Shoplifting has surged to an alarming level across Canada, industry insiders say, with inflation and labour shortages cited as major factors behind the increase.
The uptick has triggered concern among Canadian grocers even as the rise in food prices helps pad their bottom lines. Grocery prices were up 11 per cent year-over-year in October and they’re not expected to ease any time soon. The total cost of groceries for a family of four is expected to be $1,065 more than it was this year, according to the most recent edition of Canada’s Food Price Report.
Inflation in food prices is one of the main drivers pushing more people to steal, says Sylvain Charlebois, senior director of the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University in Halifax.
“There is a correlation between the two, absolutely. Theft is an ongoing issue. But the intensity actually does increase when food prices go up,” he said, noting that meat and dairy products are the top two stolen items.
He warned the problem may grow if the economy slows down next year as some economists suggest.
“If you see both food prices go up and … the economy slows down, jointly that is when you basically see even more stuff.”
Charlebois said inflation and grocery theft are affecting one another, meaning when prices go up, shoplifting surges, and to offset the loss, businesses have no other option but to further increase the prices.
“Theft will cost everyone more because someone has to pay for that (stolen) food,” he said. “You and I pay for theft.”
Felicia Fefer, corporate affairs manager at Walmart Canada, said the retail giant has seen a historic uptick in theft.
“Retail crime, including theft and arson, is sadly higher than it historically has been at Walmart Canada and across the entire retail industry,” she said.
“This is very concerning for our business, our associates, our customers and the industry.”
Fefer said the company is implementing measures to prevent and reduce theft in order to keep prices low and keep its employees and customers safe.
Metro and Loblaw both declined to comment on the matter, referring The Canadian Press to the Retail Council of Canada. Sobeys did not respond to a request for comment.
Labour shortages are also contributing to the surge in shoplifting, said Dan Kelly, the president of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business.
“There is great concern among Canadian businesses right now about crime, and crime in Canadian workplaces,” he said. “Shoplifting is definitely being felt more, especially as we’ve come out of lockdown and restrictions.”
Kelly said some grocers are struggling to recruit new staff, and when businesses don’t have enough employees to perform physical monitoring, they could be in a vulnerable position.
“If you have fewer people on the storefront, if you know if you have one person deep in the business at the back cash desk,” he said, “it does lead to the business being a bit of a robbery target.
“Fewer people on the floor … makes shoplifters feel a little less intimidated to go in and take something,” he said, adding that employees and customers alike feel more “intimidated and nervous” walking into the stores.
As a result, more retail stores, even smaller ones, are hiring security guards including off-duty police officers. They are also taking other steps such as retrofitting to make sure they have clearer sightlines within the business, using more electronic monitoring technology, and limiting the number of people in the store so they can provide one-to-one service.
As customers who shopped more online during the pandemic return to stores, an uptick in retail crime has been seen across Canada, says Michelle Wasylyshen, a spokesperson for Retail Council of Canada.
She pointed to the economic downturn, a growing resale market for stolen goods and an increase in organized crime as other factors behind the surge.
While it is difficult to know the exact impact of theft on local businesses because much of crime goes unreported, the council’s estimates suggest retail crime cost $5 billion in losses in 2019 in Canada.
Wasylyshen said the council isn’t collecting data on whether there is any connection between inflation and shoplifting, but “theft tends to spike during economic downturns.”
“We also know that break-ins, armed robberies, and physical and especially violent incidents are higher than they have been in previous years,” she said.
Greeting customers as they enter to acknowledge their presence and keeping surplus inventory off the store floor could be effective loss prevention strategies for stores, Wasylyshen said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 17, 2022.
EDMONTON – RCMP say a second suspect has been arrested in the killing of an Alberta county worker.
Mounties say 28-year-old Elijah Strawberry was taken into custody Friday at a house on O’Chiese First Nation.
Colin Hough, a worker with Rocky View County, was shot and killed while on the job on a rural road east of Calgary on Aug. 6.
Another man who worked for Fortis Alberta was shot and wounded, and RCMP said the suspects fled in a Rocky View County work truck.
Police later arrested Arthur Wayne Penner, 35, and charged him with first-degree murder and attempted murder, and a warrant was issued for Strawberry’s arrest.
RCMP also said there was a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Strawberry, describing him as armed and dangerous.
Chief Supt. Roberta McKale, told a news conference in Edmonton that officers had received tips and information over the last few weeks.
“I don’t know of many members that when were stopped, fuelling up our vehicles, we weren’t keeping an eye out, looking for him,” she said.
But officers had been investigating other cases when they found Strawberry.
“Our investigators were in O’Chiese First Nation at a residence on another matter and the major crimes unit was there working another file and ended up locating him hiding in the residence,” McKale said.
While an investigation is still underway, RCMP say they’re confident both suspects in the case are in police custody.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
RICHMOND, B.C. – The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says the 26-year-old son of a man found dead on British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast has been charged with his murder.
Police say 58-year-old Henry Doyle was found badly injured on a forest service road in Egmont last September and died of his injuries.
The homicide team took over when the BC Coroners Service said the man’s death was suspicious.
It says in a statement that the BC Prosecution Service has approved one count of first-degree murder against the man’s son, Jackson Doyle.
Police say the accused will remain in custody until at least his next court appearance.
The homicide team says investigators remained committed to solving the case with the help of the community of Egmont, the RCMP on the Sunshine Coast and in Richmond, and the Vancouver Police Department.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
VANCOUVER – Mediated talks between the union representing HandyDART workers in Metro Vancouver and its employer, Transdev, have broken off without an agreement following 15 hours of talks.
Joe McCann, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1724, says they stayed at the bargaining table with help from a mediator until 2 a.m. Friday and made “some progress.”
However, he says the union negotiators didn’t get an offer that they could recommend to the membership.
McCann says that in some ways they are close to an agreement, but in other areas they are “miles apart.”
About 600 employees of the door-to-door transit service for people who can’t navigate the conventional transit system have been on strike since last week, pausing service for all but essential medical trips.
McCann asks HandyDART users to be “patient,” since they are trying to get not only a fair contract for workers but also a better service for customers.
He says it’s unclear when the talks will resume, but he hopes next week at the latest.
The employer, Transdev, didn’t reply to an interview request before publication.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
