Centre Square Mall store’s sweaters recalled by Health Canada

Health Canada is recalling a type of children’s sweater sold at a store in Yellowknife’s Centre Square Mall, saying the design could cause strangulation.

Health Canada said “Pacapopskidz” children’s sweaters, made in Ecuador and sold at the Northern Transition store, should have their drawstrings immediately removed to solve the problem.

The hooded sweaters’ drawstrings “can become caught on playground equipment, fences, or other objects and result in strangulation, or in the case of a vehicle, the child being dragged,” read the recall notice, issued on October 7.

The recall is specific to the Northern Transition store, though Health Canada says the product could have been sold elsewhere, too.

This is the second time the exact same sweater sold at the store has been recalled on identical grounds. The first recall was issued in 2016. From Health Canada’s latest notice, it appears the store had resumed selling the sweaters despite the initial recall.

“Approximately 16 units of the affected product were sold at Northern Transition in Centre Square Mall in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories,” this week’s recall notice stated. “The recalled sweaters may have also been sold at other retail stores in Canada and online.”

How do you know if you have one of the sweaters? It’s a hooded sweater with drawstrings at the neck. The front of the label states 50 percent wool, 50 percent cotton, and the back of the label states “CA 11601, Handknit in Ecuador.”

The sweaters were sold between approximately January 2013 and September 2019.

The recall notice said there had been no reports of any injuries resulting from the sweater design.

“Neither Northern Transition nor Health Canada has received reports of consumer incidents or injuries to Canadians related to the use of these products,” the notice read.

Taking out the drawstrings means there’s no longer a hazard. If you would like more information, you can contact Northern Transition at 867-873-9908 from 10am until 6pm, Monday to Saturday.