Canada Coronavirus Update: April 8 18,479 Cases, 402 Deaths
	Click here to follow Canada's coronavirus store closings 94 brand closures in Canada (Updated Daily)

Coronavirus Models Offer the Big Picture, Not the Details of What May Come

- Projections present a mixed bag of what Canadians should expect
- As many as 15,000 could die in Ontario
- Social distancing is slowing the spread in British Columbia

Ontario and British Columbia have both released their projections about what the pandemic will bring. But, like a weather forecast, they are ever-shifting predictions.

British Columbia focused on the number of cases, people expected to test positive for the virus, while Ontario’s emphasis was on the likely number of deaths.

The British Columbia model suggests that the steps taken there have been effective at slowing the rate of growth of cases. And signs are looking positive that its medical system won’t be overwhelmed by people who develop severe illness from the virus.

Ontario’s model made for grim reading. It currently estimates that by the time the virus has run its full course, perhaps 18 months to two years in the future, it will have killed 3,000 to 15,000 people in the country’s most populous province. nytimes.com

 

COVID-19's Crime Impact in Canada

Boarded Up Shops - Thieves More Brazen - Break-Ins Up 65%?

Thefts Increase for Retailers in Canada that Remain Open During COVID-19 Pandemic: Expert

Thieves are becoming more brazen & desperate to fill their supply

As the shopping sources have narrowed in this COVID-19 pandemic, so too has the supply chain for shop thieves, says retail security expert Stephen O’Keefe.

“Criminality tends to migrate, and in this case, retailers who are open to supply the essential such as grocery and medication, have been hit hardest because the market is small,” said O’Keefe, a Toronto-based veteran of the retail industry and President of Bottom Line Matters, a web-based loss prevention and risk management solutions company for small to mid-sized retailers.

O’Keefe said there is a group of people out there that thrive on crime. It’s their job. It’s their livelihood. They pay their rent and bills through the proceeds of crime - the cash that they get.

O’Keefe said criminals involved in organized crime have to feed their supply chain and have become more brazen, even moving into the robbery and break and enter category. There have been a number of cases across Canada where retail stores, who have temporarily closed their doors through this crisis, have been hit.

“Break-ins have gone up everywhere” said O’Keefe. retail-insider.com

COVID-19: Robson Street shops boarding up in wake of increased break-ins

A number of downtown Vancouver shops boarded up their storefronts over the weekend after an increase in break-and-enters in March.

Teri Smith, executive director of the Robson Street Business Association, said many of the street’s businesses had shut their doors even before B.C. health officials ordered physical distancing and closures to some businesses.

Since then, a number of shops in the downtown core have experienced break-ins, thefts or smashed windows, said Smith, prompting many to board up their storefronts over the weekend.

On Thursday, Vancouver police announced there had been an uptick in commercial break-ins during March and that cops would be targeting repeat offenders and using analytics to help predict trends and hot spots.

During the first two weeks of March there were 86 commercial break-ins throughout the city, 15 of which were in the downtown Vancouver area. In the third week of March, there were 81 commercial break-ins throughout Vancouver. Thirty-five of those were in the downtown core, more than double the first two weeks of the month.

Smith said Robson Street stores began boarding up Friday, including Aritzia, Lululemon, Club Monaco and more. But while shops are closed for business, Smith said business association members are still working to do their part in the COVID-19 fight. vancouversun.com

Shoplifting way down, break-and-enters up in Nanaimo during COVID-19 pandemic

Break-and-enters increased 65 per cent in the last two weeks of March, say police

Nanaimo’s top cop says break-ins and thefts from vehicles have jumped and people living on the streets are more aggressive under measures to control coronavirus.

In his report to Nanaimo city council on Wednesday, RCMP Supt. Cameron Miller, said for the last two weeks in March versus the first to weeks in March, police saw shoplifting complaints drop 80 per cent with most stores closed and those that are open posting security guards, but break-and-enters to businesses and residences and public intoxication is way up.

“Consuming liquor and intoxication in public is up by about 45 per cent … break and enters to businesses up 65 per cent, break and enters to residential are up about 20 per cent, so we are seeing that sort of stuff,” Miller said. nanaimobulletin.com

Ladysmith, BC: Businesses requests additional security as break-ins increase

Judges release growing number accused of violent crimes due to COVID-19 fears

Cracking Down on Retail COVID-19 Profiteers in Canada

 

Many Retail Workers in Canada to Exit Industry Post-COVID-19 Amid Harsh Conditions: Expert

Many associates getting paid more but don't plan to return to retail post-pandemic

A new survey by the Conference Board of Canada indicates few front-line employees are being rewarded so far despite the fact those workers have become essential during the spread of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. The survey found that 21 percent of employers are providing pay premiums to non-unionized front-line employees, eight percent are considering it and 71 percent are not.

