024 saw 367. Offences committed by youth have increased by 517 per cent between 2021 and 2024. In 2024, 60 per cent of bear spray related incidents were committed by youth, compared to 24 per cent last year.

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business says it hasn’t surveyed members on the issue of a bear spray registry. The CFIB’s Brianna Solberg says however, in general, they encourage governments to consult directly with small businesses before introducing new regulatory requirements. She says while CFIB understands and support efforts to improve public safety, any new bylaw-like a bear spray registry-should be clear, not overly burdensome for retailers, and ensure that small business owners are not placed in the role of law enforcement without adequate support or training.