Copper wire stolen from 30 West Nipissing utility poles, police investigating

Copper theft continues to grow throughout North America, causing power outages in some remote Nova Scotia areas. CTV News’ Paul Hollingsworth reports.

Northern Ontario police say thieves caused $40,000 in damage when they stole the grounding copper wire from 30 utility poles in West Nipissing earlier this month.

Ontario Provincial Police responded May 7 to the theft of a large amount of copper wire on Guenette Road, it said in a news release Tuesday.

“Officers are seeking the public’s assistance in identifying the individual(s) involved in the theft or possession of this item,” OPP said.

“If anyone has any information regarding this investigation, please contact the OPP at 1-888-310-1122. Should you wish to remain anonymous, you may call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or submit information online at www.ontariocrimestoppers.ca where you may be eligible to receive a cash reward of up to $2,000. Ref.# E250570942."

According to Schmidt’s Auto Recycling, scrap copper prices can range between $1.96 and $4.52 per pound depending on the type.

Thieves also stole about $100,000 of copper wiring by cutting down 33 hydro poles in Cobalt near the Hound Chute Generating Station.

Theft charges laid

A pair of suspects from Quebec were arrested in Matheson and charged with stealing about $50,000 in three separate incidents.

In April, OPP charged a 35-year-old man for damaging hydro poles and stealing copper wire in the Town of Spanish.

There is no indication any of the cases are related.

Why do thieves target copper?

“Thieves target any areas of exposed copper for its high scrap value and the ease of taking it to a number of different scrap yards for cash,” Ken Hall Plumbers said in a blog post on why copper is stolen so much.

“Stolen copper is valuable as scrap metal because it can be easily reused to make fibre optics and high-value plumbing and electrical parts.”