North Battleford business owners raise security concerns over vandalism, theft

“I own the house next door to the salon, and my renter was texting me, and she’s like, ‘Hey, the cops have your building surrounded…they’re calling somebody out…they’re in handcuffs.’”

Security footage showed a woman smashing a back window to enter the building. After discovering the interior doors were locked, the woman left, smashed a second window and crawled inside. Lavigne said the woman cut herself on the broken glass, leaving blood throughout the staff room and office.

The footage also showed the woman going to the refrigerator, taking juice boxes and frozen strawberries and placing them near the back door.

“I have a liquor licence. Like, there’s wine, there’s beer, there’s hard alcohol. She chose the juice boxes?”

When RCMP arrived, Lavigne said the woman was in her office going through cheques and rummaging through drawers. She was arrested inside the business.

“I am absolutely disgusted at the city mayor and council and how they’re avoiding talking about the drug and homeless person issue,” she said. “I’ve got one year left on my loan for this place, then I’m out, I’m done. This is ridiculous. It’s costing me more to stay here than it would if I build a new building and pay less.”

Lavigne isn’t the only North Battleford business owner concerned about theft and security.

“I don’t have signs on my shop… I’m scared of people knowing that I’m an electrical business because electrical means copper and tools,” said Garron Horn, owner of Big Horn Electric. “We just moved into a new fairly big shop, and I would like to have a storefront, but at the same time, I don’t want anyone knowing that I exist just for that reason.”

Horn said his concerns grew after an employee discovered about $10,000 worth of equipment missing from a secured job box at a worksite. The employee arrived at the job last Thursday with the large metal box, which was secured with specialized locks and chains. On Monday morning, the employee called Horn to report the missing equipment.

“ I thought he was playing a prank on me. I went there and our box was just empty.”

Horn said this was the first time his equipment had been stolen, but he worries that advertising his business could make it a target.

For both business owners, the incidents have created difficult decisions about how to protect their livelihoods moving forward.

North Battleford city officials said they are unable to comment on active RCMP investigations.

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Alyssa.Rudolph@pattisonmedia.com

by Alyssa Rudolph

North Battleford business owners raise security concerns over vandalism, theft

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