Copper wire thefts frustrate Alberta utility providers, homebuilders and police

An increase in the number of copper thefts occurring in Alberta has law enforcement agencies and those impacted by the crimes frustrated and looking for solutions.

According to the telecommunications company Telus, this year it has seen a 58-per cent increase from last year in terms of copper thefts affecting its operations across Alberta. In Edmonton, the company said it has seen a 238-per cent increase in the thefts.

“It’s not just something happening here in Edmonton, or Alberta or Canada,” explained Brian Lakey, the vice-president of reliability of Telus’ Service Reliability Centre of Excellence. He also serves as the co-chair of the Canadian Telecom Resiliency Work Group. “The reason it’s happening is because copper is a valuable commodity. This is something that’s happening globally.

“According to the Canadian Telecom Association, nationally it’s grown about 200 per cent.”

Bell Canada says since January 2022 it has experienced more than 1,500 security incidents to its network, with copper theft accounting for 87 per cent of incidents.

Gary Hoeft is the general manager for Cantiro Homes in Edmonton and said the homebuilding sector has always dealt with the problem, but noted in the last few years “it’s become very prevalent.”

He said when a homebuilding crew works on getting a home’s foundation in place, most developers will leave a large line of copper wire in a box underground. The coil on the ground is exposed so thieves see it, cut it, put it over their shoulder and walk away with it.

“We have to increase our contingency budgets,” he said, noting on many houses it can cost more than $1,000 to replace the line and hundreds of dollars more to pay a utility provider which will need to be involved in the process.

Lakey said when it comes to Telus’ infrastructure, thieves use a number of methods to target the commodity.

“In some cases, it’s the aerial fibre. We’ve seen it where they will cut it up top, attach it to a truck and just drive down the road and pull it off,” he explained. “Which causes a lot of damage, not just to our infrastructure.

Get daily National news

Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.

Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up

By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

“They also pull the cable out from underground or through manholes.”

This summer, Telus said the theft of copper wire from a Calgary neighbourhood resulted in a significant home phone, TV and internet outage.

2:05 Telus says copper theft responsible for service disruption in southeast Calgary

“The issue isn’t really about the cost,” Lakey noted. “It’s actually public safety — that is the real problem. Because when this happens, what it results in is people not being able to call emergency services — be it police, fire or ambulance. And they can’t contact each other.

“We invest and get it repaired as quickly as possible and we’re continuously investing to protect our infrastructure and improve our infrastructure, but really, the fundamental issue is public safety.”

Lakey said Telus has been in conversations with various levels of government about potential solutions.

He said Telus would like to see stricter penalties to serve as a deterrent because of the public safety impact of the thefts.

“It needs to be re-categorized,” he said of copper wire theft.

Cpl. Troy Savinkoff, a public information officer with the RCMP in Alberta, acknowledged the frustration.

“Copper wire (theft) is very difficult to enforce and prosecute,” he explained. He said one of the major roadblocks for prosecuting the offences is that when search warrants are executed to disrupt groups involved in theft, it is easier to trace the origins of some stolen property than others, and with copper wire that can be a challenge.

“We know as police officers that this copper that we’re seeing is very much stolen — but if you’re unable to prove it, you’re unable to lay that charge,” Savinkoff said.

1:59 Gas line damaged in copper theft led to Prince George explosion

Last month, the RCMP said it is launching “a community initiative in response to concerns about ongoing copper wire theft in eastern Alberta.”

In a news release, the law enforcement agency said it is working with stakeholders on solutions and recommends people or companies mitigate the risk of having their copper wire stolen.

Some of those suggestions include installing an alarm system with a camera that has remote monitoring capability, ensuring commercial properties are well lit, have precious metals laser-engraved, so they can be easier to identify if stolen.

Savinkoff noted the RCMP has been able to successfully interrupt the theft of copper wire from work sites on a number of occasions this year when a company was able to access security video remotely and call police before thieves got away.

While new solutions are explored, police and people who work in the industries most affected by the thefts say people reporting suspicious activity continues to be helpful.

Lakey noted that thieves are beginning to use more sophisticated approaches in an attempt to not appear suspicious as they steal copper from sites.

“They’re starting to wear the yellow jackets (that workers might wear) … to appear like they are valid utility employees,” he said.

Lakey said at least when it comes to Telus, one sign that something may not be right would be if someone appears to be hauling copper wire from a site and there is no officially designated work truck nearby.

1:45 Copper wire theft: EV charging stations in St. Albert targeted by vandals

–With files from Jaclyn Kucey, Global News