Originally Posted by Batstar

The law surrounding the use of pepper spray is a bit murky in Canada. First of all, if the product is purchased for personal protection and is not specifically labelled as bear spray or for animal use then would be considered a prohibited weapon. Both Canadian Tire and MEC sells bear spray but MEC makes you sign a waiver and one must be over the age of 18 to purchase. I believe the only authorities who have the legal right to carry pepper spray are law enforcement and mail carriers.

This is where the ruling become somewhat sketchy. You could still be charged with concealing a prohibited weapon by simply carrying it on your person or in a purse particularly in an area where there are no bears. Mace which has a higher level of capsicum is definitely considered off limits.

That being said, I suspect that its use could depend on the circumstances one faces such as vicious dogs.