Lloydminster has not opted into a Saskatchewan law giving police broader power to seize weapons and drugs from public spaces, the city confirmed to BorderPulse this week, closing out a question first raised in an Aug. 12 story on what RCMP can legally do about open drug use downtown.
The Safe Public Spaces (Street Weapons) Act came into force across Saskatchewan on Aug. 1, 2025. It allows police to seize items classified as street weapons, originally knives, machetes and bear spray, without necessarily laying a charge. The province expanded the list this year to include fentanyl, methamphetamine and hypodermic needles not used for legitimate medical purposes.
A question raised, and finally answered
The Act only applies in municipalities that opt in through their own bylaw. Saskatoon did so last August. A search of Lloydminster’s public bylaw listing at the time turned up no such bylaw, and the city took over a week to confirm the gap directly.
Andrew DeGruchy, the city’s director of public safety, said in a written response that the absence matters less than it might appear, since the Criminal Code already covers most of the same ground.
“In most instances involving items considered street weapons under the Act, we are already able to address seizure under the Criminal Code,” said DeGruchy.
A bylaw update could close the gap
DeGruchy said the city is now weighing whether to build similar authority into its own bylaws instead, an option the provincial Act allows as an alternative to formally opting in. That review is happening as part of an already planned update to the city’s Community Standards Bylaw.
“As we update the Community Standards Bylaw, there is an opportunity to consider measures related to dangerous items in public spaces, including providing Alberta-based peace officers with similar authority,” said DeGruchy.
That last detail lands on ground BorderPulse has already covered. Lloydminster’s community peace officers hold their authority through Alberta’s Peace Officer Program, under The Lloydminster Charter, an arrangement Saskatchewan has separately recognized for enforcing the Traffic Safety Act on the Saskatchewan side of the city. A provincial law written specifically for Saskatchewan municipalities would not automatically extend seizure powers to Alberta-appointed officers unless the city writes that authority into its own bylaw, which is exactly the gap DeGruchy flagged.
The question over enforcement tools comes as council continues working through downtown safety more broadly. At the Aug. 17 council meeting, council ordered the temporary removal of municipally owned benches downtown after a lengthy debate over enforcement and infrastructure, and S/Sgt. Jerry Nutbrown told council some drug possession investigations downtown never result in charges, a gap he tied partly to federal prosecution guidelines that have steered Crown counsel away from simple possession charges since 2020.
DeGruchy did not say when the Community Standards Bylaw update will come before council. BorderPulse has asked for a timeline and will continue following the story.
Read more: What can RCMP legally do about open drug use?
