Saskatchewan cheer teams withdraw from competition at West Edmonton Mall

Cheerleaders and dancers from several Saskatchewan high schools, including all Regina public system high schools, will not be going to a competition at the West Edmonton Mall this weekend due to safety concerns.

The cheer and dance teams at Winston Knoll, Campbell and Balfour collegiates were planning to go, but cancelled after a number of parents said their children would not be participating.

School officials confirmed the decision not to go was made over the past few days, with safety a key concern.

"Due to the parents' safety concerns and because we cannot, as a school division, ensure the safety of students participating in this ... the schools would not be participating," Terry Lazarou, a spokesman for the Regina Board of Education, said Tuesday.

According to Lazarou, the school board was prompted to look at the situation after parents raised concerns.

"It was parents that came forward to some of the coaches and said they would not be allowing their students their kids to participate in this. And so we looked at it further," he said.

However, teams from Saskatoon's Bedford Road Collegiate and Tommy Douglas are still planning to compete. Bethlehem, however, is not going.

Altogether, an estimated 20 cheer and dance teams have withdrawn from the tournament at the large shopping and recreation complex.

Concerns were raised last month after a video was posted to a YouTube account allegedly connected to a Somali terror group.

In the video, a speaker said several North American shopping malls could be targets for terror attacks, including the Mall of America in Minnesota and the West Edmonton Mall.

The Alberta Cheer Association said it is monitoring safety concerns, along with the mall security and Edmonton Police, but added it is too late for cancelling teams to receive a refund on entry fees.