In Montreal, a group called Robins des Ruelles, dressed as Santas with masked elves, stole thousands of dollars worth of groceries from a supermarket late Monday. About 40 members took part in the bold stunt. They released a statement titled “When hunger justifies the means.” The group said soaring living costs are pushing basic food out of reach for many Canadians. "We are working more and more just to be able to buy food from supermarket chains that take advantage of inflation as a pretext to make record profits," they said. "There is no other way to put it: a handful of companies are holding our basic needs hostage." They accused these companies of squeezing the population to make more money. Metro, the grocery chain owning eight major brands, responded that shoplifting is a criminal act and unacceptable. Their spokesperson, Grégoire, said price hikes are caused by global supply chain issues, commodity price changes, trade conditions, and retail crime. According to the Retail Council of Canada, retail crime caused over $9 billion in losses in 2024. "As a retailer, we are the final stop in the supply chain," Grégoire said. "Prices on store shelves reflect supply chain costs." Metro donated $1.15 million and over $81 million in food to food banks in 2025. Three companies dominate Canada's grocery market and have earned record profits recently. Despite government worries about profiteering, the companies say their profit margins are shrinking. Police are investigating but have made no arrests. The Robins left some groceries near a Christmas tree in a public square on Tuesday. They said the rest will go to community food banks. In their message they wrote, "Don’t forget - the hunger justifies the means. Merry Christmas!"