Break and enters continue to be a problem for small businesses in Chatham.
Smith Cycle is the latest to be victimized. It had a mountain bike stolen from its location this past weekend. The business has actually been hit twice in the past two weeks, as it had an electric bike stolen just after Thanksgiving.
In total, Smith Cycle lost around $4,200 in products and was left with a bill expected to be around $1,000 for all the damage caused.
"Everybody's hands are tied, we can't act on it. I can't camp here and try and be a vigilante... we'd be the ones in trouble," said Matt Ytsma, the owner of Smith Cycle.
According to CK Police, there were 283 break and enters at businesses in 2023. This is up from 263 recorded in 2022. The current numbers for 2024 haven't been publicly released at this time.
One business has contributed to these numbers quite a bit. Craves Poutinerie has been broken into nine times in the past several years. The cost to fix the damage each time was around $1,000.
"I leave my (cash) drawer open so they can see from the side window that there's nothing in there," said George Psimarnos, Craves Poutinerie's owner.
He and Ytsma both believe CK police are doing everything they can to arrest the people breaking in. Their issue stems with the country's bail system as many break-ins are reportedly happening by repeat offenders. This was confirmed by CK police in previous annual policing reports.
"[The perpetrators] go in, do their paperwork, and they come back out and are doing it again," added Psimarnos.
Recently, the Ontario government announced it was calling on the federal government to amend the Criminal Code by introducing changes that would tighten bail legislation.
They specifically want to remove bail options for people accused of serious crimes, including robbery.
"There's no consequences anymore. They used to say if you do the crime you do the time," explained Ytsma, who shared his support for the Ontario government's request.
Ontario isn't alone as all other provinces and territories have also expressed interest in bail reform.
