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Got something in self storage? What you need to know amid rising thefts – CBC.ca

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3 years ago

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Artist Tina So moved from Hong Kong to Vancouver two years ago and needed a storage locker for some paintings and family heirlooms.

She signed up with Sentinel Storage in Richmond, B.C., comforted by the promise of a state-of-the-art security system.

That confidence was shaken when So opened her storage unit in August.

“I couldn’t believe my eyes,” she told Go Public. “I double-checked the door. I thought I entered some other person’s locker.”

Her major artwork from the past ten years, other paintings she had collected, family tableware and other heirlooms — all were gone.

“The first thing I did was run to the lobby and tell them that something’s gone wrong!”

It was the beginning of a mystery So says should not be hard to solve, given that Sentinel Storage advertises that it is a gated property with round-the-clock security, video surveillance and individually coded access to doors and gates.

“You give everything that is valuable to them and there is no guarantee that they will keep it well,” said So.

Thousands of people across the country have put their personal belongings in public storage, creating a $9-billion industry in Canada according to a January report by research company IBISWorld.

At the same time, the pandemic has led to business closures and job losses, driving an increase in theft from self-storage facilities, says security expert Alex Vourkoutiotis, chief technology officer at Caliber Communications in Hamilton, a company that provides various types of corporate security.

“Mass layoffs cause theft increase. It’s an unfortunate byproduct, but it’s a reality,” Vourkoutiotis said. 

Thieves left behind a handful of items, including a crack pipe which the RCMP retrieved for possible DNA analysis. (Submitted by Tina So)

There are no national statistics, but Vourkoutiotis says he and colleagues in the industry have noticed a definite spike in storage crime.

Theft attempts at facilities his company monitors have almost tripled — from 135 in 2020 to 348 in the first ten months of 2021.

A spokesperson for Sentinel Storage said no one was available for an interview to discuss So’s case, but sent a statement, saying the company was “sincerely sorry about the loss,” that security is “fundamental” to its service and that it works closely with law enforcement when theft has occurred.

Sentinel Storage is owned by the biggest player in Canada’s self-storage industry, Toronto-based Storage Vault, which gave So confidence when she signed up to rent a locker for about $175 a month, including a mandatory insurance policy that’s common in the industry.

“The building looked very secure,” said So. “And they advertised 24-hour surveillance. So I thought, ‘This is the place.'”

So and her husband visited the locker in March 2020. 

Inside the Sentinel Storage facility in Richmond, B.C., where So mysteriously lost the entire contents of her storage locker. (Submitted by Tina So)

Because of the pandemic, the next time they checked was in August 2021 — when they discovered the theft. Company records said no one else had entered the locker.

When So first signed up with Sentinel, she was instructed to use a code on a keypad to open a sliding door.

She was told that each customer gets their own access code and that her code was the last seven digits of her phone number.

“They did not tell us that we can change it,” said So. 

Using a personal phone number for an access code can be a security issue, says Vourkoutiotis, because anyone who knows you or can see a customer’s number in the system will know the code.

“We recommend against that,” he said. Still, he says, storage companies often do it “because managing the code system becomes difficult.”

The RCMP constable who investigated says Sentinel Storage did not have video surveillance of the theft. (Submitted by Tina So)

The padlock on the locker appeared to be untampered and the door was not jimmied. The walls and ceiling of the storage unit were intact.

None of it makes sense to So. 

“It’s not a Houdini box,” she said, referring to famous escape artist Harry Houdini.

Insurance policies switched 

Even more perplexing, a Sentinel employee had erroneously cancelled her obligatory $5,000 insurance policy, and placed another customer’s $2-million policy under her account.

It was a “clerical error” Sentinel admits, but visible to anyone who had access to the internal system, prompting So to wonder if it may have piqued interest in the contents of her locker.

Adding to her frustration, So says Sentinel Storage refused to answer many of her questions — so she posted her experience on Facebook and other platforms, calling the company “totally unreliable, negligent and not trustworthy.”

This 2013 painting by So, titled Into the Storm, is one of many artworks stolen from her locker. (Submitted by Tina So)

Others have shared similar stories, about storage companies big and small, including those owned by Sentinel. Dale Ladoon of Edmonton says his Sentinel locker was broken into last month, but the company didn’t let him know for three days.

“Basically, Sentinel did not help at all,” he writes in an online review on Trustpilot. 

Rob McNeill writes on Google Reviews that his Lethbridge, Alta., locker was broken into in May and there were “items stolen, no follow up.”

