On guard: Business is booming for private security in Manitoba

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This article was published 16/04/2025 (199 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Rajan Varma was fed up with the onslaught of hooded thieves filling up baskets with chips, meat and drinks and walking out of his store, past employees who were powerless to stop them.

“They don’t care and they are very disrespectful. They’re doing right in front of us,” said Varma, owner of Dino’s Grocery Mart on Isabel Street. “They do it as if they own the items.”

So, he hired a security company.

Data shows the number of private security guards licensed by the provincial government has jumped in the last five years.

In the 2024-25 fiscal year, 8,992 licences were issued or renewed, compared to 6,378 in 2019-20.

Last year, Varma decided to take matters into his own hands by hiring private security guards to deter the bandits, after repeated reports to police went unanswered.

Varma said the guards have made a significant difference in the amount of product lifted from his shop.

“We had to do some kind of prevention,” he said. “I don’t want to put my staff at risk. At least I get my product back, and we scare the people. We give them a barring notice, and then that way those people don’t come back.”

Jeff Traeger, president of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 832, said private security used to exist in bars and banks, but the increase in theft and its associated violence has expanded their use in the retail sector.

“Now we see them not just in grocery but we also see them in other retail locations. We see them in malls, we see them in large box stores,” said Traeger, who represents 2,279 guards who work for five security companies.

“It’s a considerable expense and one that makes it even more difficult to do business in our community.”–Loren Remillard, president of the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce

Loren Remillard, president of the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce, said business owners have reported spending more on security guards, cameras and changes to store layout to combat escalating theft and violence.

Varma said he’s spent $40,000 to pay for security guards since last year.

“It’s a considerable expense and one that makes it even more difficult to do business in our community,” Remillard said.

“Many businesses are still going to make this investment, because it may be more costly at the onset, but through deterrence the investment may ultimately prove to be a cost benefit. (They) are saving inventory from walking out the door.”

Varma said the provincial government should reimburse owners of small businesses for the amount they spend on private security guards if it won’t address the root causes of theft and violence.

“They cannot control the crime, and they don’t have enough police force on their hands, so at least they can give us some financial break when we hire security,” he said.

In June 2024, the NDP government unveiled a rebate program worth $300 to each homeowner, renter and small business owner to offset the cost of security equipment.

Funding was initially capped at $500,000, which was claimed within days. In August, the government quadrupled the funding to $2 million which ran out soon after applications were accepted.

The spring budget includes $10 million for a second intake of the rebate program, which hasn’t yet launched.

Justice Minister Matt Wiebe said the government isn’t considering adding security personnel to the eligible rebates and is instead focusing on equipment and repairs, as was requested by business owners during a retail security summit in October 2024.

The province is working to streamline the application process for security guards so businesses can contract their services more easily, Wiebe said.

The Private Investigators and Security Guards Program website shows the province is currently processing new applications received as of Feb. 22.

The government may roll out an enhanced security guard licence, which would equip guards with more power and authority.

“We want to make sure we collaborate with business and we’re doing this right and taking time to do it,” Wiebe said.

Traeger said there’s high turnover in the profession owing to burnout and safety concerns. He said if the province plans to give more authority to security guards, he wants it reinstate a security guard minimum wage and provide better training.

In 2014, the ruling NDP government enacted a plan to raise security guards’ minimum wage from $11 to $13.25 over four years, starting with a 25 cent increase that year, a 50 cent increase in 2015 and 75 cent increases in the final two years.

In 2017, the Tory government of Brian Pallister cancelled the final pay increases and in 2022, it repealed the fixed security guard minimum wage.

“The job is dangerous,” Traeger said. “Their role is simply to observe, report and deter… they’re not trained or equipped to detain somebody or to take somebody down if they’re being violent. The least they can get is adequate training and compensation.”

Wiebe declined to say whether the government is considering an increase to security guard wages.

nicole.buffie@freepress.mb.ca