Rapid Surge in Copper Thefts Cited Across Canada

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): Canadian telecommunications industry has raised alarm on copper theft incidents, which it said, is rising at a rapid pace across the country. The stakeholders have demanded stricter punishment to culprits who often end up in damages to critical infrastructure due to their acts.

Rogers Communications Inc. - the Toronto-headquartered leading Canadian communications and media company had reported two major service outages during the previous month, which left thousands of its customers without internet or phone for long periods of time. Rogers has been witnessing nearly four to five-folds surge in outages due to attempted copper theft incidents since 2022.

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Apart from inconvenience caused to customers, such acts have had serious impacts on public safety, since the residents are unable to reach emergency services, a press communication from Rogers said.

TELUS too has reported around 68% surge in incidents of thefts and vandalism across the country during the previous year. The impact of cable thefts and damages have recorded 20% year-on-year jump so far this year.

The stakeholders urged the federal government to amend the criminal code so as to ensure increased penalties for perpetrators of copper theft.