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The mood at the new Wascana Pool in Regina changed in a flash Thursday afternoon.
Smiles were replaced by solemn faces and tears, with onlookers saying there was an incident involving an irritant. Police later confirmed it was bear spray.
In a media release, police said officers responded at about 2:10 p.m. to the new pool. The release said police found “upwards of 200 patrons” suffering from the effects of bear spray.
“Witnesses told the officers that a group of four to five suspects wearing balaclavas and other face coverings entered the facility and began to discharge a can of bear spray,” the police release said. “Witnesses describe the suspects as males who are approximately 13 to 16 years old.”
Police are continuing to investigate and ask anyone with information to call them at 306-777-6500 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
After the bear spray was deployed, the pool was evacuated and people said they were told to stay away from the changerooms.
Some people who were at the pool on its opening day were seen leaving after the pool was cleared.
Social media posts showed the aftermath of the incident.
We just got bear maced at the wascana pool opening *We are ok*
Posted by Janna Pratt on Thursday, June 8, 2023
Just after 4:30 p.m., the City of Regina issued a media release saying the pool was to be closed the rest of the day. The release said police had responded “to an incident involving an altercation in the changeroom.”
The city said the pool is slated to reopen Friday.
“To ensure the safety of visitors and staff, increased security measures will be implemented including having security onsite,” the release added.
Opening Day
The incident marred the pool’s opening, which attracted people early in the morning.
Abby Rutko was one of those people. She said the water was super warm, adding it was “lovely” to be in the lane pool.
“That’s what I come to the pool for, to be a mermaid,” she added.
Rutko said she’s planning on buying a City of Regina leisure pass because of how much she enjoyed her swim.
“Because it’s so convenient and so nice to have it downtown,” Rutko added. “It’ll be nice to come in here in the mornings and head straight to work.”
Darcy Griffith said it’s been a while since he last swam, so he took the advantage of the opening to “get back into the groove of things.”
“Summer’s here!” Griffith exclaimed. “The water’s perfect.”
Asked what he’d give it on a scale of one to 10, Griffith said he’d give it “a 10 — 11 even.”
“I work at Conexus across the street, so we were just watching, watching, watching construction (and saying), ‘When’s it going to open?’ ” he said. “And now it’s here, so (I’m) quite excited.”
Lifeguard Brooke Bentz said she’s very happy to finally have the pool open.
“I think it should be really good. I think we’re kind of prepared to have lots of people here this summer,” she said.
City of Regina facility operator Ryan Schroeder said he’s relieved to have the pool open.
“We’ve been waiting for this for a long time and it’s good to see that it’s all working,” he said.
The new Wascana Pool opened in Regina on June 8, 2023. (Nicholas Iatropoulos/980 CJME)
— With files from 980 CJME’s Nicholas Iatropoulos
EDITOR’S NOTE: This story has been amended to show the irritant used was bear spray.