Private Security firms in Canada are welcoming new citizen's arrest law that's being considered in the House of Commons but wants more powers and the police are Private security firms  -  Private security guards outnumber police in Canada 2 to 1 and with the financial crisis of 2008 has decreased the number of police throughout the provinces. The Conservative legislation expands and simplifies the concept of reasonable force for protecting oneself and one's property, and gives private citizens — including their paid security — more latitude to grab a suspect after witnessing a crime. Ross McLeod, president of the Association of Professional Security Agencies, testified at the House of Commons justice committee and he'd like to see the proposed legal changes go even further, and give security guards the power to lay minor charges for crimes such as public disorder and shoplifting. But Tom Stamatakis, president of the Canadian Police Association, warned MPs against any Criminal Code changes that give private security greater power. Stamatakis said he's sympathetic to businesses that suffer shoplifting, but "we must take care not to go too far in the pursuit of protecting property." "We should also take care that any changes made within this legislation do not have the unintended consequence of broadening the current mandate of private security — particularly with respect to loss-prevention in commercial settings," said the Vancouver constable. (Source winnipegfreepress.com)

Canadians pay typically 20% more for goods than Americans Because of two reasons - Many Canadian retailers just aren't as efficient as American retailers and Canadian retailers pay more to their employees because of higher minimum wage requirements (a fact lots of consumers don't realize when they complain about the prices). Additionally Canadian retailers operate with a higher profit margins which is driven by the fact that American retailers have 10 times the customer base so they can afford to earn less and make it up in volume. But it’s competition that most drives the difference between Canadian and U.S. shopping experiences. In a recent government hearing Senators were told that the top four sellers in Canada account for 28% of all sales, as opposed to 12% south of the border. Interestingly enough Canadians in a recent survey ranked the Apple Store as the country's favorite retailer. Three most shopped retailers in Canada — Wal-Mart, Canadian Tire and Shoppers Drug Mart. (Source chroniclejournal.com)

Hudson Bay Co. is closing all 141 Fields stores throughout Canada. Fields is a value-priced merchandise store including apparel, home, grocery, health and beauty. The closure will allow Hudson Bay to focus on growing their other banners - the Bay, Home Outfitters, and Lord & Taylor. With Bed Bath & Beyond opening stores up there Hudson Bay's Home Outfitters will feel the pressure. (Source vancoversun.com)

Cabela's opening their Winnipeg store with more stores coming. With a 345,000-sq.-ft. warehouse and Canadian headquarters in Winnipeg as well and another store opening this spring in Saskatoon they'll then have four stores in Canada. These large stores have 150 employees and they're building more stores in Canada as well. (Source winnipegfreepress.com)

Canada's copyright bill currently in the House of Commons is being influenced by the same lobby groups that promoted SOPA in the States and there's lots of opposition. For example, the music industry has asked the government to insert language similar to that found in SOPA on blocking access to websites, demanding new provisions that would "permit a court to make an order blocking a pirate site such as The Pirate Bay to protect the Canadian marketplace from foreign pirate sites." Section 102 of SOPA also envisioned the blocking of websites. Last week their House Leader indicated the government hopes to pass Bill C-11 within the next two months. Should the government follow through on lobbyist demands, it would leave Bill C-11 virtually unrecognizable with restrictive digital lock rules, SOPA-style site blocking, and severely limited consumer exceptions. Canada has long been viewed as one of the primary locations in the world for websites that facilitate and assist with illegal downloading and they've been under pressure to do something about it but this over reaction may have an impact that ripples into the states long term. (Source thestar.com)

Canada's job growth is slowing down and unemployment is up to 7.6%- two bad signs for their economy. This will "dampen" consumer spending in the short term. They watch the U.S. numbers very closely and are tied to our economy tightly with all the manufacturers up there producing the goods for the U.S. (Source theglobeandmail.com)