Ottawa restaurant targeted by thieves four times in four weeks
A Centretown restaurant that has been targeted by thieves four times in the past few weeks is challenging big businesses to support "the little guys" during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The owner of Grounded Kitchen, Coffee & Bar on Gloucester Street says the business has been broken into four times since just before Christmas. The first break-in happened on Dec. 22, and there have been three other break-ins since.
Grounded Kitchen says each time, the suspect smashed doors and/or windows to enter and steal alcohol.
In an interview on CTV Morning Live, owner Amir Rahim said the community has shown "what heroes they are" by supporting small businesses, and now it's time for big businesses to step up.
"My challenge out there is to big business, is to people who can spend two, three, four, five-thousand dollars on orders and pay small businesses rent for a month," Rahim said Friday morning.
"They can order stuff, not just from us but Brown Loaf Bakery, from other small businesses and take that order and get something for a shelter, get something for the at-risk community. The person who broke into here had no support."
Rahim says while he has access to support from family members and governments during the pandemic, "this person had nothing close to that. They were desperate; they broke in a few different times."
"The Centretown area is so quiet right now, it's so dead. I think if we could help the churches, the shelters, places like that by feeding some of the people, by giving them warmth and by having big businesses step up to the plate I'd like to see that."
Rahim noted the community has also supported the owner Brown Loaf Bakery on Elgin Street after the bakery was robbed twice last week.
The break-ins at Grounded Kitchen, Coffee & Bar comes as Ontario is in a modified Stage 2, closing dining rooms for indoor dining due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"We're doing OK all in all. Lots of support from a lot of great customers. We've been here for 12 years now, we have a super loyal following," Rahim said.
He admits to feeling a "little defeated" after the break and enters.
"There's just been so many things going on so this was really just this Big Mac layer of things that was happening. I think there was enough things to feel defeated and when this kind of happened it was just that, 'Wow, what's happening kind of thing.'"
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A step forward': New screening criteria for sperm donors takes effect
Canadians looking to grow their families with the assistance of sperm or egg donations should soon have more options for donors as the federal health agency does away with longstanding restrictions criticized as discriminatory.
What is whooping cough and should Canadians be concerned as Europe declares outbreak?
There is currently a whooping cough epidemic in Europe, with 10 times as many cases compared to the previous two years. While an outbreak has not been declared nationwide in Canada, whooping cough is regularly detected in the country.
Ontario Provincial Police arrest 64 suspects in child sexual exploitation investigation
Ontario Provincial Police say 64 suspects are facing a combined 348 charges in connection with a series of child sexual exploitation investigations that spanned the province.
Ippei Mizuhara, ex-interpreter for baseball star Shohei Ohtani, pleads guilty in sports betting case
The former interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani pleaded guilty to bank and tax fraud Wednesday in a sports betting case where prosecutors allege he stole US$16 million from the Japanese baseball player to pay off debts.
Steve Albini, legendary producer for Nirvana, the Pixies and an alternative rock pioneer, dies at 61
Steve Albini, an alternative rock pioneer and legendary producer who shaped the musical landscape through his work with Nirvana, the Pixies, PJ Harvey and more, has died. He was 61.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his head more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.
Watch fighter jet pilots pummel fake enemy ship off coast of Philippines
The United States and Philippines held annual joint-training drills just off the Southeast Asian nation’s western coast on Wednesday. Military forces sunk a 'mock' enemy warship – the BRP Lake Caliraya, which was a decommissioned tanker made in China.
'Summer of discontent': Federal unions vow to fight new 3-day a week office mandate
Federal unions are launching legal challenges and encouraging public sector workers to file "tens of thousands" of grievances over the new mandate requiring federal workers to return to the office at least three days a week in the fall.