Coppers and robbers: Canadian telcos are facing a massive surge in wire theft

Canadian telcos are facing another record-smashing year for copper theft, according to new data obtained by The Wire Report, as both Telus Corp. and BCE Inc.’s Bell Canada are experiencing year-over-year increases of 51 and 61 per cent, respectively. In recent years, the level of copper theft from telecommunications infrastructure in Canada has continued to surge to new highs. David Joice, Bell’s director of network operations, said the Canadian telco giant started tracking copper theft in 2022 because incidents had become much more noticeable. That year, Bell recorded 273 thefts. Since then, there has been no looking back for copper thieves. In 2023, thefts nearly doubled to 536, while the numbers kept climbing in subsequent years, counting 917 in 2024 and 1,275 in 2025. That’s an increase of 367 per cent over three years. In an interview in early March, Joice told The Wire Report Bell was projecting a 30 per cent year-over-year increase, but recently-obtained data suggests annual forecasts have more than doubled, as the company has already recorded 502 thefts as of April 21. If the figure holds, it will equate to a four-year increase of 652 per cent. As for Telus, it recorded only 48 thefts in 2020, but, as of 2026, “it’s become a daily threat,” according to Anne Martin, vice president of network engineering and operations. In 2021, copper thefts for Telus more than doubled to 103. The following two years, Telus recorded 130 and 167 thefts, respectively. Thefts surged again in 2024, increasing by 93 per cent to 323. Last year, Telus counted 472 incidents, rounding out a five-year increase of 883 per cent. As of May 15, Telus has experienced 194 copper thefts. For both companies, the recent “explosion,” as Joice called it, can be largely attributed to the sharp leap in the price of copper. In February, the International Energy Agency found copper prices had reached over$13,000 US per tonne. Before 2026, prices had never reached $12,000 US, and in September 2025, the price was just under $10,000 US per tonne. As more people in Canada suffer economically, argued Joice, the increased price in copper could make theft more attractive. Repairing copper theft increasingly difficult as telcos migrate to fibre optic Repairing damage caused by copper theft is a much more complicated job than restoring service after a weather event, according to company officials Martin said storms usually damage aerial cables, which are easier to access and allow multiple crews to work on the damage simultaneously. But copper thieves often rip out cables buried underground, which Martin said causes damage that is difficult to repair due to the confined space. Rogers Communications Inc. refused to make anyone available for an interview, but, in an email statement sent to The Wire Report in April, a spokesperson said outages caused by vandalism can take three to four times longer to repair than other outages. According to Joice, Bell repair crews are responding to three to six cuts at any given moment. The days for these crews are long; each repair takes 12 hours on average, which Joice said takes a toll on workers, especially during the winter. The cuts have become so frequent, crews are no longer surprised when an outage is reported. “There’s now just a routine,” Joice said. “It’s like, ‘where are we cut today?’” In most cases, Joice said Bell can typically restore service “fairly quickly,” but sometimes outages last much longer. In January, a southern New Brunswick community was without service for weeks following a copper theft. When outages last that long, Joice said, the issue is usually exacerbated by multiple cuts in one night, “and the teams just aren’t able to keep up with it.” Other times, the delay is caused by challenges with sourcing material. As telcos across the country move away from copper in favour of fibre, stolen cables become harder to replace. “It’s not like we’re flush with extra copper cables, because we’re just not installing it all that often,” Joice said. “At some point, the rate of theft and finding material becomes a real challenge.” Thieves work ‘hotspots’, leaving certain communities disproportionately affected Thieves continue to work the same areas, Joice said, leaving certain customers disproportionately affected. In January, Bell customers in Gatineau, Que., experienced outages caused by copper theft four times within a few weeks. For Bell, these ‘hotspots’ are often in rural or remote areas, where there are fewer witnesses. Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corp. (SaskTel) refused to make someone available for an interview. In an email statement sent to The Wire Report in March, a spokesperson said “he impacts can be particularly challenging in rural and remote communities, where there are fewer alternative connectivity options available.” But more populated regions aren’t immune to the rise of copper-related crimes. For Telus, 93 per cent of last year’s copper thefts occurred in Edmonton and Calgary. Martin said thieves target densely populated areas because it maximizes yield. “Because it’s happening in these major cities, it can knock out emergency services and connectivity for entire blocks thousands of households simultaneously,” she told The Wire Report in March. In its statement, Rogers identified its hotspots as southwestern Ontario and parts of New Brunswick. To try and combat these hotspots, both Bell and Telus often deploy roaming security guards in hopes of deterring thieves, or catching them in the act. Some cables are also equipped with alarms that notify police or security guards when triggered. “The geography that we have to cover is massive. So we do try and strategically place people in areas where we expect maybe repeated thefts to happen,” Joice said. “We’re trying to accelerate as much as possible the migration fibre optic, which has no resale value, but . . . they often cut that as well,” Martin said. When a stolen cable is replaced, Bell tries to engineer a smaller new cable, making it less lucrative for thieves, Joice said. When crews are deployed to the site, Bell also sets up signs indicating the team is repairing damage from theft, urging residents to call local authorities if they notice suspicious behaviour. “We are trying to build some awareness with our customers so that if they do see something going on at night, they help and call the police,” he said. The cops are not catching perpetrators every day, Joice said, but Bell does have success several times a month. In December, Bell recuperated $24,000 for a crime committed nearly two years prior. Telus is also encouraging residents to report any suspicious activity. “The public’s eyes often our best defence,” Martin said. Telcos push for stronger laws as proactive mitigation is ‘pretty impossible’ For years, Canadian telcos have been advocating for stricter laws in the conviction of copper thieves. Currently, most thieves are charged with theft under $5,000 and not sentenced to lengthy prison terms, “which is similar to stealing a bicycle,” Martin argued. “So it’s not really an effective deterrent,” she said. “And thieves are just getting very brazen. They pose as technicians in high-vis gear, they use trucks to rip this stuff out, massive sections of our infrastructure.” In October 2025, the federal government introduced Bill C-14, the Bail and Sentencing Reform Act, which would create an “aggravating circumstance” when an offence interferes with the access or operations of an essential service, covering copper theft affecting network operations. The bill has passed third reading in the House of Commons and is currently before the Senate legal and constitutional affairs committee. Joice wants to see the bill passed into law as soon as possible, and hopes steeper penalties will help curb the problem. “It’s not uncommon to see people were involved in previous thefts arrested again. So we’re really hoping this takes effect,” he said. The Senate transport and communications committee also recently wrapped an unrelated study on copper theft, which recommended the feds strengthen penalties for the crime. In its statement, Sasktel also raised concerns about the risks posed to thieves directly. “Tampering with telecommunications infrastructure is extremely dangerous and can pose significant safety risks to those involved, including exposure to live electrical equipment,” a spokesperson wrote. When copper thefts cause service outages, Martin said it impacts more than just copper customers. Because cables are often bundled together, she said thieves cut everything, whether they are copper or fibre, resulting in very large outages. “ talking about millions of minutes of lost connectivity. That represents thousands of Canadians who potentially can’t call for an ambulance or reach their families,” Martin said, adding there is also an economic impact on small businesses. “Hospitals and alarm systems can be compromised, ” she said. “It’s very senseless.” mcollins@thewirereport.ca

Coppers and robbers: Canadian telcos are facing a massive surge in wire theft

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By Maria Collins
|May 19, 2026

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Coppers and robbers: Canadian telcos are facing a massive surge in wire theft

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