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Dozens of attendees experienced the effects of bear mace. (Facebook)
charges pending

Four arrested following bear spray incidents at La Ronge Elk’s Fair

Jul 23, 2024 | 4:13 PM

Four individuals have been arrested by La Ronge RCMP following incidents of bear macing over the weekend at the Elk’s Fair.

That’s according to a statement from the RCMP, which noted there were six reports of bear macing incidents on Friday and Saturday. Police added they are not aware of any serious injuries because of the spraying and stated no officers were directly sprayed during any encounters.

Since the investigation is still in its preliminary stages, there is no other information currently being provided in regards to the charges laid or any details on the individuals who have been arrested. Anyone who has information on the incidents are encouraged to reach out to the RCMP.

“It’s unfortunate that some of the decisions made by very few individuals caused this type of a situation for our community event, which has been known in the past to be a great place for entertainment for family and friends to come out and enjoy,” said Elks member Curtis Skalicky.

“We sure hope it doesn’t repeat itself. It is one of those things now that everybody is going to take a break, we’re going to breathe, and we got through the weekend and there was no serious harm done to anybody. We’re going to see what we can do to improve the experience and to improve the safety for everybody who comes to our great event.”

The situation became so out of hand on Saturday that a joint decision was made by both the Elks and Canuck Amusement to shut the fair down about an hour and a half early. Although not directly sprayed, dozens of attendees, as well as some police officers, experienced the effects of the bear spray.

In a statement released on Saturday on social media by the Elks, the public was warned that if such incidents continue, they would be forced to either cancel the fair or increase costs to heighten security at the event. The Elks mentioned anyone involved in the bear macing incidents would face a lifetime ban from attending the fair.

For now, members of the Elks will be taking a break as hosting such a large event takes many months of planning.

“Come the fall, we will start this whole thing up again and we will have some decisions,” Skalicky said.

“We will probably engage in some discussions with the RCMP and with some of the leadership as well to see what we can do to make this better, because when you see those kids smiling and having fun on those rides and having their cotton candy, it’s a pretty good experience to be involved with.”

larongeNOW reached out to Canuck Amusements owner Bob Mills, but he declined to comment.

derek.cornet@pattisonmedia.com