A Sudbury non-profit organization that focuses on empowering individuals with disabilities was recently struck by a major copper wire theft that will cost tens of thousands of dollars to repair. While the copper that was stolen is worth just $100, the damage left behind will cost $45,000 to repair. Early last month, Independent Living Sudbury Manitoulin was notified by tenants in the building that the air conditioner wasn’t working. Executive director Angela Gray said they soon discovered someone had climbed onto their roof and stole copper wire from two older furnaces. “We went up and … found out that someone had completely destroyed both of those older units,” Gray said. “Now, unfortunately, as a charity, we try to save money wherever we can -- and our insurance doesn’t really cover it.” Gray said that while the thieves took $100 in copper wire, the estimate to replace both units is $45,000. “It is a rooftop unit. So, they would have to bring in cranes and things like that,” she said. At one point, Gray said she was worried about how the organization, which supports and offers services for 700 members with disabilities, could continue. “These kinds of hiccups, if you want to call it, can really be detrimental to organizations like ours that work on shoestring budgets and do great things in our city,” she said. Sudbury police spokesperson Kaitlyn Dunn said that, despite the recent incident, in general, copper wire thefts have decreased by 29 per cent since last year. “We went from 52 reports in 2025, down to 37 reports in 2026,” Dunn said. “In 2026 we have seen an increase in September. So, in 2025 there were zero recorded in September, whereas this year there have been nine reported thus far.” She recommends businesses and organizations install fencing, surveillance cameras and motion sensor lighting to protect themselves against what could be a costly repair. Entire unit must be replaced “In a lot of situations, when the copper wires are removed, the entire unit becomes disabled. And that’s why there’s such a high cost to replacing it. It’s not just the copper wire -- they have to replace the entire unit,” Dunn said. “In situations where they are not-for-profits or they are businesses operating in order to assist our vulnerable population, there isn’t a lot of funding available to them to replace these units.” In Independent Living’s case, Gray said they were able to secure rental replacement units at a good price that will be installed before the snow falls. The ordeal has taught them some lessons, she added. “First thing we learned was that people are (so) desperate in our city that they are starting to steal the copper wire from wherever they can find it,” Gray said. “The second thing was that we need to look at our insurance and realize that we may have to pay a little bit extra -- something like this would not have been such a huge problem for us.” Gray said she is grateful to everyone who reached out and was willing to help. “One of the most beautiful things about our city is that when somebody hears that somebody is struggling, they seem to jump in and help out,” she said. “We’ll be in good shape for the winter, but I just want to thank everybody who offered to help. We appreciate your help. And we really do love the support.”
