Ontario Premier Doug Ford said he personally intervened to stop a shoplifter at a Home Depot this summer and threatened to beat him if he didn’t hand over the stolen goods.
Ford relayed the incident to an audience of more than 1,000 people at an Oct. 14 Empire Club of Canada luncheon at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.
The premier said he ditched his police detail to make an early morning trip to Home Depot to purchase plants in preparation for Prime Minister Mark Carney’s July 21 visit at Ford’s Muskoka cottage, ahead of the 2025 first ministers meeting in Huntsville from July 21 to 23.
Ford chose and paid for his plants at the garden centre and was getting ready to drive off when he saw a man walk out of the store with two backpacks, trailed by security guards and the store manager.
“The store manager’s yelling at him, ‘Come back, come back,’” he told host Ben Mulroney during their fireside chat. “And the security guard is there, and I said, ‘Well, go get him.”
The security guards told the premier they weren’t allowed to apprehend the man, so Ford said he decided to take matters into his own hands. He jumped in his truck and took off after the alleged shoplifter.
“So by this time, my heart’s beating, I’m ticked off,” Ford said. “I jump out of the car and I said, ‘Buddy, what’s in your bag?’”
The man denied having any stolen items and Ford replied, “Buddy, I’m going to kick your [expletive] all over the parking lot. Show me what’s in your bag.”
By this time the Home Depot store manager had also arrived at the scene and both of them yelled at the man until he agreed to open his bag. Ford said the man then pulled out a saw blade that the store manager said was stolen.
“By this time… I’m just in a full outrage on this guy,” Ford said. “I went on to tell him, if I ever see him in the parking lot, he’s gonna get a beating like he’s never got before.”
Toronto police said they have no record of the alleged shoplifting incident and Home Depot did not respond to a request for comment about whether the incident was reported to police.
Ford cited the incident to illustrate the need for a tougher stance on crime in Canada. He said bail needs to be strengthened because criminals have become emboldened.
Ongoing Call for Reform
The premier has been calling on the federal government for more than a year to take action on reforming the current bail system, and has asked for more substantial prison terms for repeat offenders.Ford has also advocated for citizens who defend themselves against criminals in protecting their property and families.
He has previously expressed support for a Lindsay, Ont., man who was charged this summer with aggravated assault after allegedly confronting and severely injuring an intruder who police say had broken into his home during the night.
He also voiced support for a Vaughan homeowner who was charged in June for firing a gun in the air to thwart an attempt by thieves to steal his Lamborghini from his driveway.
Ontario’s solicitor general and attorney general sent a joint letter in September asking federal Justice Minister Sean Fraser and Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree to reform Canada’s federal bail and sentencing laws.
Fraser said last month that the federal government plans to table bail and sentencing reform legislation in the House of Commons this month to make good on election promises.
Carney said during his election campaign that his government would implement a “reverse onus” system to make it more difficult for those charged with serious crimes to receive bail.
He also pledged to toughen sentencing guidelines for violent car theft and organized crime-related offences as well as a focus on “denunciation and deterrence” for repeat offenders.
Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives submitted proposed legislation in September known as the “Jail Not Bail Act” to make it more difficult for those accused of serious crimes to receive bail.
The Liberal government and opposition parties voted down the Conservatives’ Oct. 6 opposition day motion urging the rapid passage of Bill C-242 in a 196-142 vote. No headway has been made on the bill since its rapid passage failed.
The legislation passed first reading in the House of Commons on Sept. 22 but second reading for the legislation has yet to be scheduled. A bill must pass three readings and be approved by the Senate before receiving royal assent to become law.
Poilievre said the legislation introduces a new major offences category that requires those accused of charges like sexual assault, kidnapping, human trafficking, home invasion, robbery, arson, and firearms crimes to “prove that it is safe to release them on bail.”
The Canadian Press contributed to this article.
