Bell collects $24,000 in damages from copper thief

BCE Inc. subsidiary Bell Canada is celebrating a recent victory in court over a copper thief. The company was awarded $24,000 in damages for a theft that occurred last year, a measure Bell says is a first for this type of crime in the province. On Jan. 2, 2024 a criminal stole copper from a Bell installation in Chicoutimi, Que. that caused 94 customers to lose telecom service for 36 hours. On Nov. 26 of this year, the company garnered a judgement against the person, who had been convicted of a crime. The Court of Quebec awarded Bell $19,000 in compensatory damages and a further $5,000 in punitive damages. “Bell takes network security and reliability seriously, and the recent $24,000 judgment applied to one individual directly involved in a significant copper theft incident that caused service disruptions,” the firm emailed The Wire Report. “While each case is assessed individually, this decision reinforces the consequences of criminal activity impacting critical infrastructure and creates a significant legal precedent for this type of case.” Criminals have long received jail time for their actions; this decision imposes an additional fiscal penalty. The move delighted the Canadian Telecommunications Association (CTA). “This creates additional deterrence,” senior vice president Eric Smith said in an interview with The Wire Report. “It sends a very strong signal to would-be thieves that not only could they face criminal prosecution for these crimes but they could also be ordered to pay compensatory and punitive damages for the results of the activities.” Smith said the Quebec action should spur Parliament on to passing the Bail and Sentencing Reform Act currently before the House of Commons. Clause 10 of the bill lays out aggravating circumstances for stolen property and for essential infrastructure. The CTA believes these changes will increase the penalties for stealing copper wire from telecom structures. Copper theft has long been a problem for Canadian telecom companies. They have been advocating for stronger penalties for years. This year alone Bell has experienced 1,275 thefts, a jump of 40 per cent from the year previous. Bell said it will weigh all legal remedies in future cases. ppark@thewirereport.ca

Bell collects $24,000 in damages from copper thief

Court |
By Paul Park
|December 15, 2025

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Bell collects $24,000 in damages from copper thief

Court | By Paul Park |December 15, 2025

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Court |
By Paul Park
|December 15, 2025