Canada is getting tougher on employees engaged in workplace violence with Bill 168  An arbitrator concluded that Bill 168 changes the law with respect to termination of an employee for workplace violence. n Kingston (City) v. Canadian Union of Public Employees, Local 109 the arbitrator had to decide if an employee should be terminated after uttering a death threat. The arbitrator dismissed the grievance and thus the employee was properly terminated for workplace violence. Bill 168 amended the Occupational Health and Safety Act to include workplace harassment and workplace violence. The arbitrator stated Bill 168 “changed the law of the workplace in a significant way”. An employer must protect a worker from a hazardous person in the workplace. There does not have to be an immediate ability to do physical harm or an intention to do harm. (Source weilers.ca)

Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, shoplifters face new united front because thieves increasingly organized  Police and retailers around Charlottetown are opening up new lines of communication to battle shoplifting in the city. Police and business owners across the city are holding monthly meetings and will soon be sharing tips and experiences online. Police say the tactics used by shoplifters are growing increasingly sophisticated. They gather in gangs, work their way through the box stores at the top of University Avenue, and then they might head downtown to target stores there. To work against the new tactics, the lines of communication are now opening up. Loss prevention officers from businesses around the city get together with police on a monthly basis to compare notes. Charlottetown Police are preparing a web page for the private security officers to log into and share information about what's been happening in their stores. (Source cbc.ca)

Barrie Police officer faces charges for beating a suspect for breaking a mall Christmas ornament at the Bayfield Mall. The man was with his girlfriend and another couple and just finished bowling as they walked through the mall to their car. Jason Stern reached up and knocked down a mall Christmas ornament which smashed to the ground. Stern forgot his wallet and returned in the mall entrance where he was greeted by two mall security officers and was told to wait for police. Stern complied, and then a Barrie City Police officer showed up on scene and the situation got out of control. (Source thebarrieexaminer.com)

Walmart to pump $453 million into upgrading Canadian stores. 
Walmart Stores Inc. said its division north of the border would spend 450 million Canadian dollars, or $453.4 million, in the coming fiscal year to build new outlets and upgrade existing stores. Walmart has 379 stores in Canada and will complete 37 new stores by January 2014. Target has plans to open 125 stores in Canada this year. (Source bloomberg.com)

Pricey Chinese herbs a target of thieves; RCMP working with store owners to solve the case.  Some Chinese herbs that are being stolen are worth as much as gold per once, each store burglary or robbery has cost the shop owners between $30,000 and $130,000. Items such as bird nests, dried abalone, Korean ginseng and sea cucumber are the target of thieves who have broken into local stores in Richmond, removing the merchandise and getting away very quickly. RCMP met with 30-40 store owners to discuss the problem in Richmond and the surrounding areas; nine break-ins occurred in the last six months. (Source richondreview.com)

Canada Post employee charged with the theft of $30,000 in merchandise.  42-year-old Almario Torres is facing a charge of mail theft over $5,000 after CPS and Canada Post investigators conducted an investigation into missing items sent through Canada Post late last year. Initially, Canada Post contacted CPS after reports of several mail items that were supposed to be returned to the original senders had been stolen. Police allege that the thefts involved phones that had been sent to the manufacturer. (Source huffingtonpost.ca)

'All in the Family" ORC? - Ottawa grandmother and grandson busted hitting stores  Frickey and Vanname are accused of stealing Blu-ray DVDs, X-Box games, CDs and other items Jan. 12 from Target. Frickey also is accused of stealing merchandise the next day from Hobby Lobby and Sears, also both in Peru. Peru police impounded Frickey's 2006 Buick LaCrosse, saying she used the car to go to Target with the intent of stealing. (Source mywebtimes.com)

Target's boldest project in its 50-year history - becoming a global retail force and opening the first of its 124 stores in Canada in March Target's international ambition has less to do with bragging rights than basic survival. Not only is Target running out of room to grow, but recession-worn American consumers haven't been as eager to open their wallets, much to the benefit of low-priced competitors like Walmart and Amazon. Over the past five fiscal years, Target has averaged less-than-impressive annual sales growth of 2.7 percent. With Canada, the company projects annual revenue growth of over 4.5 percent in 2013 and 2014. (Source detroitnews.com)