Canadian Tire staff falsely imprisoned but didn't threaten professor: judge
A judge has ruled that a University of Toronto professor was falsely imprisoned at a Canadian Tire, but rejected claims that staff had threatened him and caused him to injure himself after leaving the store.

Steve Mann, a pioneer in wearable computer technology, filed a suit against the Canadian Tire Corporation and a single Canadian Tire location over a series of events that took place at the store in downtown Toronto on July 16, 2014.

Mann claimed that, when security sensors went off as he exited the store, staff stopped him from leaving, threatened to harm or kill him and demanded that he delete a video he was taking on his phone, show them his ID and give them his phone number.

In a decision issued Aug. 3, Judge Suhail Akhtar said security camera footage and video of the events taken by Mann himself showed that he was never threatened by staff.

Calling Mann's account "vastly exaggerated," Akhtar said he found the Canadian Tire staff to have acted with courtesy and professionalism throughout their interaction with Mann.

"If anything," said Akhtar, "The greatest sense of intimidation and threat, as demonstrated by the store security video, emanated from the plaintiff and his conspicuous use of the camera phone, causing obvious concern to the staff."

The judge found, however, that an exchange captured by Mann's phone in which an employee tells him he can't leave until a store manager deletes his video, constitutes false imprisonment.

Akhtar said it fell under "shopkeeper's privilege" to stop a customer who has set off a security alarm, but that if store staff detain the customer even after it's found nothing was stolen, they are liable for false imprisonment.

The judge added, though, that the 13-minute detention was "not particularly onerous," and that it was unclear whether Mann even felt compelled to stay.

Mann was later able to recover his deleted footage.

Akhtar invited Mann and the Canadian Tire to make submissions within 30 days to help determine what damages should be awarded. ctvnews.ca

Gov't to hear from Manitobans about expanding Sunday shopping hours
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business says a 2012 survey indicates its members are split evenly in terms of support.

For some business owners, an expansion of retail shopping hours doesn't translate to an increase in revenue. It just means the revenue is spread out over more hours and leads to additional expense, particularly in terms of staffing. This puts more pressure on a store owner to work longer hours as well, instead of hiring additional staff, potentially leading to burn-out.

For other businesses, however, expanding Sunday hours means more money in the cash registers, as shoppers head to the mall with more time on their hands - particularly on impulse items such as clothing and shoes.

The province and the business community need to get this right before making changes to legislation small-business owners can't afford and they need to pay careful attention to the small, independent business owner who may not represent the majority but does represent an important part of Canada's economy. winnipegfreepress.com

Canadian consumers are ready for their e-commerce disruption
For years Canada's e-retail has been e-missing
Despite a growing appetite for it, Canada's independent retailers remained noticeably absent from the world of e-commerce. Research from Canada Post last year showed 76 per cent of Canadians reported shopping online in 2014, and yet in 2013 - the most recent data from Statistics Canada - just 13 per cent of businesses were selling online. Online shopping was dominated by large retailers, many of which were based in the United States.

And yet, despite discussions around e-commerce as critical to retailers' success, few are taking action. We have seen many Canadian businesses fail at e-commerce.

E-tailing in Canada can be gruelling, frustrating and expensive. But it can work, with the right approach and focus on the experience for Canadians.

The current dearth of Canadian e-commerce is a lose-lose situation for all. As more Canadians flock online to shop, they will easily find comfort in and affinity with big, foreign-owned companies that already have an established online presence. Unless, of course, the nation's retailers are willing to take a chance on self-disruption. theglobeandmail.com

Canada Post talks stall as strike mandate set to expire

lululemon to double sales to U.S. $4B by 2020

Back-to-school spending expected to jump 4.5% in 2016

Roots to open 14 stores

Devonshire Mall gets $70M makeover