Prince Albert City Council has formally opted into Saskatchewan’s Safe Public Spaces (Street Weapons) Act, approving two new bylaws that expand police authority to address weapons in public spaces.
Council gave three readings and final approval on Monday to Bylaw No. 3 of 2026, which allows the City to apply the provincial legislation locally, and Bylaw No. 4 of 2026, which amends the City’s existing Discharge of Firearms and Dangerous Weapons Bylaw to align with the new law.
The move comes amid rising weapons-related incidents highlighted at a recent Police Commission meeting, where police reported hundreds of firearm, knife, and bear spray incidents over the past year.
The Street Weapons Act prohibits the possession of designated weapons in public spaces, including knives, machetes, swords, body armour, explosives, and wildlife control products such as bear mace.
City Solicitor Mitchell Holash told council the amendments were necessary to avoid overlap between municipal and provincial enforcement powers.
“The intention was to remove all of the seizure sections out of the city bylaw,” Holash said, explaining that seizure authority would now fall under provincial legislation rather than municipal rules.
Council also agreed to request a future review of the bylaw’s effectiveness, with councillors suggesting a report be brought back within a year of implementation.
“We want to kind of analyze it and assess how successful or not this new change would look,” Coun. Tony Head said. “It would be nice that this body sees it within one year of implementation.”
Coun. Bryce Laewetz said the review was important given the City’s history with bylaws.
“We have introduced bylaws to try to help give our police a little more leeway, and those bylaws seem to fall short,” Laewetz said. “I just want to make sure that we are looking at bylaws and their effectiveness.”
Under the new framework, police will rely on the provincial act for seizure and enforcement powers, while the City’s existing bylaw will remain focused on regulating the discharge of firearms and similar weapons.
The move follows several months of discussion at council and committee meetings.
In November, Chief Patrick Nogier first presented the legislation to the council, raising concerns about potential civil liberties issues and warning against anything resembling arbitrary searches. At the time, the council chose to receive the report and take no immediate action.
In December, Mayor Bill Powalinsky brought forward a notice of motion directing administration to prepare an opting in bylaw, citing growing concerns about weapons in public spaces and the need for additional tools for police.
At Monday’s meeting, councillors voiced support for the legislation and agreed it would be important to review its effectiveness after implementation.
With the bylaws now adopted, Prince Albert becomes one of several Saskatchewan municipalities to formally opt into the Street Weapons Act. The new rules take effect immediately following final signing and sealing by the mayor and city clerk.
arjun.pillai@paherald.sk.ca
