Saskatoon business sparks controversy with TikTok video showing attempted theft
CBC
A 26-second TikTok video has ignited a larger conversation about vulnerable populations, theft and content creation.
The video, posted earlier this month by Saskatoon vintage clothing store Seven Sundays, showed a person wrapped in a blanket, apparently trying to steal a pair of socks. A store employee repeatedly asks the person to return the item and says police are on the way.
Labelled "POV you're an empath that works retail downtown," the post got more than 200,000 views. The video, and a followup post on Instagram, drew a flood of critical comments.
Many questioned the decision to post the video, calling it dehumanizing and accusing the business of exploiting a vulnerable person for clicks. They also criticized its tone. The video included sound effects, music and a counter showing how many times the employee said "please" and "thank you."
One of the most-liked comments observed that "not everything is content."
Sam Murphy, a co-owner of Seven Sundays, said he was "completely shocked" by the backlash.
"If we knew this was going to happen, we obviously wouldn't have made the post," he said.
Some comments offered support for the employee and said the situation was handled well. Others wrote about the difficulties of owning a business or visiting downtown, where social issues like homelessness and addiction are highly visible.
Murphy said the video shows what downtown businesses regularly deal with in Saskatoon.
"This is our reality and trying to pretend this is not our reality is not helping us. It's not helping our customers. It's not helping these unhoused individuals downtown who are struggling," he said.
Kate Young said the tone of the video — how it was edited and "used as a method for entertainment" — was harmful.
Young is the president of the Saskatoon campus student association at the First Nations University of Saskatchewan, and is studying in the Indigenous social work program.
"I saw my kookum; I saw my auntie; I saw my relatives [in the video], that didn't deserve to be highlighted in their worst moment," Young said.
Young said she wanted to see the online conversations about the video translate into real action. That’s why she and a few other students met with Murphy in person. She said she saw it as a starting point.
While many Albertans continue to feel the pinch at the pump, Premier Danielle Smith says the government is not considering any fuel tax breaks, as it does not believe it will make much of a difference.
WARNING: This story contains disturbing details about gruesome deaths and sexual abuse.
Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS) says they will take part in the federal government's buyback program for assault-style rifles this year, but a local member of parliament says she "can't get behind this decision."
The use of American contracts and services is down by nearly half on Prince Edward Island following tariffs and shaky trade relations under the Donald Trump administration.
The first set of deadlines included in the energy and climate deal struck between Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith are not expected to be met, showing early challenges with the agreement that includes pursuing a new export pipeline from Alberta to the West Coast.
Mayoral-hopeful Coun. Brad Bradford is calling for a host of safety measures across Toronto’s subway system, including a specific focus on platform edge doors, with a motion before city council this week.
When the one-star reviews first began to appear on his restaurant's Google page, owner Damon Ataei swung into action, trying to contact each reviewer.
The Mounties called it the "Native extremism program." Today, it sounds like a spy novel.
A judge is expected to rule in June on a proposed settlement for a class-action lawsuit involving a crash landing of an Air Canada flight in Halifax more than a decade ago.
An inmate who was on the loose after escaping a jail in Shediac has been caught, New Brunswick RCMP said in a press release late Monday afternoon.
Premier Wab Kinew draped the Manitoba flag over an empty seat as politicians from across the aisle said goodbye to one of their own in an emotional tribute at the legislature on Monday.
Saskatoon police have identified the driver of a vehicle that struck a railway overpass above Circle Drive on Sunday — the third such collision in the city this month.
People who live near Lac Pelletier say effluent from a nearby cattle feedlot has spilled off the site and into a ditch that feeds into the lake downstream.