Based on coverage from Global News, The Peterborough Examiner, and Lethbridge News Now.
A rural New Brunswick community learned the hard way how fragile basic communications can be when copper thieves come calling. In early January, someone cut and stole telephone wire in Clarendon, leaving about 135 people without landline service for roughly two weeks. With unreliable cell coverage in the area, residents could not even call 911, according to Sgt. Ben Comely of the local RCMP.
Police later found the wire at a nearby home, cut up and stuffed into buckets. Its black rubber coating had been melted off, exposing the copper inside. Officers seized 90 kilograms of copper wire and charged three people with theft over $5,000.
New Brunswick wire theft knocks out 911 access
Clarendon sits between Fredericton and Saint John, and like plenty of rural pockets across Canada, it does not have dependable cell service. That detail is what turns a property crime into a public safety problem. When the phone lines went down, residents lost a key lifeline for emergencies.
Telecom groups say that is exactly the risk with this wave of thefts: when wire is cut out of the ground or off poles, entire neighbourhoods can lose phone and internet service, sometimes for days.
Copper thefts surge across Canada
The Clarendon case is part of a broader spike in copper theft from telecom networks. Bell says it logged 1,275 incidents related to metal thefts from its network in 2025, which spokesperson Éliane Légaré described as roughly a 40 per cent increase over the year before. Rogers, meanwhile, said total outage hours tied to vandalism on its network (including attempted copper thefts) have jumped 400 per cent since 2022.
Bell also pointed to a recent Quebec court decision as a warning shot to thieves: a judge awarded the company $24,000 in damages after Bell sued a man convicted of stealing copper in Chicoutimi, Quebec. That theft left 94 customers without internet service for more than a day.
Rising copper prices are a big part of the backdrop here. When copper hits record highs, the incentive to steal wire goes up, and telecom companies, residents, and recyclers all end up dealing with the fallout.
Scrap yards face blame and scrutiny
Scrap yard operators say they are getting dragged into the story, fairly or not. Daniel Rinzler, who owns D.R. Scrap Metals in Moncton, said social media comments often “blame all the scrap yards.” He says his business asks sellers for ID, which he believes deters some would-be thieves. But he also points out that stolen copper can still move through “other black markets.”
A Nova Scotia metal dealer, speaking anonymously after a break-in at his business, told The Canadian Press scrap yard owners do not want to buy stolen property, but refusing a transaction can also mean risking confrontation with dangerous people. He said it is often easy to spot stolen phone wire and that he turns it away, but he believes other buyers will take it.
Patchwork provincial rules create loopholes
One of the biggest complaints from recyclers and industry groups is the uneven set of rules across provincial borders. New Brunswick requires dealers to ask for identification when someone tries to sell copper, but Rinzler said there are no similar rules in neighbouring Nova Scotia or Quebec. In his view, that makes it easy for thieves to steal in one province and sell in another.
Alberta uses a different approach: metal recyclers there must report all their sales to police through a centralized database.
The Nova Scotia dealer argued consistent rules across provinces would likely help, as long as enforcement is even.
Ottawa bills target stolen copper trade
The political response is starting to take shape in two tracks.
Connie Cody, the Conservative MP for Cambridge, Ontario, introduced a private member’s bill, Bill C-271, aimed squarely at scrap metal dealers. It would make it a crime for dealers to trade, traffic, or offer for sale any scrap metal known to be stolen, with penalties of up to a $10,000 fine and up to two years in jail.
Separately, Eric Smith, senior vice-president of the Canadian Telecommunications Association, said his group supports Bill C-14, a government bill that would introduce stiffer penalties for thefts that interfere with critical infrastructure. Smith also said he would like provinces to adopt rigorous regulations, rather than leaving Canada with a jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction patchwork. On Cody’s bill, he said he had not had time to dig into the details but welcomed the effort to raise awareness.
For communities like Clarendon, the stakes are simple: when copper wire disappears, so can the ability to call for help.
Support Independent Canadian News Analysis
The Canada Report is supported by readers like you. If this article helped you understand what’s happening, you can support our work with a one-time tip.
Support The Canada Report