Lily Love also posts on Google Reviews that her Sentinel locker in Coquitlam, B.C., was broken into in March and “they didn’t contact me about it ’til four months later!”

Sentinel said it couldn’t comment on unhappy customers “to maintain the integrity of ongoing investigations.”

The missing video

Most storage facilities have security cameras and advertise their surveillance as a selling point. Sentinel wouldn’t tell Go Public whether it has any video footage of So’s theft and said it couldn’t reveal how long footage is stored, so as not to compromise any security features.

But the RCMP constable investigating So’s case told her that Sentinel does not have any video of the theft.

WATCH | Cherished belongings disappear from storage locker:

Cherished belongings stolen from self-storage despite security claims | Go Public

11 hours ago

A Vancouver woman who kept cherished belongings in a self-storage facility is frustrated after her items were stolen despite promises of 24-hour security. Experts say storage theft has become a growing problem during the pandemic. 2:11

“It’s very disappointing,” said So. “The whole purpose of having 24-hour surveillance cameras is to use it when something happens. It’s not a prop.” 

The strongest protection from theft comes when those cameras are monitored around the clock by a third-party surveillance company, says Vourkoutiotis — which is what his company does for industries ranging from self-storage to auto dealerships to utilities.

“If you don’t have an active, monitored system, then you run the risk of just going in after the fact and perusing video footage — that may or may not exist — to determine what happened or maybe who did it,” he said.

Go Public randomly called 20 public storage facilities, from Victoria to St. John’s, to ask about video surveillance. The locations are owned by the country’s 10 largest storage companies — including StorageVault, U-Haul, StorageMart, Public Storage and Apple Self Storage — to ask about video surveillance.

All the companies said they use security cameras. Some only use cameras at the entrance/exit to a facility, others had cameras inside, at the loading bays and down corridors.

Security expert Alex Vourkoutiotis says video surveillance footage is often only kept for four to six weeks. (Keith Burgess/CBC)

None of the employees could say how long the video footage from those cameras is stored — some guessing “a few months,” others suggesting it might be available “for years.”

None of the companies employed third-party monitoring of their premises and none said the cameras were watched 24/7, the employees said. 

“If they don’t have a monitored system, but you are interested in using their services, I would find out what kind of procedures they put in place to ensure that the camera system stays operational,” said Vourkoutiotis.

“And at least understand how long they store footage.” Because most places he’s aware of don’t save video footage longer than four to six weeks, Vourkoutiotis recommends customers check in on their storage units once a month.

Sentinel said it will honour So’s original insurance policy and that she can file a claim — as long as she provides receipts for the stolen items.

“Which is kind of bizarre,” said So. “You don’t save your receipts on your family heirlooms.”

She’s patiently waiting for the results of the police investigation, but is losing hope that anything will come of it. In the meantime, So has contacted local art galleries and provided photos of some of her stolen artwork.

She’s offering a $5,000 reward for any information that will help solve the theft. “I want to find out the truth,” she said. “What happened is heartbreaking and devastating.”

So says she was told to use the last seven digits of her phone number to access the area with her storage locker. A security expert says that’s poor protection. (Erica Johnson/CBC)

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The #1 Skill I Look For When Hiring

Published

1 day ago

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September 17, 2024

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File this column under “for what it’s worth.”

“Communication is one of the most important skills you require for a successful life.” — Catherine Pulsifer, author.

I’m one hundred percent in agreement with Pulsifer, which is why my evaluation of candidates begins with their writing skills. If a candidate’s writing skills and verbal communication skills, which I’ll assess when interviewing, aren’t well above average, I’ll pass on them regardless of their skills and experience.

 

Why?

 

Because business is fundamentally about getting other people to do things—getting employees to be productive, getting customers to buy your products or services, and getting vendors to agree to a counteroffer price. In business, as in life in general, you can’t make anything happen without effective communication; this is especially true when job searching when your writing is often an employer’s first impression of you.

 

Think of all the writing you engage in during a job search (resumes, cover letters, emails, texts) and all your other writing (LinkedIn profile, as well as posts and comments, blogs, articles, tweets, etc.) employers will read when they Google you to determine if you’re interview-worthy.

 

With so much of our communication today taking place via writing (email, text, collaboration platforms such as Microsoft Teams, Slack, ClickUp, WhatsApp and Rocket.Chat), the importance of proficient writing skills can’t be overstated.

