Cambridge MP's private members bill aims to curb copper wire theft
A second or subsequent offence would result in a fine up to $25,000, up to 10 years in prison, or both.
SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): Proposed federal legislation that aims to make copper wire theft an indictable offence and toughen penalties for the black market scrap metal dealers who buy it is making its way through the House of Commons.
Cambridge MP Connie Cody tabled Bill C-271, or the Protecting Canada’s Essential Infrastructure Metals Act last month in response to concerns she's heard locally and across the country about wire theft and its impacts.
Cody said in just a few years, metal theft has surged by more than 200 per cent and is no longer just a criminal justice issue, but a public safety concern.
With copper prices climbing to more than $5.80 a pound, thieves are increasingly going after essential infrastructure to get it, including utility poles, telecommunication systems, and safety equipment, before melting it down and selling it for scrap.
Canadian Press recently reported that Bell logged 1,275 incidents related to thefts of the metal from its network in 2025, a roughly 40 per cent increase over the previous year.
A Senate standing committee discussed the issue back in December 2024, not long after CambridgeToday reported on how the city was becoming known as a hub for wire theft.
Last September, thieves stole multiple bundles of copper wire from a Hydro One substation in Cambridge, and last December two local men were charged after police received numerous reports of damage and copper thefts from HVAC and air-conditioning units at commercial properties around the region.
Electrocutions during these incidents are also on the rise, Cody said, adding it's one aspect of the crime that's not getting reported.
New construction projects suffer because they have to hire security for protection and home and business owners with exposed HVAC systems have told her they've faced repairs in the tens of thousands of dollars.
'They will do $1,000 worth of damage to an EV charging station for $5 worth of copper,' she said.
Evidence of the scope of the problem was on display in Cambridge last week after the city was forced to hire a large clean-up crew to remove several garbage loads of stripped wire and other refuse from a forested area near Speedsville Road.
Among the trash littering the railways and trails running through several properties between Eagle Street North and Highway 401 were the scorched remnants of fires used to melt the wire.
'Stripping of wire by fire is very toxic,' Cody said. 'People are doing it in their garages, their backyards. I've spoken to first responders who are saying how toxic the fire actually is.'
Cody's private members bill would amend the Criminal Code to make any mischief, theft or trafficking in precious metals from essential infrastructure an indictable offence and make those convicted liable to a fine of not more than $10,000 or imprisonment for up to 10 years, or both.
A second or subsequent offence would result in a fine up to $25,000, up to 10 years in prison, or both.
Aggravating circumstances under the new law would include disruption to essential services caused by metal taken from public or private infrastructure, including damage that endangers the life, health or safety of the public.
Current law considers theft under $5,000 a hybrid offence and limits maximum jail time of two years on indictment, six months on summary conviction and fines up to $5,000.
People who get a a summary conviction rarely see jail time and more typically get probation.
Cody said the bill has so far gained widespread support from all parties and she expects it might reach second reading before summer.
Barring any other priorities or opposition, the best case scenario for the bill to achieve royal assent would be early next year.
Courtesy: www.cambridgetoday.ca