Calgary, AB: Bitcoin ransom demanded by hackers of Calgary wine store; Hackers demand $500 in bitcoin after encrypting database with malware
Calgary liquor store paid a ransom this week to regain access to its computers after hackers infected its database with a virus - and even got an unofficial receipt thanking it for its involuntary "purchase." The Kensington Wine Market's database was attacked with ransomware - a type of malware. "It doesn't take your data, it doesn't steal it, but it locks it so that you can't use it," said owner Andrew Ferguson. "Whoever has done this is going to hold it for ransom to try to get a quick buck out of you to get it back."

The hackers demanded $500 in bitcoin - a form of digital currency. "Our I.T. guy had to go out for us and purchase bitcoins in order to pay what these guys are demanding," said Ferguson, who speculates they wanted the virtual money as it's more difficult to trace. He says he paid the ransom because his employees could no longer open email, lookup inventory or process sales - a big problem during the busy holiday season. cbc.ca

Cargo Theft Reporting Program to Launch in Western Canada
On Tuesday, the Alberta Motor Truck Association (AMTA), the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC), which represents insurance companies, and provincial police are set to offer details on the expansion of the successful cargo theft reporting program to Western Canada. This program will help raise awareness of and combat the growing problem of cargo theft, which includes stealing trucks and trailers containing merchandise.

The program appears to be similar to one kicked off earlier this year in the Atlantic Provinces involving the Atlantic Provinces Trucking Assocation (APTA), among others. todaystrucking.com globalnews.ca

Canadian Black Friday Getting More Popular -
Consumers Purchasing Almost Doubles
The study noted that last year, 51% of adult Canadians actively browsed and bought - similar to 2013. This year, however, 70% of the adults questions said they participated in Black Friday sales.  While browsers who didn't purchase remained constant at 24%, the increase in participation came from the 44% who stated that they have bought an item - up from 25% last year. retail-insider.com

Quebec-based jewelry and accessories brand Bizou to open 5 stores in '16 - now at 125 locations

Dollarama achieves major retail milestone with 1,005 stores

Montreal recommends plastic bag ban by 2018

Grinch arrested by Calgary police for holiday theft warning

Retail Fast Facts: November 2015 
● Total monthly retail sales changed by 2.5 per cent over the comparable month last year. 
● Total sales excluding food, automotive and gasoline changed by 4.7 per cent over the comparable month last year.  Read more

 

Hamilton, ON: Pharmacy robbery numbers on track to triple this year; 20 Hamilton pharmacy robberies in 2015
Yet another Hamilton pharmacy was robbed over the weekend, as the number of narcotics thefts in the city this year soars. It happened on Sunday around 9:30 p.m., police say, at a pharmacy at 1395 Upper Ottawa Street. Witnesses told police that a man walked into the pharmacy with a small knife and demanded narcotics. He stole an "undisclosed" amount of drugs, police say, and then ran off. The pharmacy's employee wasn't hurt during the robbery. Police have been called in to investigate 20 pharmacy robberies so far this year, compared to seven in all of 2014. In all of the robberies, thieves targeted prescription narcotics. In some cases, the same pharmacy was hit more than once. In an interview last month, Staff Sgt. Emidio Evangelista told CBC News that it's tough to say whether this spike is indicative of a wider trend. "It could be two or three people that all of a sudden do four or five robberies, and then that's the increase," he said. "I arrest them, and then it goes back to the average." cbc.ca

Saskatoon, CN: Ontario man charged in Sask. Jewelry store
and Pharmacy Robberies
An Ontario man is facing more than a dozen charges and potentially more after a lengthy crime spree across several Saskatchewan towns. The 37-year-old, who on Thursday allegedly robbed a jewelry store in Moosomin and a pharmacy in Indian Head before stealing a car in Outlook and gas in Rosetown, was only arrested after Mounties laid out a spike belt just south of Biggar.  ctvnews.ca

Cargo Theft: Mississauga, CN: 495 TVs, Trailer stolen from Mississauga truck lot on Sunday; Toronto Police found the empty trailer on Tuesday
Peel Regional Police are looking into the theft of 495 LG 55-inch TVs and a truck trailer from a commercial truck depot on Columbus Rd. in Mississauga. A suspect or suspects - police aren't sure how many are involved - managed to drive off with the load last Sunday. Toronto Police eventually found the empty trailer Tuesday. It seems whoever stole the shipment brought their own truck - Peel Regional Police say it appears none of the lot's trucks were missing after the thefts. The TVs are worth a total of $375,000. thestar.com

Sudbury, ON: $13,000 Tandem axle Fuel Tanker stolen; one arrested
A 44-year-old man from Temiskaming Shores was arrested and charged on Dec. 8 in relation to a trailer theft. Sudbury OPP were dispatched to a theft occurrence at a business at Highway 144 in Cartier Township on Dec. 8. Investigation revealed that a tandem axle fuel trailer containing fuel and assorted tools was stolen from the parking lot. As a result of the investigation, police were able to recover the stolen trailer with its contents and identify the individual responsible for the theft, which was valued at approximately $13,000. northernlife.ca

Penticton, BC: RCMP suspects Arson in Save On Foods fire
RCMP are investigating a potential arson after an early morning blaze at the Save On Foods which closed the grocery store until noon Dec. 8. The fire department and the forensic identification section of the RCMP are currently investigating the incident and searching for video surveillance of the scene. Around 5:45 a.m. Penticton Fire crews were called to Save On Foods and were met with heavy smoke and flames coming from a tractor trailer parked in the back loading bay. Witness Skylar Noe-Vack reported that crews found paper and cardboard products ablaze under the trailer. pentictonwesternnews.com