Bill SK-6 Safe Public Spaces (Street Weapons) Act

Read Full Bill Text Here

⚠️ CORRECTION NOTE The previous version of this page incorrectly listed fentanyl and methamphetamine as street weapons. These items do not appear in the Bill. That reference has been removed. The street weapon list in the Act is: knives (blade over 30cm), swords, machetes, body armour, explosive devices and wildlife control products — plus any items added by regulation.

Status: Royal Assent — May 13, 2025. This Bill is now law but is not yet in force — it comes into effect by Order of the Lieutenant Governor in Council.

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WHO GAINS POWER

  • Government gains authority to prohibit possession of street weapons — knives (blade over 30cm), swords, machetes, body armour, explosive devices and wildlife control products — in public urban spaces
  • Police gain new grounds to seize street weapons without laying a charge, and to arrest without a warrant if they believe on reasonable grounds a person is contravening the Act
  • Police gain warrantless search authority if they believe delay would cause danger to life or loss of evidence
  • The Lieutenant Governor in Council gains authority to add items to the street weapon list by regulation — without a legislature vote
  • Municipalities and First Nations gain the ability to opt into this Act and set stricter blade length limits than the provincial standard

⚠️ LGiC can expand the street weapon list by regulation — government can add any item to the prohibited list at any time without a vote of the Legislature

⚠️ Opt-in model — this Act does not apply province-wide automatically; it only applies in municipalities or First Nations that opt in through regulation. Whether this law applies in your community depends on a regulatory decision, not the legislation itself.

WHO LOSES POWER

  • Individuals in participating municipalities lose the right to carry knives with blades over 30cm, swords, machetes, body armour, explosive devices or wildlife control products in any public space — including parks, highways, train stations, bus stops, apartment common areas and any place the public can access
  • The burden of proof shifts to the individual — for wildlife control products and knives used for food preparation, the person must demonstrate the item is not a threat to public safety
  • Individuals who don't request return of a seized item within the deadline lose it permanently — forfeiture to the Crown is automatic even without a conviction

⚠️ Broad public urban space definition — "public urban space" covers virtually everywhere outside a private residence: parks, roads, train stations, covered and uncovered bus stops, unoccupied buildings, apartment common areas and any place the public can access. The LGiC can add further places by regulation.

⚠️ Forfeiture without conviction — if a weapon is seized and the owner doesn't request return within the deadline (60 days if not charged, 60 days after acquittal), it is automatically forfeited to the Crown. No conviction required.

⚠️ Full immunity for police and Crown — police officers, the chief, the police service and the Crown cannot be sued for anything done in good faith under this Act, even if no charge is laid.

WHO GAINS MONEY

  • No direct financial provisions in the Act

WHO LOSES MONEY

  • Individuals convicted of an offence face fines up to $5,000, imprisonment up to one year, or both
  • Individuals who have items seized and forfeited lose the value of those items — with no compensation mechanism in the Act

THE CATCH

⚠️ Knives under 30cm are not street weapons — the Act excludes blades shorter than 30cm (about 12 inches). Most everyday pocket knives and kitchen knives carried in public are not covered — but municipalities can set a stricter limit by bylaw.

⚠️ Exemptions are broad — tradespeople, retailers, manufacturers, employers, medical and scientific institutions, museums and Canada Post employees are all explicitly exempt. The law targets individuals in public spaces, not commercial or professional use.

⚠️ Individual must prove lawful purpose after the fact — for wildlife control products, the person must demonstrate there was a reasonable risk of wildlife threat at the time they were found in possession. That standard is assessed after the fact by police or a court.

⚠️ LGiC can expand or contract the list — government can add items to or exempt items from the street weapon definition at any time by regulation, without a legislature vote. The scope of this law is not fully fixed in the legislation.

⚠️ No province-wide application — communities that don't opt in are not covered. Enforcement will vary by municipality.

⚠️ Committee origin of core prohibition — the core prohibition clause (s.2-1) was added entirely by amendment at committee, passing 7-0. No Explanatory Notes were published for this Bill. The law that governs possession in public spaces was written in committee, not introduced in the original Bill.

[Source: Saskatchewan Legislative Assembly — Bill No. 6, The Safe Public Spaces (Street Weapons) Act, 30th Legislature, 1st Session. Standing Committee on Intergovernmental Affairs and Justice, Minute No. 4, April 14, 2025]