Manitoba justice minister expects serious consequences for thieves in Criminal Code update

Manitoba’s justice minister is confident harsher penalties for organized retail crime, set to be introduced by Ottawa next week, will bring “real consequences” for thieves.

Matt Wiebe joined his provincial and territorial counterparts Friday in Kananaskis, Alta., to discuss the upcoming changes to the Criminal Code with federal Justice Minister Sean Fraser.

“The organized retail theft that we’re seeing, where people are stealing things to be resold in the black market, that’s something that we can all agree needs to be dealt with, with real consequences,” Wiebe said from Alberta.

Those consequences need to be “severe” to send a message, a Winnipeg grocer said.

“In my opinion, the punishment needs to be severe, otherwise it’s never gonna stop,” said Food Fare co-owner, Munther Zeid. “What should that be? That’s way above my pay grade.”

Zeid has been outspoken over the years about the rise of shoplifting and organized theft in his stores and said bandits have been caught selling meat that was stolen from the Maryland Street Food Fare in a nearby parking lot.

“What can we do to prevent these guys from stealing? Either kiss their ass and say ‘please don’t steal’… or give them a punishment they’ll never forget,” said Zeid.

Zeid grabs a baseball bat and confronts those he catches stealing. He demands they return the items.

“The organized crime guys, when they know that they can walk in and walk out of your store with no issues, they will continue coming back.”

The crackdown on repeat offenders and organized retail thieves, promised Thursday by Prime Minister Mark Carney, needs to come with a serious deterrent, Zeid said. He pointed to jurisdictions outside Canada where convicted felons are named and shamed with their photos posted for the public to see.

In response to increased robberies and violence, urban Liquor Marts deter thieves by locking their doors and only allowing those with ID in. Zeid said that has affected customers who’ve had to wait in line to enter the provincially owned stores, and eroded Manitobans’ tolerance for retail crime.

“If somebody came into your home, day in, day out, day after day, stealing your stuff, eventually you’re going to get sick of it and you’re going to stand up to it because you can’t handle it anymore,” Zeid said.

“You can claim insurance, but your insurance goes up… That’s costly.”

Manitoba has led the charge for Criminal Code amendments regarding property crimes and tougher bail conditions for repeat offenders, Wiebe said.

“We’re talking about that repeat offender who is, over and over again, being charged and released,” the minister said. “We know that it erodes the confidence in the justice system. So we know that this is something that needs to be addressed.”

In September, a Winnipeg police retail theft initiative involving local businesses and the Retail Council of Canada led to 84 arrests with more than 200 charges and warrants laid and more than $10,000 in property recovered.

The Winnipeg Police Service declined to comment Friday on the federal measures.

The retail council praised Manitoba as a “shining example’ of collaboration among levels of government.

“We have an executive task force in Manitoba and a working group where we have people gathered at a table working on issues and the collaboration,” said executive adviser Rui Rodrigues from Toronto.

“Prolific, repeat offenders are probably the biggest challenge in Winnipeg,” he said, noting organized retail crime groups got help from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“There was the reduction in law enforcement response,” Rodrigues said. “Courts are tied up, police lack resources and the criminals got to understand that retail crime — the perception of it being a victimless crime and a simple property crime — meant the consequences were less.”

Retail crime or retail theft under $5,000 is typically a summary offence, where the accused is released to their own recognizance, he said. “They go back out the same day or next day and reoffend. It’s become an issue. The criminals continue to get more brazen and confident that there are no consequences.”

In a 2018 retail council survey, respondents’ reported retail theft losses of $5 billion. Last year’s survey pegged losses at $9.1 billion.

While retailers “love” that the prime minister called out organized retail theft, they’re waiting to see details of the legislation, he said.

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca