Manitoba cracks down on criminal use of bear spray with new regulations

In an effort to crack down on crime involving bear spray, Manitoba is changing the rules around buying the repellent.

Justice Minister Kelvin Goertzen and Agriculture Minister Derek Johnston announced the regulatory changes Thursday, which include an ID requirement to buy the spray, as well as serial number registration when two or more cans are sold.

Buyers will also need to explain what they intend to use it for at the time of purchase.

The province said it’s also considering upping the age requirement to buy bear repellent, and is calling for stronger restrictions for online sales from its federal counterparts.

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“Bear repellent is increasingly being used as a weapon and a number of recent assaults highlight the urgent need to make changes in the interest of public safety,” Goertzen said in a statement.

“Requiring photo identification and validated contact information at the point of purchase will deter people from using bear spray illegally, but not prohibit legal purchases. It will also assist with tracing in the event of an incident.”

Vendors are currently required to have a pesticide dealer licence and keep records of sales and contact info of buyers — for all pesticides.

Crimes involving bear spray are on the rise, according to Winnipeg police, who said from January to September of 2022 there were 889 crimes involving the repellent — a 43 per cent increase over 2021’s numbers. It’s also an increase of 75 per cent over the five-year average.

“Manitoba already has strong protections in place to ensure the sale and proper application of bear spray through the Pesticides and Fertilizers Control Act,” said Johnson.

“These regulatory changes go further to ensure bear spray is kept out of the hands of dangerous criminals who would use it to harm others while still allowing for its use by law-abiding citizens.”

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