Mayor Frank Scarpitti 'absolutely concerned' about counterfeit goods at Markham's Pacific Mall
U.S. report says mall among most notorious places for pirated, counterfeit goods in world

Yorkregion.com
Jan. 17, 2018
Tim Kelly

The mayor of Markham is “concerned” about public safety in the wake of an American report that warns Markham’s Pacific Mall is one of the most notorious sources of pirated and counterfeit goods in the world.

Frank Scarpitti, commenting on the report released earlier this month by the U.S. Office of the Trade Representative, said, "I am absolutely concerned. If they (products) don't meet safety standards it's not something we can ignore."

Among the counterfeit goods listed for sale in the mall are cosmetics, sunglasses and perfumes, which the report says can pose a risk to public health and safety.

Scarpitti said he’s confident York Regional Police and Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers would investigate any complaints they receive related to products at the mall, which is the only Canadian mall to make the list of 18 malls.

It’s not the first time the 21-year-old mall, located at Kennedy Road and Steeles Avenue, has come to the attention of law enforcement authorities.

“There have been several actions take over the years, in 2005, 2006, 2009, where the RCMP has been involved and YRP have co-operated not only with the RCMP but with the Canadian Motion Picture Distribution Association. I’m confident they would continue to take complaints seriously,” he said.

York Regional Police, in responding to the U.S. report, said it “responds to complaints of violations of the law and we engage partner agencies and additional resources when required.”

York Regional Police said the RCMP intellectual property rights crime subprogram is responsible for investigating criminal offences under the Copyright Act and trademark offences under the Criminal Code.

In the last five years, local police has received six complaints regarding counterfeit goods at the mall.

In 2007, the RCMP and YRP seized 15,000 discs from eight stores at the mall in addition to two retail outlets and a storage unit in Toronto. A vehicle and two homes were also searched. Three people were arrested.

Scarpitti urged buyers of products to be aware of what they were purchasing. He also said, “We have thousands of businesses in our community owned by thousands of people adhering to the law.”

The Pacific Mall did not return a request for comment.