Several Residents of the Eastview neighborhood say a loud, recurring noise occurring several times a day has caused disruption and raised safety concerns. While some believe it could have been gunshots, a bird cannon, or fireworks, the source remains a mystery.

Sheena Rorke, a longtime resident, said it started about three weeks ago when she heard a loud bang. At first she thought it might have been a fireworks display, but as someone familiar with fireworks in the area since the University of Saskatchewan Huskies Games, she quickly realized that the sound was far too loud to be a sound.

She noted that the loud noise was heard several times a day, at all times, whether it was 9 a.m., noon or midnight.

“There was no reason for this big bang to go off and shake the house,” she said. “It would just terrify us.”

“The aquarium is shaking, the dogs are barking – we stop (thinking) who is doing this?”

Rorke said she thought the sound was similar to a bird cannon, a device commonly used by farmers to scare away wildlife, due to its volume.

Initially, Eastview resident Susan Leitch said she was concerned about the noise because it sounded like a gunshot.

“I think it may be some sort of clapping device to scare the animals,” Leitch said, noting that the sound usually occurs in groups of two or three.

Rorke said she tried to find the source of the sound by asking neighbors around her and narrowed it down to a specific area.

She explains that the problem persists despite having contacted the police several times.

“We want this to stop,” Rorke said. “We are a safe neighborhood. And for the last three weeks we don’t know what’s happening and we’re afraid to be outside.

She urges concerned residents to contact police when the sound goes off and, if possible, record the time.

Saskatoon Police Service Deputy Chief Dave Haye said Tuesday that he had recently heard about the situation, but currently had few details about the source or nature of the noise.

“There are so many things in our community that can make these loud noises, (a) bird cannon is one of them,” he said. “I don’t know if they worked on the railway line south of Stonebridge because they put devices on the tracks to warn the railway crews (and) they make a big noise.”

According to the Saskatoon Police Service, information provided by residents was shared with community liaison officers in the Eastview area.