Desperate crimes call for desperate measures Sick and tired of theft, Winnipeg businesses consider IDing customers, making diners pre-pay By: Chris Kitching Posted: 5:42 PM CDT Thursday, Mar. 12, 2026

Fed up with shoplifting or dine and dashes, the owners of two Winnipeg businesses are considering asking customers to show identification when they enter, among other extra security measures.

Cathy Landry, who owns the Shiny Company Wpg in Portage Place’s east skywalk, said she started giving it some thought after a man, who claimed he was buying a gift for his girlfriend, stole two necklaces Wednesday.

“If I would have had his ID, he wouldn’t have run out of here. I’m just trying to figure out the best way to deal with this,” Landry said.

It’s a balancing act because she doesn’t want to deter potential customers while trying to protect her business from crime.

Landry reported the theft to police and posted surveillance camera images on social media to create awareness about the incident. She installed two cameras last week.

For about two years, Landry has kept her store’s sliding door partially closed against a table to help her screen visitors. Wednesday’s theft happened after she put two necklaces, worth $50, in a gift bag for the man, who then asked to look at rings.

“When I turned my back for a second (to retrieve a display tray), he just grabbed the two necklaces I had packaged nicely for him, and opened the door and ran,” Landry said Thursday.

She has suffered other thefts in the 16 years her business has been downtown. She said crime has become worse in the area, and she feels there is a lack of consequences if and when thieves are convicted, leaving her frustrated.

“The whole time I’ve been downtown, I’ve been waiting for it to get better.”

“The whole time I’ve been downtown, I’ve been waiting for it to get better,” Landry said. “I don’t know what the solution is. It’s very hard. I don’t want to leave downtown, but I’m not sure if I can take much more.”

Winnipeg police foot patrol officers walked by while she spoke to the Free Press. She said Portage Place management sent a notice last week informing tenants that security was increased.

Don Mackenzie, who co-owns Jeffrey’s Restaurant and Lounge, at 1420 Henderson Hwy., said he was looking for solutions after two customers left without paying a nearly $170 bill Saturday.

Mackenzie and his business partner are considering whether to start asking customers to pay when they order, or to install a machine that scans driver’s licences and other forms of identification at the door, similar to what is already used in the controlled entrances at Liquor Marts, and in some bars or lounges.

Neither is a step Mackenzie wants to take, but he’s prepared to go further to prevent crime-related losses during tough economic times.

“We’ve got to come up with something. We’re not sure what yet,” said Mackenzie, who also co-owns Johnny’s Maples Pizza at 670 Sheppard St.

“Do we pull a McDonald’s or A&W and say, ‘OK, what would you like,’ and then make everyone pay first? We’ve got some solid regulars and we’re not going to make them, but then how do you pick and choose?”

Mackenzie doesn’t want to deter new and returning customers from visiting.

Jeffrey’s usually employs security staff on Fridays and Saturdays. The restaurant occasionally posts surveillance camera images on social media to try to identify alleged dine-and-dashers.

“We just eat the cost. If you add them up at the end of the year, it’s in the thousands.”

“We just eat the cost. If you add them up at the end of the year, it’s in the thousands, on top of higher food costs, higher labour costs, and people might not be going out as much in these times,” Mackenzie said.

Mackenzie said the restaurant is offering more promotions, including drink specials and wing and steak nights, to attract customers amid the current economic climate.

Some Manitoba businesses and industry groups reported increases in thefts, property crimes or violence in recent years.

Their concerns led to increased enforcement by police — with a particular focus on repeat offenders — and business security rebates from the Manitoba government.

Shaun Jeffrey, executive director and CEO of the Manitoba Restaurant and Foodservices Association, said people in the industry regularly talk about how to combat crime, including an increase in dine and dashes.

“We’re continuously trying to work on ways to make our business less susceptible to these problems, but not taking out the hospitality factor,” he said.

The association has advocated for changes to the criminal justice system to address repeat offending.

“The catch-and-release situation that we have here in Manitoba, especially, is just not conducive to holding people accountable for these actions,” Jeffrey said.

A recent Canadian Federation of Independent Business survey found that crime and safety were a top concern for 58 per cent of its Manitoba members, the highest among all provinces.

“Small businesses are dealing with their fair share of problems when it comes to all the economic uncertainty,” said Tyler Slobogian, a Winnipeg-based senior policy analyst with CFIB.

“Crime has been a huge impact for those members we’ve chatted with recently, and it doesn’t seem to be slowing down.”

Some retailers keep their doors locked during business hours to control who enters, he noted.

Slobogian said many CFIB members want harsher penalties for people convicted of organized retail crime or violent retail theft.

Some business owners have spent thousands of dollars on security systems, while upgrades are cost-prohibitive for others, Jeffrey said.

Mackenzie said cameras were recently installed at Johnny’s Maples Pizza. His business partner applied for the provincial rebate to help cover the cost.

A $10-million fund launched in December.

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Businesses are eligible for up to $2,500 per location to offset the cost of new security equipment or property damage repairs on or after Aug. 23, 2024.

A provincial spokesperson said 967 businesses have received the rebate as of March 6, with almost $1.8 million dispersed.

Justice Minister Matt Wiebe said the government also funded additional front-line police officers and created a retail theft initiative.

”When we created our business security rebate program, we partnered with businesses to tailor the program to address the needs of Manitoban businesses, and it shows in the uptake where in three short months,” he said in a statement.

chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca

Chris Kitching
Reporter

Chris Kitching is a general assignment reporter at the Free Press. He began his newspaper career in 2001, with stops in Winnipeg, Toronto and London, England, along the way. After returning to Winnipeg, he joined the Free Press in 2021, and now covers a little bit of everything for the newspaper. Read more about Chris.

Every piece of reporting Chris produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.