 

When assessing a candidate’s writing skills, you probably think I’m looking for grammar and spelling errors. Although error-free writing is important—it shows professionalism and attention to detail—it’s not the primary reason I look at a candidate’s writing skills.

 

The way someone writes reveals how they think.

 

  • Clear writing = Clear thinking
  • Structured paragraphs = Structured mind
  • Impactful sentences = Impactful ideas

 

Effective writing isn’t about using sophisticated vocabulary. Hemingway demonstrated that deceptively simple, stripped-down prose can captivate readers. Effective writing takes intricate thoughts and presents them in a way that makes the reader think, “Damn! Why didn’t I see it that way?” A good writer is a dead giveaway for a good thinker. More than ever, the business world needs “good thinkers.”

 

Therefore, when I come across a candidate who’s a good writer, hence a good thinker, I know they’re likely to be able to write:

 

  • Emails that don’t get deleted immediately and are responded to
  • Simple, concise, and unambiguous instructions
  • Pitches that are likely to get read
  • Social media content that stops thumbs
  • Human-sounding website copy
  • Persuasively, while attuned to the reader’s possible sensitivities

 

Now, let’s talk about the elephant in the room: AI, which job seekers are using en masse. Earlier this year, I wrote that AI’s ability to hyper-increase an employee’s productivity—AI is still in its infancy; we’ve seen nothing yet—in certain professions, such as writing, sales and marketing, computer programming, office and admin, and customer service, makes it a “fewer employees needed” tool, which understandably greatly appeals to employers. In my opinion, the recent layoffs aren’t related to the economy; they’re due to employers adopting AI. Additionally, companies are trying to balance investing in AI with cost-cutting measures. CEOs who’ve previously said, “Our people are everything,” have arguably created today’s job market by obsessively focusing on AI to gain competitive advantages and reduce their largest expense, their payroll.

 

It wouldn’t be a stretch to assume that most AI usage involves generating written content, content that’s obvious to me, and likely to you as well, to have been written by AI. However, here’s the twist: I don’t particularly care.

 

Why?

 

Because the fundamental skill I’m looking for is the ability to organize thoughts and communicate effectively. What I care about is whether the candidate can take AI-generated content and transform it into something uniquely valuable. If they can, they’re demonstrating the skills of being a good thinker and communicator. It’s like being a great DJ; anyone can push play, but it takes skill to read a room and mix music that gets people pumped.

 

Using AI requires prompting effectively, which requires good writing skills to write clear and precise instructions that guide the AI to produce desired outcomes. Prompting AI effectively requires understanding structure, flow and impact. You need to know how to shape raw information, such as milestones throughout your career when you achieved quantitative results, into a compelling narrative.

So, what’s the best way to gain and enhance your writing skills? As with any skill, you’ve got to work at it.

Two rules guide my writing:

 

  • Use strong verbs and nouns instead of relying on adverbs, such as “She dashed to the store.” instead of “She ran quickly to the store.” or “He whispered to the child.” instead of “He spoke softly to the child.”
  • Avoid using long words when a shorter one will do, such as “use” instead of “utilize” or “ask” instead of “inquire.” As attention spans get shorter, I aim for clarity, simplicity and, most importantly, brevity in my writing.

 

Don’t just string words together; learn to organize your thoughts, think critically, and communicate clearly. Solid writing skills will significantly set you apart from your competition, giving you an advantage in your job search and career.

_____________________________________________________________________

 

Nick Kossovan, a well-seasoned veteran of the corporate landscape, offers “unsweetened” job search advice. You can send Nick your questions to artoffindingwork@gmail.com.

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Politics likely pushed Air Canada toward deal with ‘unheard of’ gains for pilots

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2 days ago

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September 16, 2024

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MONTREAL – Politics, public opinion and salary hikes south of the border helped push Air Canada toward a deal that secures major pay gains for pilots, experts say.

Hammered out over the weekend, the would-be agreement includes a cumulative wage hike of nearly 42 per cent over four years — an enormous bump by historical standards — according to one source who was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter. The previous 10-year contract granted increases of just two per cent annually.

The federal government’s stated unwillingness to step in paved the way for a deal, noted John Gradek, after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made it plain the two sides should hash one out themselves.

“Public opinion basically pressed the federal cabinet, including the prime minister, to keep their hands clear of negotiations and looking at imposing a settlement,” said Gradek, who teaches aviation management at McGill University.

