By Pam Fedack, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Source: Kenora Miner & News
A graduation season game that has become popular with high school students across Canada is now raising concerns in Kenora, following reports that vulnerable people may have been targeted.
The game, known as “Senior Assassin,” is typically played by Grade 12 students who use water guns or toy blasters to “eliminate” assigned classmates while avoiding being eliminated themselves. The game is often organized through social media and apps that track players and rankings.
But in Kenora, community members say the activity appears to have crossed a serious line.
Local advocate Tania Cameron says she was contacted by Indigenous youth who shared screenshots and a video showing an unhoused man being sprayed with a water blaster from a moving vehicle in the downtown area. In a post on her social media, Cameron said the youth who reached out to her were disturbed by what they witnessed and worried about members of the city’s vulnerable population.
In the video, a vehicle slowly drives past a man sitting on a street corner before someone inside fires a water blaster at him. Cameron said several youths appeared to be inside the vehicle and that the incident was allegedly shared in a group chat connected to the game.
“It might seem harmless to some people, but these are human beings who are already struggling,” Cameron said. “People living on the streets don’t have a warm place to go dry off or extra clothes to change into.”
She said the incident sparked anger among many residents who believe targeting unhoused people for entertainment goes beyond a prank.
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) have confirmed they are investigating the incident. Police say any unwanted physical contact, including being sprayed with water, could potentially be considered assault.
The situation in Kenora comes as police services across Canada warn about safety concerns linked to the Senior Assassin trend. The Winnipeg Police Service, for example, recently issued its own public advisory after receiving reports of students using water guns that closely resemble real firearms.
Police say the game can lead to 911 calls from residents who believe they are witnessing an actual weapons incident. Officers warn that these calls can divert police resources away from emergencies and create potentially dangerous situations for students carrying realistic-looking toy guns in public — not to mention the potential for wasteful calls for service.
Communities in Alberta and Ontario have already seen schools temporarily locked down and students confronted by police after water guns were mistaken for firearms.
In Kenora, however, much of the public reaction so far has focused on the impact the alleged incident could have on the city’s vulnerable population.
Cameron is urging parents to speak with their teens about the consequences of the game and to make sure they understand the difference between harmless fun and behaviour that harms others.
“This isn’t just kids being kids,” she said. “When someone vulnerable becomes the target, that’s not a game anymore.”
