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MIKAELA MACKENZIE \/ FREE PRESS <\/p>\n
\nCathy Landry, owner ofThe Shiny Company Wpg, is considering additional security measures to protect her business. She keeps her store\u2019s sliding door partially closed to help screen visitors.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a balancing act because she doesn\u2019t want to deter potential customers while trying to protect her business from crime.<\/p>\n
Landry reported the theft to police and posted surveillance camera images on social media to create awareness about the incident. She installed two cameras last week.<\/p>\n
For about two years, Landry has kept her store\u2019s sliding door partially closed against a table to help her screen visitors. Wednesday\u2019s theft happened after she put two necklaces, worth $50, in a gift bag for the man, who then asked to look at rings.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I turned my back for a second (to retrieve a display tray), he just grabbed the two necklaces I had packaged nicely for him, and opened the door and ran,\u201d Landry said Thursday.<\/p>\n
She has suffered other thefts in the 16 years her business has been downtown. She said crime has become worse in the area, and she feels there is a lack of consequences if and when thieves are convicted, leaving her frustrated.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe whole time I\u2019ve been downtown, I\u2019ve been waiting for it to get better.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe whole time I\u2019ve been downtown, I\u2019ve been waiting for it to get better,\u201d Landry said. \u201cI don\u2019t know what the solution is. It\u2019s very hard. I don\u2019t want to leave downtown, but I\u2019m not sure if I can take much more.\u201d<\/p>\n
Winnipeg police foot patrol officers walked by while she spoke to the Free Press. She said Portage Place management sent a notice last week informing tenants that security was increased.<\/p>\n
Don Mackenzie, who co-owns Jeffrey\u2019s Restaurant and Lounge, at 1420 Henderson Hwy., said he was looking for solutions after two customers left without paying a nearly $170 bill Saturday.<\/p>\n
Mackenzie and his business partner are considering whether to start asking customers to pay when they order, or to install a machine that scans driver\u2019s licences and other forms of identification at the door, similar to what is already used in the controlled entrances at Liquor Marts, and in some bars or lounges.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t MIKAELA MACKENZIE \/ FREE PRESS <\/p>\n
Neither is a step Mackenzie wants to take, but he\u2019s prepared to go further to prevent crime-related losses during tough economic times.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve got to come up with something. We\u2019re not sure what yet,\u201d said Mackenzie, who also co-owns Johnny\u2019s Maples Pizza at 670 Sheppard St.<\/p>\n \u201cDo we pull a McDonald\u2019s or A&W and say, \u2018OK, what would you like,\u2019 and then make everyone pay first? We\u2019ve got some solid regulars and we\u2019re not going to make them, but then how do you pick and choose?\u201d<\/p>\n Mackenzie doesn\u2019t want to deter new and returning customers from visiting.<\/p>\n Jeffrey\u2019s usually employs security staff on Fridays and Saturdays. The restaurant occasionally posts surveillance camera images on social media to try to identify alleged dine-and-dashers.<\/p>\n \u201cWe just eat the cost. If you add them up at the end of the year, it\u2019s in the thousands.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe just eat the cost. If you add them up at the end of the year, it\u2019s in the thousands, on top of higher food costs, higher labour costs, and people might not be going out as much in these times,\u201d Mackenzie said.<\/p>\n Mackenzie said the restaurant is offering more promotions, including drink specials and wing and steak nights, to attract customers amid the current economic climate.<\/p>\n Some Manitoba businesses and industry groups reported increases in thefts, property crimes or violence in recent years.<\/p>\n Their concerns led to increased enforcement by police \u2014 with a particular focus on repeat offenders \u2014 and business security rebates from the Manitoba government.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t MIKAELA MACKENZIE \/ FREE PRESS <\/p>\n
Shaun Jeffrey, executive director and CEO of the Manitoba Restaurant and Foodservices Association, said people in the industry regularly talk about how to combat crime, including an increase in dine and dashes.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re continuously trying to work on ways to make our business less susceptible to these problems, but not taking out the hospitality factor,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The association has advocated for changes to the criminal justice system to address repeat offending.<\/p>\n \u201cThe catch-and-release situation that we have here in Manitoba, especially, is just not conducive to holding people accountable for these actions,\u201d Jeffrey said.<\/p>\n A recent Canadian Federation of Independent Business survey found that crime and safety were a top concern for 58 per cent of its Manitoba members, the highest among all provinces.<\/p>\n \u201cSmall businesses are dealing with their fair share of problems when it comes to all the economic uncertainty,\u201d said Tyler Slobogian, a Winnipeg-based senior policy analyst with CFIB.<\/p>\n \u201cCrime has been a huge impact for those members we\u2019ve chatted with recently, and it doesn\u2019t seem to be slowing down.\u201d<\/p>\n Some retailers keep their doors locked during business hours to control who enters, he noted.<\/p>\n Slobogian said many CFIB members want harsher penalties for people convicted of organized retail crime or violent retail theft.<\/p>\n Some business owners have spent thousands of dollars on security systems, while upgrades are cost-prohibitive for others, Jeffrey said.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t MIKAELA MACKENZIE \/ FREE PRESS <\/p>\n
Mackenzie said cameras were recently installed at Johnny\u2019s Maples Pizza. His business partner applied for the provincial rebate to help cover the cost.<\/p>\n A $10-million fund launched in December.<\/p>\n \n\t\tWinnipeg Free Press | Newsletter\n\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t Businesses are eligible for up to $2,500 per location to offset the cost of new security equipment or property damage repairs on or after Aug. 23, 2024.<\/p>\n A provincial spokesperson said 967 businesses have received the rebate as of March 6, with almost $1.8 million dispersed.<\/p>\n Justice Minister Matt Wiebe said the government also funded additional front-line police officers and created a retail theft initiative.<\/p>\n \u201dWhen we created our business security rebate program, we partnered with businesses to tailor the program to address the needs of Manitoban businesses, and it shows in the uptake where in three short months,\u201d he said in a statement.<\/p>\n chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t Chris Kitching Chris Kitching is a general assignment reporter at the Free Press. He began his newspaper career in 2001, with stops in Winnipeg, Toronto and London, England, along the way. After returning to Winnipeg, he joined the Free Press in 2021, and now covers a little bit of everything for the newspaper. Read more about Chris<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Chris produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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\nThe owner of the Shiny Company installed cameras about a week ago.
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\nJeffrey’s Restaurant co-owner Don Mackenzie says he is looking for solutions to dine-and-dashers. <\/p>\n
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\nJeffrey’s Restaurant usually employs security staff on Fridays and Saturdays.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Reporter
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