Bell said Thursday that copper theft has increased by nearly 25 per cent over the year, with over 500 cases this year alone and 2,270 since 2022.
The telco said New Brunswick is one of the country’s “hotspots” for such theft, with more than 80 cases this year. Specifically, the company says the Fredericton-Oromocto corridor is particularly affected, with nearly 80 per cent of the province’s theft occurring there.
“Copper thefts now account for 88% of all physical security incidents on Bell’s network,” the telco said in a press release Thursday. “Ontario remains the hardest-hit province, representing 63% of all incidents, with hotspots including Hamilton, Cambridge, and Windsor. Quebec follows with 12% of cases, most concentrated in the Saguenay region.”
Bell filed lawsuits against individuals alleged to have participated in such theft back in 2023. Since then, it has installed aerial alarms and surveillance cameras, and has accelerated its transition to a pure fibre network.
Late last year, the country’s largest telcos urged Senate committee members to consider legislation that would make copper theft a serious crime to deter what they say is becoming an increasing problem as the value of the element rises.
Currently, the criminal code penalizes copper theft as “theft under $5,000,” which the telecoms say does not align with the significance of the impact of that crime and doesn’t match what other jurisdictions have been doing – which is to charge the matter more severely.
Foreign interference Bill C-70, which was enacted into law this summer, expands the scope of “sabotage offence to include certain acts done in relation to essential infrastructures,” but requires multiple elements of proof, including intent to harm national interests, which is hard to show in copper theft, witnesses at that hearing said.
Bell on Thursday renewed its call for stiffer penalties. “The company is calling on the Senate Transportation and Communications Committee to revive its study on theft within the telecommunications sector,” it said.
“Bell encourages the public to report suspicious activity near telecom infrastructure – such as unmarked vehicles, individuals tampering with utility poles, or the sound of cutting or grinding metal – to local authorities immediately,” it added.
Photo of damaged copper wire, via Bell