After late-night talks at a hotel near Toronto’s Pearson airport, the country’s biggest airline and the union representing 5,200-plus aviators announced early Sunday morning they had reached a tentative agreement, averting a strike that would have grounded flights and affected some 110,000 passengers daily.

The relative precariousness of the Liberal minority government as well as a push to appear more pro-labour underlay the prime minister’s hands-off approach to the negotiations.

Trudeau said Friday the government would not step in to fix the impasse — unlike during a massive railway work stoppage last month and a strike by WestJet mechanics over the Canada Day long weekend that workers claimed road roughshod over their constitutional right to collective bargaining. Trudeau said the government respects the right to strike and would only intervene if it became apparent no negotiated deal was possible.

“They felt that they really didn’t want to try for a third attempt at intervention and basically said, ‘Let’s let the airline decide how they want to deal with this one,'” said Gradek.

“Air Canada ran out of support as the week wore on, and by the time they got to Friday night, Saturday morning, there was nothing left for them to do but to basically try to get a deal set up and accepted by ALPA (Air Line Pilots Association).”

Trudeau’s government was also unlikely to consider back-to-work legislation after the NDP tore up its agreement to support the Liberal minority in Parliament, Gradek said. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, whose party has traditionally toed a more pro-business line, also said last week that Tories “stand with the pilots” and swore off “pre-empting” the negotiations.

Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau had asked Ottawa on Thursday to impose binding arbitration pre-emptively — “before any travel disruption starts” — if talks failed. Backed by business leaders, he’d hoped for an effective repeat of the Conservatives’ move to head off a strike in 2012 by legislating Air Canada pilots and ground crew to stick to their posts before any work stoppage could start.

The request may have fallen flat, however. Gradek said he believes there was less anxiety over the fallout from an airline strike than from the countrywide railway shutdown.

He also speculated that public frustration over thousands of cancelled flights would have flowed toward Air Canada rather than Ottawa, prompting the carrier to concede to a deal yielding “unheard of” gains for employees.

“It really was a total collapse of the Air Canada bargaining position,” he said.

Pilots are slated to vote in the coming weeks on the four-year contract.

Last year, pilots at Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and American Airlines secured agreements that included four-year pay boosts ranging from 34 per cent to 40 per cent, ramping up pressure on other carriers to raise wages.

After more than a year of bargaining, Air Canada put forward an offer in August centred around a 30 per cent wage hike over four years.

But the final deal, should union members approve it, grants a 26 per cent increase in the first year alone, retroactive to September 2023, according to the source. Three wage bumps of four per cent would follow in 2024 through 2026.

Passengers may wind up shouldering some of that financial load, one expert noted.

“At the end of the day, it’s all us consumers who are paying,” said Barry Prentice, who heads the University of Manitoba’s transport institute.

Higher fares may be mitigated by the persistence of budget carrier Flair Airlines and the rapid expansion of Porter Airlines — a growing Air Canada rival — as well as waning demand for leisure trips. Corporate travel also remains below pre-COVID-19 levels.

Air Canada said Sunday the tentative contract “recognizes the contributions and professionalism of Air Canada’s pilot group, while providing a framework for the future growth of the airline.”

The union issued a statement saying that, if ratified, the agreement will generate about $1.9 billion of additional value for Air Canada pilots over the course of the deal.

Meanwhile, labour tension with cabin crew looms on the horizon. Air Canada is poised to kick off negotiations with the union representing more than 10,000 flight attendants this year before the contract expires on March 31.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 16, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:AC)

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Federal $500M bailout for Muskrat Falls power delays to keep N.S. rate hikes in check

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2 days ago

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September 16, 2024

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HALIFAX – Ottawa is negotiating a $500-million bailout for Nova Scotia’s privately owned electric utility, saying the money will be used to prevent a big spike in electricity rates.

Federal Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson made the announcement today in Halifax, saying Nova Scotia Power Inc. needs the money to cover higher costs resulting from the delayed delivery of electricity from the Muskrat Falls hydroelectric plant in Labrador.

Wilkinson says that without the money, the subsidiary of Emera Inc. would have had to increase rates by 19 per cent over “the short term.”

Nova Scotia Power CEO Peter Gregg says the deal, once approved by the province’s energy regulator, will keep rate increases limited “to be around the rate of inflation,” as costs are spread over a number of years.

The utility helped pay for construction of an underwater transmission link between Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, but the Muskrat Falls project has not been consistent in delivering electricity over the past five years.

Those delays forced Nova Scotia Power to spend more on generating its own electricity.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 16, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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