A Saskatoon convenience store has been ordered closed for 90 days after a judge found persistent drug activity at the property was harming the surrounding community. Police had been called to 7 Days Confectionery & Grocery 95 times in 2026, including 38 overdose calls, with five involving multiple people overdosing. “The sheer volume of activity shown by the Saskatoon Police Service and Saskatoon Fire Department is astonishing,” Justice Ron Mills wrote in his Sept. 22 decision. Mills ordered everyone to leave the property and temporarily closed it under Saskatchewan’s Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods (SCAN) Act. On June 2, SCAN received a complaint about the convenience store at 1507 20th St. W. Investigators monitored the property and visited the store, documenting loitering and suspected drug use. Property owner warned to address drug activity Mohammad Nadeem Akhtar bought the two-storey property in 2022. Police have responded to the building 193 times since Akhtar took ownership. Akhtar was parked outside his boarded-up store, surrounded by metal fencing. He declined an interview with CTV News, but said he plans to sell the property. On Aug. 7, SCAN investigator Logan Barker warned Akhtar that his property could be closed unless he addressed the drug activity. During that conversation, Akhtar said he did not bother calling police or telling people to leave because they would return, according to Barker’s affidavit. “I advised the drug activity occurring at his property is his responsibility and if he doesn’t take actions to deal with it, SCAN would be pursuing a community safety order that may close his property,” Barker wrote in his affidavit. Akhtar’s calls to police increased after the warning. In a Sept. 15 affidavit, Akhtar said he had taken remedial steps to address the issues, including posting ‘no loitering’ signs and hiring a security guard. He also submitted pictures of the neighbourhood, arguing the problems extend beyond his property and are not specific to his store. Drug sales not proven, judge says While Mills acknowledged Akhtar’s efforts, he found the activity had continued throughout his four years of ownership. “He has allowed it to occur unabated. The situation has gotten worse in 2026,” Mills wrote. The judge found a reasonable inference that the property was habitually being used for drug activity, but did not find evidence of drug sales. “The Saskatoon Police Service believes that the confectionery is used for a source of illegal sales of drugs; however, there is no proof of that even on a balance of probabilities,” Mills wrote. Closure impact on living accommodation Akhtar, who represented himself, described difficulty retaining a lawyer and expressing himself in English during court proceedings. In his affidavit, Akhtar said he had three tenants. He argued the closure would leave his tenants homeless. He had previously told SCAN investigators he lived upstairs alone and a former occupant had moved out. “It would appear that the lessee has in fact left the property. There will therefore be no prejudice to that person,” Mills ruled. Akhtar told CTV News he’s currently living with friends while his business and home are shut down. Mills described the 90-day closure as a “cooling off period” that would give Akhtar an opportunity to rethink his operations and prevent further problems.
