MONTREAL – Bell Canada is reporting copper theft continues to rise across Canada, with serious consequences for critical services.
In the first half of 2026, Bell has seen a surge in theft and vandalism targeting telecommunications infrastructure, causing service outages that can disrupt Internet, TV and phone services, but, more importantly, access to 911 and other emergency services.
The Daily Commercial News and Journal of Commerce have reported previously on the rise of copper thefts on jobsites as well.
Between January and June, Bell recorded 993 incidents of copper theft and vandalism across Canada, representing a 78 per cent increase over the same period in 2025.
Arrests have also risen by 32 per cent.
In many cases, the resale value of stolen copper is minimal compared to the harm caused, a release notes. But even a small amount of metal can result in major service disruptions, costly and complex repairs, and potential risks to public safety.
According to the release, Ontario and New Brunswick are at the epicentre of the issue, accounting for 85 per cent of the national increase.
Ontario continues to represent the highest volume of incidents, with 579 cases, 58 per cent of the national total. Theft activity is particularly concentrated to Hamilton, Niagara and Milton.
New Brunswick is seeing the fastest growth, with 268 incidents so far in 2026, a 235 per cent increase compared to 2025.
Quebec has also seen an increase with 91 incidents recorded so far, up 89 per cent compared to the same period last year.
The increase in theft is more acute in Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, Lanaudière and the Laurentians.
At the same time, the province stands out for its enforcement efforts, with arrests up 150 per cent.
“Bell has also recently obtained four favourable court decisions in Quebec related to copper theft, reinforcing the use of civil remedies to hold offenders accountable,” the release notes.
The national corporation has taken a multi-pronged approach to help prevent copper theft and protect its network, including deploying alarms connected to law enforcement, increasing on-the-ground surveillance, working closely with police departments and pursuing legal action against offenders.
Members of the public are being urged to report any suspicious activity near telecommunications infrastructure to local police or Crime Stoppers.
“Copper theft is a criminal act that targets critical infrastructure and leads to service outages that can endanger public safety, particularly by disrupting access to emergency services. No single organization can stop copper theft alone. It will take co-ordinated action from telecommunications providers, governments, law enforcement, recyclers and communities to hold criminals accountable and protect the networks Canadians depend on,” said Mark McDonald, EVP and chief technology officer with Bell in a statement.
