New Brunswick is planning to crack down on copper wire theft.
The Liberal government says it is moving to restrict the sale of copper wire to licensed salvage dealers.
Proposed changes to the province’s Salvage Dealers Licensing Act would only allow people lawfully entitled to possess and dispose of the wire to sell it.
Sellers would have to provide photo identification and there would be a 48-hour buffer on payments.
The government says telecommunications and electricity companies are reporting increased incidents of theft that can lead to phone, internet and electricity outages.
The province’s public safety minister Robert Gauvin says New Brunswickers should be able to count on their connections.
“Making it harder for people to sell stolen copper is one way we can protect the infrastructure we rely on and keep working toward more reliable cell coverage across the province,” Gauvin said in a statement.
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The copper theft legislation was among six bills tabled by Premier Susan Holt’s Liberal government on Tuesday.
Another bill proposes new rules the Liberals say will address the potential misuse of non-disclosure agreements.
Provincial Justice Minister Robert McKee said in a statement that NDAs are being used more frequently and are often used to hide harmful behaviour.
The government says changes would ensure people signing NDAs understand their rights.
Another bill would allow the government to regulate online casinos. A news release says the idea was proposed by the Atlantic Lottery Corporation.
Finance Minister René Legacy says the proposed updates to the Gaming Control Act would allow the province to keep up with how gaming is changing.
“These updates will ensure that new gaming options are developed responsibly and continue to meet the needs of players in a safe and regulated way,” he said in a statement.
Weird how this article pivots to discuss NDAs, then goes on to talk about regulating online casinos. It’s clear Atlantic Lottery Corp cried to the usual suspects and wants to protect their market share by pushing down on third-party gambling sites and apps.
This is absolutely ridiculous. Jesus Christ, what the kcuf is wrong with this government? With all the REAL problems we face in this forsaken hellhole of a province they ignored them all and went straight for something they could profit from. Get this Holt out of our government!!!
Seriously we need a full on rebellion….a civil war against the government.
Who decided they owned the planet earth and we had to pay to live on it?
Looks like the government is looking for some tax revenue from online casinos and salvage operations. Hey if there is money to be made our trusted government is there to keep the people safe and regulated. If they only took the same stance on drug dealers and real criminals that would be nice.