Nine out of 10 employers offering premiums are adding a fixed amount to employee pay. On average, employers are providing an additional $4.43 per hour worked.

“So it’s basically turned into an all or nothing. Either your brand stepped up and you’re proud and you want to return or your brand didn’t step up and support the workers. Just kind of blew them off. They have no intentions of going back,” said Sears. “So I don’t think a recovery, whenever that is, is as simple as okay the doors are open now.

“The issue is going to be that retail has suffered a tremendous blow to its reputation by forcing people to work when they didn’t want to probably as much as three weeks ago. I am astounded how many people have indicated ‘I’ll go back to work but not in retail’.” retail-insider.com

Canadian Maker of Smart Locks Settles FTC Allegations That it Deceived Consumers about its Security Practices
A Canadian company has settled Federal Trade Commission allegations that it deceived consumers by falsely claiming that its Internet-connected smart locks were designed to be “unbreakable” and that it took reasonable steps to secure the data it collected from users. The settlement requires Tapplock, Inc. to, among other things, implement a comprehensive security program and obtain independent biennial assessments of the program.

Tapplock sells fingerprint-enabled, Internet-connected padlocks, and has touted in its advertisements that its smart locks were “Bold. Sturdy. Secure,” according to the FTC’s complaint. The company’s smart locks interact with a companion mobile app that allows users to lock and unlock their locks when they are within Bluetooth range.

The Tapplock app collects personal information including usernames, email addresses, profile photos, and the precise location of users’ smart locks. In addition to touting the security of its locks, Tapplock also claimed in its privacy policy that it took “reasonable precautions” to secure the data it collected.

The FTC, however, alleged that contrary to its representations to consumers, the company’s locks were not secure and that Tapplock failed to take reasonable precautions or follow industry best practices to protect the consumer data it collected. ftc.gov

COVID-19 Fear Could Disrupt Global Supply Chains: Sylvain Charlebois

Retailers in Canada Step-Up to Help Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

Canada's grocers fill store posts with corporate staff

Mastercard, Visa Raise Tap Limits, And Stores Want Interac To Follow
 

Quebec: Suspect charged in attack against Walmart security guard enforcing COVID-19 rules

The guard is in a coma and remains in critical condition

A 25-year-old Quebec man appeared in court Monday in connection with a brutal assault against a Walmart security guard who was enforcing the store’s COVID-19 public health directives. Nacime Kouddar was formally charged with criminal negligence causing bodily harm, assault with a weapon, aggravated assault and failure to stop after an accident.

The guard, Phillipe Jean, 35, remains in critical condition in hospital. He was allegedly struck by a car driven by Kouddar and dragged on the hood of the vehicle for several metres, according to police. The incident occurred around 5 p.m. Saturday. The suspect allegedly tried to enter the Walmart with his partner, only to be told one person per vehicle was permitted inside at once. Police said the suspect became frustrated and drove his car into the victim.

An online fundraiser for Jean’s family has reportedly already raised about $14,000. Michael Baldwin, a friend of the family from the United States, created the Facebook fundraiser and posted Monday that Jean remained in a coma but was breathing on his own. nationalpost.com

    RELATED: Fundraising campaign for injured Walmart guard nears $150,000

Richmond & Surrey, BC: Suspect faces 28 fraud-related charges from over $450,000 in transactions
A suspect who allegedly stole credit card data to conduct thousands of dollars worth of fraudulent transactions is now facing numerous charges. Surrey RCMP explained that they launched an investigation on June 28, 2017, after a local business reported that they believed their customers’ credit card data had been compromised. Investigators received information indicating that a number of fraudulent credit card transactions had taken place using stolen data from numerous credit cards, involving multiple victims.

As the investigation continued on, investigators found that these fraudulent transactions in Surrey were connected to similar incidents in Richmond. Over $458,000 in fraudulent credit card transactions in total had been made in Richmond and Surrey. straight.com

Toronto, ON: Shooting near Yorkdale Mall leaves one man with serious injuries
Toronto police say that a man admitted himself to hospital with “serious injuries” after a series of gunshots were heard near Yorkdale Mall late Wednesday night. Police got the call shortly before 11:30 p.m., according to Const. Alex Li. There were reports of “multiple gunshots heard in the area,” as well as people and a black SUV fleeing the area. Toronto police said on Twitter that shell casings had been located at the scene of the shooting with “windows of a residential building smashed and possibly shot out” as well. thestar.com

Airdrie, AB: 4 charged after trying to steal perfume, bear spraying store employee

Nipissing West, ON: Police seek public help to catch shoplifter