Protest against mandatory masks in Saskatoon's Midtown mall shut down by police

A protest against mandatory masks in Midtown mall in Saskatoon got a little too close for comfort for one shopper Saturday afternoon.

It was around 3 p.m. when Brooklyn Mann stood against a wall to let protesters pass. She said they shouted statements like, "You've been lied to," and, "You're uneducated," at Mann as they walked by.

Then, someone got too close.

"He came up to me ... saying I was uneducated, et cetera, like, I need to check my facts, do my research, I've been lied to," she said. "And I just kept saying: 'Leave me alone. My dad has cancer.' I just wanted space."

As of Nov. 6, masks are mandatory in indoor public spaces in Saskatoon, Regina and Prince Albert. The province made the call amid a steady increase in COVID-19 cases in Saskatchewan.

Dr. Saqib Shahab, Saskatchewan's chief medical health officer, has said there is evidence that masks have a significant impact on transmission of COVID-19.

Some of the protesters at the mall on Saturday carried signs noting concerns about the safety of masks for children. Experts have said masks do not cause harm, although it is important to ensure masks are worn properly.

'He was violating my personal space'

Mann said if the protester had tried having a "civil conversation," she would have been fine with that. But she didn't feel like he was being respectful.

"He was violating my personal space. Regardless of a pandemic or not, I just don't think that's right for him to just come up on me."

She was meeting up with her mom and brother, and her mom had to physically pull her away before the man left her alone, Mann said.

Mann said she believes it's important to wear a mask, and she believes people have a right to protest — though she thinks protesters should be respectful of other people, too.

"If you're going to protest, why don't you protest outside since it is a mandate now to wear masks inside?" 

'Something needs to be done'

Brooklyn's mother, Sara Mann, said the episode was upsetting.

"It was upsetting for me to come around the corner and see my daughter cornered by people, against a wall, trying to cover her face," she said. "Pushing your agenda on us in that close of a space was a complete breach of our rights as a human. I don't think anybody deserves to be put in that situation."

She said they're hoping someone recorded the encounter between her daughter and the protesters because they're thinking about going to the police about it.

"These people who are not wearing masks, I think something needs to be done," she said. 

"Charges need to be laid. If they're doing that kind of stuff, they should not be allowed in a public building. I think security should be at the door and they should be turning away anyone who comes to the building without a mask. Plain and simple."

Saskatoon police were sent to the Midtown plaza in response to the protest, but no charges were laid because the protesters left when asked, police said.

Immunocompromised family member

The situation was particularly trying because Sara's husband, Brooklyn's father, has cancer.

"The prognosis is good. I'm not trying to focus too much on that, but we have been taking extra precautions and we've literally done everything we think we can to avoid going out," Sara said.

"But we also need to get out of the house.… We don't have jobs to go to. None of us are working right now except my daughter."

She said going to the mall was meant to be a fun outing but the protest turned it into a stressful situation.

Protester says he isn't anti-mask

Mark Friesen, a member of the People's Party of Canada who ran for the Saskatoon-Grasswood constituency in the 2019 federal election, attended the rally. He recorded most of the event, but the incident between Brooklyn Mann and the protester was not on the recording, he said.

"There's nothing on that video that would indicate that any of that happened. I didn't see any of that happening," Friesen said.

Someone who worked at a store in the mall screamed and was "verbally attacking" the protesters, and another person yelled that they hoped the protesters "would die from COVID," he said. But he said he didn't witness rally participants being aggressive toward the crowd.

Friesen, who said he isn't anti-mask but is against a mask mandate, listed three things he hopes people take away from the rally: that the mask mandate is a regulation, not a bill that was passed into law; that business owners and employees shouldn't be the ones enforcing the rules; and that there are people who have medical conditions that preclude them from wearing masks.

The mask mandate in Regina, Saskatoon and Prince Albert excludes children under two years old, people engaging in physical exercise, and anyone who is "unconscious, incapacitated or otherwise unable to remove the mask without assistance."