Rampant retail theft across Winnipeg is threatening to take away the city’s longtime designation as The Slurpee Capital of the World.
City councillors Vivian Santos and Ross Eadie said Wednesday they learned 7-Eleven is considering shutting the doors at as many as 10 of its 21 Winnipeg convenience stores.
Santos (Point Douglas) and Eadie (Mynarski) met with company representatives seeking help to combat a surge in theft in an effort to avoid the closures.
Santos said many recent thefts took place in broad daylight, with some suspects filling entire shopping bags with products before walking out of stores without paying.
“Packs of 10 people come in and they just raid the entire store,” she said.
Loren Remillard, president of the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce, said theft concerns aren’t limited to 7-Eleven.
“Crime is the No. 1 issue our members are facing,” Remillard said, adding that shoplifting was once viewed as a “victimless crime,” but that’s not the case.
“You have employees, especially in instances of violent encounters, who are traumatized.”
“You have employees, especially in instances of violent encounters, who are traumatized.”–Loren Remillard
In addition to direct losses from theft, crime can trigger a drop in paying customers’ visits, deepening the economic fallout, he said.
Remillard urged governments to help deter crime through consequences.
“We need to… fix a system that has non-existent consequences for crimes against business. That is the biggest issue we hear from our members time and time again,” he said.
“We need to… fix a system that has non-existent consequences for crimes against business. That is the biggest issue we hear from our members time and time again.”–Loren Remillard
Remillard said multiple small businesses have reported seeing offenders return to steal again just “a couple days” after a previous theft.
“If we don’t respond as a community… 7-Eleven’s story will be the start of a number of different stories with the same ending,” he added.
The locations at risk of closure include 119 Salter St., 665 McPhillips St., 120 Keewatin St., 891 Arlington St., 1485 Inkster Blvd., 815 Ellice Ave., 456 Talbot Ave., 1184 Portage Ave., 1895 Wellington Ave. and 909 Lorette Ave., Santos said.
The company did not respond to a Free Press request for comment Wednesday.
The North End closures would heighten food insecurity for many residents, she said.
“We rely on these… corner stores to provide the bread and milk,” she said.
Mallory Amond, who regularly visits the 7-Eleven store at 119 Salter St., said theft is so common she’s not surprised to hear that it could close.
One customer stepped in to prevent a theft while Amond was in the store Wednesday.
“It happens every single day,” she said, echoing Santos’s concerns about losing one of a shrinking number of places to buy food in the area.
Harvey Veaumont, who lives near the Salter location, said theft is a regular occurrence and the thieves are fearless.
“They don’t even run away, they walk away,” he said. “No rush.”
And he figures if 7-Eleven leaves the area, other businesses will follow.
Eadie issued a plea to the people committing the crimes.
“People, you’ve just got to stop doing it,” he said. “You have to have some respect. You won’t be able to buy bread and milk for your kids, go and buy the things that you need because they’re all going to shut down.”
A 7-Eleven representative told the councillors one store recently experienced $300,000 of theft in a short period, with people removing “whole shelves of goods” at one time, Eadie said.
“They can’t continue to lose that kind of money,” he said.
Santos said she hopes a Winnipeg Police Service initiative targeting retail theft and violent crime in the West End, Osborne Village and the Exchange District can improve the situation at some locations.
The program relies on officers working overtime who are providing a more visible police presence.
Santos said long-term solutions are also desperately needed to address how poverty, mental-health struggles and addiction factor into theft.
She said one option discussed with the company’s representatives was locking some 7-Eleven entrances and letting in a limited number of patrons at a time.
In an email, WPS Supt of Investigations Cam Mackid noted multiple efforts are underway to address violent crime and retail theft.
“The WPS has been working closely with the retail community to address these complex issues,” Mackid said.
Manitoba Justice Minister Matt Wiebe pointed to the retail theft initiative in response to questions about threatened store closures.
MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS files
Manitoba Justice Minister Matt Wiebe: We’re eager to work with any retailers that want to work with us, because ultimately they want to stay in a vibrant community.
“These are real investments working with law enforcement to ensure that we’re… getting cops on the street,” said Wiebe.
He said he thinks the community policing aspect of the initiative — police building relationships with businesses and community members — is its most important part.
“We’re eager to work with any retailers that want to work with us, because ultimately they want to stay in a vibrant community,” he said. “That’s going to help their business, but, ultimately, it’s going to help all of us.”
Wiebe said “all options are on the table” regarding expanding the retail theft initiative.
— With files from Erik Pindera
joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca
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Joyanne Pursaga
Reporter
Joyanne is city hall reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. A reporter since 2004, she began covering politics exclusively in 2012, writing on city hall and the Manitoba Legislature for the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in early 2020. Read more about Joyanne.
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