Retail sales rose for fourth straight month in October 
Statistics Canada says retail sales edged up 0.7 per cent to $39.4 billion in October, the fourth straight monthly increase. Food and beverage, clothing and accessories and general merchandise merchants also reported higher sales for the month. However, sales at furniture and home furnishings stores and electronics and appliance stores were down. October sales rose in six provinces, led by Quebec. (Source canadiangrocer.com)

Boxing Day Canada's Black Friday: 62% of Canadians expect to shop Dec. 26  
A new study says men are more likely than women to hit the stores on this country's biggest shopping day of the year — Boxing Day. Alberta, Atlantic Canada and Ontario were expected to see the most spending activity on Boxing Day — 76, 72 and 69 per cent respectively. "Boxing Day is treated by many as a shopping holiday in Canada and is as big as Black Friday in the U.S.." (Source edmontonjournal.com)

Three arrested and five being sought in $30M Maple Syrup heist in Quebec 
The theft happened between July 2011 and August 2012. Two-thirds of the 10 million pounds of maple syrup was recovered. Police said Tuesday that they had seized vehicles that were used to transport the stolen sticky stuff as well as carts, lifts, scales and kettles. They said their investigation of the thefts covered the provinces of Quebec, New Brunswick and Ontario as well as the northern United States. Almost 300 people were interviewed as part of the investigation, police said. As much as 80% of the world's maple syrup comes from Quebec, the federation says. (Source wptv.com)

In $18 Million Theft, Victim Was a Canadian Maple Syrup Cartel 
It was an inside job of sorts. Thieves with access to a warehouse and a careful plan loaded up trucks and, over time, made off with $18 million of a valuable commodity. The question is what was more unusual: that the commodity in question was maple syrup, or that it came from something called the global strategic maple syrup reserve, run by what amounts to a Canadian cartel. Both the size and the international scope of the theft underscore Quebec’s outsize position in the maple syrup industry. Depending on the year, the province can produce more than three-quarters of the world’s supply. And its marketing organization appears to have taken some tips from the producers of another valuable liquid commodity when it comes to exploiting market dominance. It's like OPEC with the ability to adjust the quantity and price. (Source nytimes.com)

Saskatoon Armed Robbery of a video store has police searching for the suspect. The man entered the Video Store, picked up a few items then pulled a gun on the cashier demanding all the money in the register. Police have video and a good description to go on, the investigation continues. (Source globalsaskatoon.com)