SASKATOON, Sask. — A Saskatoon business owner has been ordered to close his store for 90 days to give him time to rethink his operations and prevent disturbances under the Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods (SCAN) Act.
On Sept. 22, Court of King’s Bench Justice R.C. Mills ordered Mohammed Akhtar's store, 7 Days Confectionery & Grocery, at 1507 20th Street West, closed for 90 days.
Mills made his decision under section 8 of the act, which gives the court the authority to issue an order if sufficient evidence shows that certain activities threaten “the health, safety and security of one or more of the occupants of the property or persons in the community or neighbourhood,” according to court documents.
The court found that there was sufficient evidence of habitual drug-related disturbances affecting the community. It issued a 90-day order requiring Akhtar to vacate the property and barring re-entry to allow time for changes to reduce disturbances.
The order is based on police findings, community safety concerns and SCAN’s legal criteria. It requires the director of community operations to close the property for 90 days and terminates any tenancy agreement or lease on the property.
It also requires Akhtar to exercise due diligence to prevent drug-related activities, including the consumption, exchange, possession, sale, transfer and use of illegal and controlled substances, while prohibiting people from engaging in such activities and barring them from re-entering the property.
The Saskatoon Police Service (SPS) suspects the store is being used for illegal drug sales and reports frequent calls and overdoses. SPS surveillance showed many people loitering around the property, some apparently under the influence of drugs, while police have made frequent visits since 2022.
Aside from drug-related activities, evidence also suggests illegal cigarette sales. Akhtar said he has taken steps to remedy that issue but denies drug activity or overdoses on the property.
“Photographs of the interior of the confectionery lead to the conclusion that it is not possible for a living to be made given the size of the business operation and the nature of the goods being sold,” Mills wrote in his order.
Lease documents and interviews, however, indicate some discrepancies about occupancy and activities. People were frequently seen loitering around the property without any apparent purpose and appeared to be under the influence of drugs.
Video surveillance conducted over a week captured as many as 38 people loitering around the property at a time, with some passed out on the ground or clearly under the influence of illegal narcotics, according to SPS. SPS said it received 95 calls to the property in 2026, including 38 incidents relating to drug overdoses. Since March 2022, when Akhtar became the property's owner, SPS has responded 193 times.
