ManitobaNot-for-profits along Selkirk Avenue say copper has been stolen out of their HVAC units in a series of thefts. They’re calling for better enforcement of the Scrap Metal Act, as well as more efforts to address the root causes of petty crime.HVAC units at Urban Circle Training Centre, North End Women’s Centre stripped of copper and other partsMike Arsenault · CBC News · Posted: Sep 05, 2025 6:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours agoVikkie Brown on the roof of Urban Circle Training Centre in Winnipeg, where all nine of the training centre’s HVAC units have been stripped of their copper. (Darin Morash/CBC)Some not-for-profit organizations along Selkirk Avenue in north Winnipeg are frustrated after a rash of vandalism and metal theft that’s cost them thousands of dollars.The staff at Urban Circle Training Centre — which provides education and training services to First Nations, Métis and Inuit clients — noticed their building was particularly hot after they returned to work from summer break. When they went up to the roof of the building, they found some of its HVAC units were broken and missing parts.”Our heating and cooling guys came here to check them out, and they told us that they were stripped for the copper,” said Vikkie Brown, the centre’s director of operations. “I guess there’s little pipes in there that have copper and they took them.”A couple of weeks later, the centre’s units were targeted again, she said. All nine units were stripped of copper and other parts, leaving behind an empty metal shell.It’s disheartening to be the target of petty theft by people in the community, said Brown.Two of the damaged HVAC units on the roof of Urban Circle Training Centre. (Darin Morash/CBC)”A lot of people in the community know what we’re about and what we do here. We’re an education centre and we’re bettering people’s lives, and we would think that they wouldn’t do something like that.”Urban Circle installed cameras and an alarm on the building’s roof, hoping that will deter people from damaging the building for a quick buck.The training centre would also like to see government and law enforcement crack down on metal theft.Theft takes away from services: Women’s CentreUrban Circle would also like to see the province’s Scrap Metal Act used to make it harder for people to buy and sell stolen metal, which is typically sold to scrapyards for quick cash.The Scrap Metal Act was implemented in 2022,under the former Progressive Conservative government. Though initially intended to crack down on catalytic converter theft, it applies to all metals.The legislation requires scrapyards to keep records of transactions involving used items made out of copper, iron, steel and other metals.But further east down Selkirk Avenue, the North End Women’s Centre has been dealing with the same issue as Urban Circle.Over the last couple of months, three of the women’s centre’s HVAC units have been stripped of their copper. One was dismantled almost entirely.Executive director Cynthia Drebot said the deductible for the resource centre’s insurance is high because it operates out of two buildings. Even though the damage to the units is costing thousands of dollars, it’s not enough to make a claim, she said.”When things like that happen, our money has to go to repairing costs,” said Drebot.”It takes away from the services we’re doing for community. And anything we spend on things … that we weren’t anticipating, we have to find the money somewhere, so it comes from something.”Cynthia Drebot, executive director of the North End Women’s Centre in Winnipeg, closes the gate the resource centre had to install after being the target of copper theft multiple times. (Darin Morash/CBC)Drebot said targeting metal theft won’t solve the problem. She believes the city needs to address the root causes of petty crime.”Cracking down on metal [theft] isn’t the root cause, but looking at how to support communities that are living in really low-income situations is,” she said.Justice Minister Matt Wiebe said the provincial NDP government is looking at ways to improve the Scrap Metal Act so it can deter copper theft the same way it deterred catalytic converter theft.”There’s ways that we can do that again, in conjunction with industry, in conjunction with community, and in this case in conjunction with business owners,” said Wiebe.”We’re more than happy to look at that, because we have had success with the catalytic converter legislation, and I think if there’s opportunities like that, we’re going to take them.”Wiebe said his government is also developing a security rebate program for businesses to help with security and repair costs.CBC reached out to Winnipeg Police Service for comment but didn’t receive a response prior to publication.
Selkirk Avenue not-for-profits plagued by rash of copper thefts
