PLACE RIEL — As Becca Tremblay was preparing for the day on Jan. 16, she did not expect to hurtle down the two flights of tiled stairs connecting Upper and Lower Place Riel.

An unexpected temperature spike in Saskatoon coincided with Tremblay’s decision to wear sneakers in place of her more hefty winter boots — a wardrobe choice she would later be shamed for making, despite the fact that her sneakers are seasonally appropriate and comfortable to her.

Tremblay fell at approximately 1:05 p.m., while walking from class in St. Thomas More College to the Arts Tunnel, where she had been scheduled to sell tickets for an upcoming Edward’s School of Business student event. She sustained no major injuries, despite tumbling for what she says “felt like five minutes.”

At the time of the incident, Tremblay reports there were no signs indicating a wet floor, although she says that she could tell the stairs had been mopped recently.

Tremblay reported the incident to the Facilities Management Division but was turned away on the grounds that she wouldn’t have fallen if she had chosen more sturdy footwear — or taken off her sneakers and descended the stairway sock-footed.

“When [Tremblay] got dressed to go out, she should have thought about the way her provocative shoes would appeal to a wet floor,” a representative said.