BANFF – Banff RCMP has issued a public advisory to warn of women’s drinks being spiked at local bars.
Staff Sergeant Mike Buxton-Carr said the local detachment has received complaints from women who believe that their drinks have been spiked at licensed establishments.
He couldn’t provide details on the number of reports at this time, or if the drink tampering led to sexual violence against any women, but said what is happening is a big concern.
“We thought the matter was significant enough, the risk was significant enough, that it did merit public notification,” said Staff Sgt. Buxton-Carr.
Police are advising women to be careful and to not consume any drink that was unattended.
Symptoms of drink spiking may include confusion, nausea, dizziness, loss of memory, or loss of consciousness.
If someone thinks they have been drugged, police encourage them to tell someone trusted, and if alone, to seek venue staff or the police. If a friend shows any of these signs, stay with them, notify staff, and seek medical aid.
“It’s important from the RCMP’s perspective to say when we put information like that out, we’re not blaming victims or telling people how they need to behave,” said Staff Sgt Buxton-Carr.
“It’s hopefully raising awareness and is one more tool to help inform them so they can make decisions to address their own safety.”
Banff Mayor Corrie DiManno said she was appalled to learn of the recent drink spiking incidents in the community.
“This is a very real problem that has our attention and is being taken seriously,” she said.
“We need a collaborative effort involving commercial operators and experts in addressing and preventing sexual assault to work together to raise awareness of this issue and to find ways to put a stop to this deplorable behaviour,” she added.
“The Town of Banff is supportive of this work, which is already underway.”
The public advisory is just one part of the RCMP’s strategy to deal with this community issue.
If anyone has information about any incident where drink spiking is suspected, please contact the Banff RCMP at 403-763-6600.
“The focus, of course, is on the offender, preventing the offender from offending rather than simply advising potential victims how to behave,” said Staff Sgt. Buxton-Carr.
“I think the police, the patrons and the bar industry all have the same goal… is we want everyone to have a safe, enjoyable night.”
Police are working with Banff’s bar industry.
“In addition to our investigative steps, we are also liaising with the bar industry to see if there’s any measures that can be taken to help safety,” said Staff Sgt. Buxton-Carr.
“Whether it’s providing lids for drinks, the decision, of course, will have to come from the industry, but we’re working with them towards that,” he added.
“In my entire time in Banff, this has been an industry that’s very open towards whatever it takes to make it a safe experience for the clients.”
Sexual violence is a hidden but pervasive social issue, causing untold pain and suffering not only to the children, women and men directly affected, but to whole communities.
A 2020 study by the Association of Alberta Sexual Assault Services (AASAS) estimated that 1.48 million Albertans over the age of 18 – or 45 per cent – have experienced some type of sexual abuse in their lifetime.
That equated to two in three females and one in three males.
“The numbers are staggering,” said Reave MacLeod, director of programs and services at the Banff YWCA.
The YWCA’s Harmony Project brings together Bow Valley-based service providers to work towards ending sexualized violence in the community. Through a community-minded approach, the focus is to improve sexual assault community response and services.
The Harmony Project also offers training and supports to help businesses promote a culture of consent, reduce instances of workplace harassment, and respond appropriately if a complaint is made.
YWCA officials say its sexual violence response program has seen a 64 per cent increase in requests for support over the last year.
Macleod said community members have reached out concerned about the recent drink spiking.
“We’ve also been consulting with other concerned community service providers to try to work together to come up some collaborative responses,” she said.
“Everyone’s really concerned about what we’re hearing about.”
Banff YWCA wants to be a part of any solution to immediately address community safety.
The Y wants people of any gender – whether they’ve experienced sexual violence recently or in the past – to know of the services available, which include supportive counselling – not therapeutic counselling – and getting people connected to resources they might need.
“One thing we know, too, is that when there are incidents coming up in the community, that can be really triggering for any victim, whether they’ve experienced it recently or in the past,” said Macleod.
The services, which are free, also extend to people who are supporting someone who has been through a sexual violence trauma.
“That can be very stressful and the victim may or not be ready to reach out for services,” Macleod said.
“If someone comes to us, we have no expectations around what choices they might make in terms of pressing charges or seeking medical attention.”
The Harmony Project takes the approach that everyone has a role to play in making the Banff community safe.
“We really value an approach to sexual violence that looks at things the community can do: things that don’t put the onus on the victim,” said Macleod, adding a crisis or experience like drink-spiking can bring the community together to take action.
“How can we all be more aware of what’s going on and be on guard in terms of any behaviour that’s not OK, and be active bystanders in our community, whether we’re working at a bar, or out with friends or just observing something that’s happening for a stranger.”
Jordan Mendelman, operations manager for Dancing Sasquatch and director with Banff Bar Watch, said awareness surrounding this issue has been brought to the attention of bar staff and security teams during discussions.
“Bar Watch will be collaborating with the YWCA on awareness on this very concerning issue,” he said, adding the Y provided businesses with Got Consent posters.
The Banff YWCA’s crisis phone line is 403-760-3200.
For information about training and inquiries of a non-urgent nature, the number to call is 403-762-3520.
To find out more about the Harmony Project and sexual violence prevention and response, visit the website at https://ywcabanff.ca/programs-services/harmony-project.
