Canadian telecommunications companies are calling for stiffer penalties targeting copper wire theft and new rules that would limit vandals’ ability to resell the material if they can’t prove its source.
Representatives from Bell Canada and Telus Corp. told the Senate’s transport and communications committee on Wednesday evening that the problem continues worsen, wreaking havoc on emergency services and business operations as their networks are disrupted.
Bell vice-president of public affairs Michele Austin says the company saw 78 per cent more incidents of copper theft last month compared with November 2023.
Austin says the federal government should amend the Criminal Code to outline specific offences when someone commits mischief or theft targeting telecom networks or infrastructure.
Telus executive Brian Lakey says legislation should also implement new fines, as well as rules to limit the sale of melted down copper that is no longer traceable.
The Senate committee heard earlier in the week from public safety and law enforcement officials, who described difficulties in combatting the issue due to a lack of security around the infrastructure, as well as the ability of vandals to easily erase identifiers before selling the material to scrapyards.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 12, 2024.
Companies in this story: (TSX:BCE, TSX:T)
