Winnipeg, MB: Grocery store staff, homeowner threatened by man wielding 'machete-style' knife
A 41-year-old man faces several charges after staff at a grocery store and a garage in west Winnipeg were threatened with a large knife in a robbery and a break-in yesterday.

The robbery started around 5 p.m. Monday at a grocery store, where a man started filling a shopping cart with merchandise and hiding some items in a backpack.

After he spent about 45 minutes in the store, the man was confronted by staff as he tried to take the merchandise out of the store without paying, but the employees backed off when he produced a large "machete-style" knife, a police spokesperson told CBC News. Then just after 6 p.m., police said the same man broke into a garage at a home on Hind Avenue and took some items.
 
A suspect was arrested near and some of the stolen items were recovered, said police, who added that no injuries were reported in either incident. cbc.ca

Surrey, BC: Employees arrested after police called to robbery at pot shop
A robbery at a Surrey marijuana dispensary Wednesday ended in two arrests - but it was the employees who were taken away in handcuffs, not the robber. Someone had burst into the WeeMedical store near Scott Road and 88 Avenue with a can of mace and made off with a small amount of merchandise.

"I got a call that the store was robbed and I raced down," said Nicholas Thompson, who works at the shop. "Everything was fine. We called the police. They showed up. They were interested in everything." When Thompson found out everyone was okay, he left. Then, he says, police called him.

"The police called me back to give a statement. As soon as I pulled up, they said I was under arrest for trafficking marijuana through the dispensary," he said. cbc.ca

Whitehorse, YT: Mystery shopper scam tricks Yukoners into depositing fraudulent cheques
The RCMP say Yukoners have been victimized by a new wave of fraud - text messages offering jobs for mystery shoppers. Whitehorse RCMP are investigating after victims reported that they had applied for the jobs after receiving a text message with the offer.

According to a news release, soon after, the victims received a letter in the mail with a cheque for $2,980 and instructions to deposit the cheque into their bank account, and then withdraw $2,480 in cash. They were then instructed to deposit the $2,480 into a separate account at another bank. The detailed instructions continued, telling the victims to spend $100 at a store like Walmart, allowing them to keep the final $400 as payment.

At some point, the victims received calls from their banks, informing them that the cheque they deposited was fraudulent and that they had to pay the money back. "Leaving the victim out a few thousand dollars," the news release said. cbc.ca

Brockville, ON: Police make arrest; suspect had left cart full of merchandise
A 27-year-old Smiths Falls man has been charged in connection with an incident that occurred at the Walmart store in Brockville in August. A male suspect had fled the scene on foot after being approached by store security on Aug. 9; left behind was a shopping cart full of merchandise, according to Brockville police. The subsequent investigation led city police to identify the suspect. He had been arrested by Brockville police in April and charged with possession of stolen property and break-in instruments. insidebrockville.com

Surrey, BC: City's crime is down but safety fears are up; Assaults, robberies lower in 2016 compared with 2015, but business owners feel less safe
The Downtown Surrey Business Improvement Association's (DSBIA) August security audit found that only 71 per cent of business owners and employees felt as safe in their area as they did a year ago. Perceptions of safety in downtown Surrey have been falling steadily since 2013, when 93 per cent of business owners and workers felt as safe as they had the year before. scmp.com

Kitchener, ON: Convenience store robbed at knife-point

Another armed robbery at St John's drug store

Winnipeg: One arrested in Armed Robbery of Food Fare in Portage