Daily BrewB.C. legislation aims to curb rising problem of metal theft
British Columbia is moving to curb metal thieves with a new law the government hopes will make it harder for criminals to sell to scrap dealers.
Metal theft is a global problem, linked to high prices for commodities such as copper and the apparently insatiable demand of China's economy.
It goes from merely a nuisance to dangerous as criminals rip out sections of telecommunications cable and even live high-voltage lines.
Earlier this year, a man was found dead at a Hydro-Quebec facility near Quebec City. Police believe he was electrocuted trying to strip copper from a power pylon.
A few years ago, thieves ripped copper from the roofs, gutters and wiring of four Quebec City churches.
And last year, thieves stole a 135-kilogram bronze bell from a Shelburne, Nova Scotia memorial but a tip sent police to a Halifax scrapyard to recover it.
The problem has been particularly acute in British Columbia, where thieves have preyed on everything from memorial plaques to playground equipment. Power and telecom lines are favoured targets, such as an incident last month when thieves cut a section of Telus cable, causing wires to fall across the Trans-Canada Highway and force its closure.
The B.C. government introduced a bill in the legislature this week requiring anyone selling high-value metals to identify themselves to scrap dealers, who would have to share that information with the police.
Metal theft causes millions of dollars in damage annually, Solicitor General Shirley Bond said, not to mention the risks of cutting off people from contact with emergency services.
"We recognize provincial legislation alone will not solve the entire problem," said Bond. "Our proposed legislation is just the first step. We will complement it with other strategies, including encouraging the federal government to develop tougher legislation regarding the impact of metal theft on critical infrastructure."
Under the proposed law - which B.C. says is the first of its kind in Canada - scrap dealers would have to record information about those who sell to them, including names, addresses and phone numbers, as a precondition of sale. Police would be given access to the information.
Government spokesman Dave Cunningham said the number of reported thefts of Telus cable has doubled in the last year and the problem will only get worse if copper prices continue to soar as predicted.
Police will still need a court order to see personal details of metal sellers but in the past they had no way to compel scrapyards from keeping that information or turning it over to them.
The new law has support in scrap-metal industry.
"We run a respectable and responsible metal-recycling business and we've been complying with almost everything in that legislation," said Gary Bartlett, who manages a Victoria scrapyard.
"This legislation ... levels the field and makes sure everybody is doing their best to combat theft and assure the public that we are, as an industry, doing our best."
