Bridgeland businesses frustrated as break‑ins continue, prompting calls for security measures

A growing number of Bridgeland businesses report feeling the strain after a series of break‑ins and acts of vandalism that have hit the neighbourhood in recent months, with some owners now investing heavily in security and others turning to community programs for help.

Doodle Dogs is the latest shop to be targeted, after a break‑in late Tuesday night. Staff say it marks the fourth time the business has been hit.

While they declined to speak about the incident, neighbouring businesses say the trend has become all too familiar.

OEB Breakfast Co., located blocks away, has been broken into twice in the past month. Head chef Herj Basran says the repeated incidents have left staff uneasy.

“Sometimes you feel unsafe, you don’t know what’s going on,” Basran said. “You don’t know if someone is trying to break in, if they have a weapon or something. Who knows, right?”

Basran notes that break‑ins can be especially dangerous in a kitchen environment, where tools and knives are easily accessible. In one incident earlier this year, a thief smashed through a back window and door before stealing mostly alcohol.

Other businesses have responded by fortifying their storefronts. Bike and Brew owner Travis Ferguson says the repeated damage forced him to take drastic steps.

“The big thing here is the roll shutters, also the alarm systems, the gate over the door,” Ferguson said. “Really just make it so they can’t get in.”

The rise in vandalism and property crime has prompted the Bridgeland Business Improvement Area (BIA) to launch a vandalism assistance program to help businesses cover repair costs.

“Social disorder has been a problem in Bridgeland, an ongoing problem forever,” said Christopher Hankins, chair of the Bridgeland BIA. “So we were putting our heads together thinking of other ways the BIA can support our local businesses, and that was one of the ideas we came up with.”

Hankins says collaboration between the community and police will be key to addressing the issue.

“We’re seeing a trend toward better ideas about police activity in the area,” he said. “I think we need to have more continued support of our law enforcement, of the various types of law enforcement.”