Sobeys, Safeway grappling with IT issues as Maple Leaf Foods announces cybersecurity incident
CBC
Some stores across Canada owned by Empire Company Ltd., including Sobeys, Safeway and affiliated pharmacy services, continue to experience disruptions due to an information technology systems issue.
Empire, which owns Sobeys, Lawtons, IGA, Safeway, Farm Boy, Foodland and FreshCo, among other brands, announced Monday an IT problem is preventing some of its pharmacies from filling prescriptions.
The issue has also caused some services to be delayed or to function only intermittently.
A news release from the company said it is working to remedy the problem, but could not estimate when all services will be restored.
"At Sobeys, exceeding the needs of our customers is always our top priority," said chief operating officer Pierre St-Laurent in the news release. "Our sole focus right now is on getting this problem rectified and we will provide further updates as relevant information becomes available."
The CBC contacted the company to ask questions about the IT issue, but an emailed response simply pointed to the news release.
Over the weekend, some pharmacy staff told the CBC they were not able to access their computers, but that they could supply customers with a few days' worth of medication if customers presented their empty bottles.
Meanwhile, Maple Leaf Foods announced in a news release late Sunday night that a "cybersecurity incident" caused a system outage at the company.
The company said it became aware of the issue over the weekend and immediately began working with cybersecurity and recovery experts, information systems professionals and third-party specialists to investigate the outage.
Maple Leaf said it expects ongoing service and operational disruptions as it works to resolve the outage, and said it does not have an estimated time for restoration.
The company declined an interview. In an emailed statement, Maple Leaf said the disruptions "vary by business unit, plant and site."
Sylvain Charlebois, the director of the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University, said he began to receive messages from people on Friday night about issues at Empire, including copies of internal company letters.
He said the lack of public information coming from Empire makes him suspect the issue is more significant than a simple information technology problem. He said companies would likely be more forthcoming about that.
"But they're not right now, which begs the question, what is really going on here? … I mean, Maple Leaf was clear, it's a cybersecurity issue, so it can mean a whole lot of different things, but they were clear. Whereas Sobeys, it's unclear. So lots of question marks, but you can feel that something is just not right."
The province and district social services administration boards say plans are in place to ensure people on social assistance do not miss out on benefits as a result of the strike by Canada Post employees.
Near the exit to Truro, N.S., a cluster of colorful tents and a lone RV can be seen alongside Highway 102, some tucked under the overpass for shelter from the elements.
Police and Public Trust, a project of the CBC News Atlantic investigative unit, scrutinizes the largely off-limits police complaint and discipline systems across the region. Journalists are using access to information laws and, in some cases, court challenges to obtain discipline records and data.
Toronto police have arrested a GTA woman who they allege scammed dozens of Taylor Swift fans out of more than $70,000 by promising them tickets that never materialized.
Montreal was, in years past, considered a haven for renters. But those days are long gone.
WARNING: This story details violent events surrounding a fatal police shooting.
It took Gordon Frentz over 14 hours to drive through the snow from Grande Prairie, Alta., this past weekend to compete at this year's Canadian Western Agribition in Regina.
The coroner's inquest into the drug-related deaths of six men in custody at the Hamilton-Wentworth Detention Centre will revisit 2018 recommendations relating to eight other inmate deaths to determine what's been done to implement them, the inquest's lawyer said Monday on the first day of hearings.
Emily Walstrom was expecting to lay her father to rest this month, but instead, she says his cremated remains are stuck in a Canada Post facility in B.C., delayed by the ongoing national postal strike.
A Friday night fire hasn't caused any impact to operations at the Dryden mill, the company said.
With around 55,000 Canada Post workers on strike since Nov.15 and no deal in sight, Toronto businesses say they're gearing up for a tough holiday season.