Yukoners navigating through third week of cyberattack on grocery wholesaler

Some grocery store managers are still struggling to place grocery orders after a cyberattack on major food wholesaler Federative Co-operative Limited. (Vincent Bonnay/Radio-Canada)

‘It’s slowly getting back on track,’ manager of Selkirk Centre says

It’s been three weeks since the cyberattack on major grocery wholesaler Federative Co-operatives Limited (FCL), and some stores in the Yukon are still trying to navigate through the challenges it’s created.

One being the ability to place weekly grocery orders.

Margaret Isaac manages the Selkirk Centre in Pelly Crossing.

Isaac said the store was fully stocked when the company informed  her of the cyber incident. Once supplies started to get low she said she was forced to get everything the store needed from Whitehorse, which is roughly three hours away.

She said she was starting to worry as the trip to Whitehorse is quite costly, both in time, and money.

Then she received some good news from the wholesaler.

“We’re going to be getting a full grocery order this Wednesday,” she said.

Isaac said the news of the delivery truck couldn’t come at a better time, and said she’s optimistic that the wholesaler has started to resolve its system’s issues.

“Well right now its slowly getting back on track but it’s not back to 100 per cent,” she said. “It’s probably like 50 per cent.”

News of the Wednesday food delivery is also welcome news to the manager of the Dena General store in the community of Ross River.

Last week, Nicole Etzel took to social media notifying residents that she was still unable to place any grocery orders and that the truck she was expecting to arrive wasn’t going to make it.

“I am working on solutions,” Etzel posted. “I am so sorry for the inconvenience. Please remain patient.”

‘We’re all Kaska’

Almost five hours away in Lower Post B.C, Daylu Dena Council Chief Harlan Schilling offered a solution of his own to the people in Ross River.

“Our food line is still good so when I [saw] that they were having a hard time it just made sense for us to reach out right?” he said. “We’re all Kaska. We’re all northerners. So that’s all that was and I talked to my team that runs the store and they said absolutely if that’s what we need to do we can do what we have to to get the people what they need up there.”

Schilling said he, and Ross River Dena Council Chief Dylan Loblaw jumped on a call to discuss ways he could help, if the time called for it.

“In today’s economy everybody is struggling across Canada,” Schilling said. “Having to have his members drive to Whitehorse or wherever is hard so again we’re just putting that olive branch out and saying, hey if need be Lower Post is here.”

Brad DeLorey, the director of communications with FCL, said because the investigation into the cyberattack is still underway, he cannot make any official statements other than ones already posted to the company’s social media page.

He did however say that as new information comes, the public will be the first to know.

“We have teams working around the clock on getting back up completely operational,” he said. “That includes food. That includes the work that we did on our card locks. We brought up that system last Wednesday throughout Western Canada.”

“Really at the end of the day that’s where we’re at.”

DeLorey said he understands the frustration that people, both the consumer and store managers, are feeling. He said it’s only a matter of time before things go back to normal.

“Local co-ops are our number one priority,” he said. “We are doing everything we can to resolve this situation so that we can return to normal and that our local co-ops can as well”

Related stories from around the North: 

Greenland: Growing focus on Arctic puts Greenland at higher risk of cyber attacks: assessment, Eye on the Arctic

FinlandRussian cyber attacks, espionage pose growing threat to Finnish national security, Yle News

United States: University of Alaska Anchorage to lead center of excellence on Arctic security, Eye on the Arctic

Chris MacIntyre, CBC News

Chris MacIntyre is a CBC reporter in Dawson City, Yukon.

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