Manitoba Hydro continues to be targeted for thefts of copper from fences, structures and transformers at its substations in and around Winnipeg.
Bruce Owen, Hydro’s media relations officer, told 680 CJOB that between Jan. 1, 2017 and Feb 28, 2018, there were 48 incidents in which copper wire was stolen from Hydro properties, with a value of about $70,000.
From April 1 to Sept. 30 of this year, that number has ballooned to 106 break-ins and thefts from Hydro facilities in which copper ground conductors and wires were stolen.
“This has been an ongoing problem for more than a decade with us,” said Owen.
“This year, perhaps because of the warmer summer, we have seen an increase in the number of copper thefts, not only from stations in the Winnipeg area but in rural Manitoba as well – particularly in the Lac du Bonnet area.
“This is happening across the province. Not daily, but often enough.”
Owen said the thieves aren’t considering the risk to their own lives for relatively little financial reward.
“These are essentially live wires. The thieves put their well-being at risk for little reward,” said Owen.
“It’s also a risk to our employees who may be working at the station and not realize the grounds have been cut out.
“It’s been a while since someone has been killed in Winnipeg, but it does happen. The people who are doing this, it’s a quick crime of opportunity. They aren’t stealing spools out of yards or out of the back of trucks, they’re essentially just cutting the ground wires to our stations.”
Both police and RCMP have been working with Hydro on combating the thefts, and Owen said seven or eight arrests in recent months have resulted in a welcome slowdown in thefts, but the stations remain at risk.
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