Kim Furlong, President and CEO of Retail Council of Canada, returns for Part 2 of our conversation recorded live in her office in Toronto. Kim explains how RCC helped change federal law to target repeat retail offenders, why $9 billion in annual losses demands dedicated police and Crown resources, and how stolen goods move through export rings and online platforms. She also covers tariffs, closing the de minimis loophole for Shein and Temu, RCC’s stance on AI and against surveillance pricing, and why retailers should join the Council.
Retail crime costs Canadian retailers $9 billion a year, and that’s before a single dollar is spent on prevention. In Part 2 of my conversation with Kim Furlong, President and CEO of Retail Council of Canada (RCC), we get into the issues shaping Canadian retail right now: retail theft and organized crime, tariffs and trade, de minimis, AI-driven pricing, and why retailers should join the Council.
Kim explains why her board unanimously named retail crime its top priority just two weeks into her tenure. She also explains how RCC helped reshape federal legislation by removing “violent” from repeat-offender provisions and making offences cumulative, so people who repeatedly steal under the $5,000 threshold can finally face prosecution. The harder work comes next: getting overstretched police and Crown prosecutors the resources to act. She points to Manitoba as a leader, highlights RCC’s growing partnerships with police forces across the country, and uses Ottawa’s ByWard Market as a warning about what happens when retail crime goes unchecked.
We also follow the money. Kim describes how goods stolen in Ontario are warehoused and exported through Pearson Airport by international crime rings, and why RCC is now working with provinces on rules modelled on the U.S. INFORM Consumers Act to hold online resale platforms accountable. A tip for shoppers: a brand-new Canada Goose jacket for $199 isn’t a bargain. It’s stolen.
On tariffs and free trade, Kim shares what retailers are telling her: worries about consumer confidence, purchasing power and the Canadian dollar, with tariff impacts running $20 million to $40 million for some retailers, alongside a striking sense of solidarity and a shared push to buy Canadian. She makes the case for closing the de minimis loophole that lets Shein and Temu ship into Canada without the regulatory, safety and labelling obligations Canadian retailers carry.
Then we tackle AI and so-called surveillance pricing. Kim draws a clear line between algorithmic pricing (using data to set prices, as old as retail itself) and surveillance pricing, which charges individuals different prices based on who they are. After consulting members one on one, RCC came out firmly against surveillance pricing. Kim discusses guardrails, privacy law modernization, loyalty programs and her upcoming conversations in Ottawa.
We close with RCC’s new three-pillar strategic plan and Kim’s pitch to non-members: member-only insights on retail conditions, a stronger reputation for retail as a career and economic engine, and advocacy that acts as concierge and firefighter for retailers. As Kim puts it, your team is weaker for not being part of the council.