Police investigating after people hit with bear spray at Brandt Centre

Regina police are searching for a suspect after a bear spray attack at the Brandt Centre on Saturday.

According to police, officers were called to the facility just after 9:30 p.m. for a report of a weapons offence. Police were told people had been assaulted with bear spray.

By the time police arrived, people already were leaving the arena. Witnesses described the suspect as a young male.

Staff Sgt. Kyle McFetridge said the bear spray was released inside the arena. At this time, no one is believed to be affected.

“Nobody has come forward to say that they were directly affected,” said McFetridge. “I don’t know if an individual was directly affected or if it was just sprayed in the area.”

Anyone with information was asked to call the Regina Police Service at 306-777-6500 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

The Brandt Centre is the site this weekend of the First Nations University of Canada’s Spring Celebration Powwow. It’s the largest powwow in Western Canada and the longest-standing such event in Canada.

In March, the Saskatchewan government announced new regulations to try to curtail the use of bear spray in public urban spaces. Anyone charged under the new regulations could face fines of up to $100,000.

Conservation officers, hunters and hikers — people who require protection from wildlife in their jobs or in recreational activities — will be immune from prosecution.