Bylaw cuts bear spray crime

A bylaw brought in by Vancouver city council in March 2023 to decrease the number of crimes committed by young people and adults armed with bear spray is having the desired effect on violent incidents.

Vancouver council was unanimous in its vote to regulate the sale and display of bear spray in what was an effort to reduce the number of robberies, assaults and threats that have escalated in the city.

The move was based on a staff report that said Vancouver police recorded approximately 3,000 violent offences between 2018 and 2022 that involved bear spray, many of them committed by young people.

A police report going before the Vancouver Police Board Thursday said the bylaw coupled with enforcement from officers and an education campaign to inform bear spray sellers of the new law has led to a decrease in incidents involving the pepper-based deterrent.

Many stores have now either complied with the bylaw or ceased the sale of bear spray altogether, said the report, noting Vancouver’s success has prompted other cities to consider or implement similar bylaws.

From January to July of this year, police recorded 534 bear spray incidents involving young people and adults compared to 643 for the same period in 2023, for an overall decrease of 17 per cent.

The decrease did not happen immediately, with Glacier Media reporting in September 2023 that police data showed youth violent offences involving bear spray went up from 49 in the first half of 2022 to 85 in the same six-month period in 2023. That was an increase of 73.5 per cent.

The report said a noticeable decline in violent offences involving bear spray — with young people and adults — began in August 2023, which was the same month police concluded their enforcement and education campaigns.

Project MACE

From August to December 2023, violent offences where bear spray was used by young people to commit robberies, assaults and threats decreased to 43 incidents, a 19 per cent drop from the same period in the previous year. 

For adults, violent offences also dropped during the same period, with incidents falling by 24 per cent to 192 in 2023, from 254 in 2022.

“This data reflects the positive impact of the bylaw’s implementation, showing a trend towards reduced bear spray-related violence,” the report said.

The VPD’s campaigns included undercover police visiting 38 stores that led to $17,000 in fines for bear spray violations and $1,500 for weapons offences; police were able to buy a stun gun, commonly referred to as a Taser, from one store.

One of the stores targeted was located near an elementary school.

The police campaign, which was dubbed Project MACE, was conducted in two phases, with return visits to 10 stores.

“All stores found non-compliant in phase one were now in compliance, and five locations checked during phase two either refused to sell [bear spray] or had stopped selling bear spray due to the new bylaw,” the report said.

Council decided not to impose an outright ban on bear spray, so adults who require the spray for its intended use — to ward off bears and wildlife while in the woods — can still buy it in Vancouver.

Bear sightings rare in Vancouver

Unlike the Tri-Cities, North Vancouver and other areas of the Lower Mainland, bears are not a problem in Vancouver. Police have reported only two incidents over the past decade — a bear spotted on a garbage truck downtown in 2011, and another one wandering along train tracks near Gastown in 2021.

The changes to the licence bylaw imposed by Vancouver council were:

• No one under 19, or who cannot provide identification, can buy bear spray.
• Bear spray sellers must keep the spray in a locked or inaccessible area from the public.

• Retailers must record details of each sale, keep the record for 12 months and make it available upon request to the chief licence inspector to ensure bylaw compliance.

   

Council also agreed to amend the ticket offences bylaw, which allows the city to levy a fine of $1,000 for anyone who doesn’t comply with the new requirements.

Mayor Ken Sim, who is also a police board member, welcomed the findings of the VPD report.

“Anything we can do to make the city safer, and it sounds like [the bylaw] is working, so that’s great,” he said, acknowledging that bear spray isn’t regulated across all B.C. municipalities.

“Like with anything we do, there’s going to be some things that aren't perfect, and there are ways around it. But it's OK to lead and have other municipalities follow. At some point in time, you won't have bear spray that's accessible just to anyone out there.”

'It's actually working'

Coun. Pete Fry described the outcome of implementing the bylaw as “awesome.”

“That’s what we were hoping for, and so it's nice to see kind of proof of concept there, and that it's actually working,” Fry said.

“We knew it wouldn't be infallible because people can still, obviously, find bear spray in other jurisdictions or online, or what have you. But it sounds like [the bylaw] has taken a bit of the momentum out of some of the random and wanton use of bear spray for inappropriate purposes in our city, which is great.”

The report said Supt. Howard Tran presented the new bylaw to the British Columbia Association of Chiefs of Police, emphasizing the reduction in violent incidents involving bear spray since its implementation.

“Following this, several agencies contacted the VPD for information and assistance in developing similar bylaws,” the report said.

“Edmonton approved its bylaw in July 2024, while West Vancouver's bylaw was approved in April 2024. Burnaby and Kelowna are currently in progress with their bylaws, and once Kelowna's report is completed, efforts will be made to share information with West Kelowna.”