Nova ScotiaPolice and companies affected by copper thefts are trying to tackle the problem that’s becoming more pervasive in Nova Scotia. At a town hall meeting in Tatamagouche on Wednesday, RCMP district commander for Colchester County Sgt. Marc Rose called it a significant file. Damaged lines can cause power outages, lost connection to internet and landlinesLuke Ettinger · CBC News · Posted: Nov 18, 2025 3:16 PM EST | Last Updated: 2 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 4 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.RCMP officers compared the damage to telecommunications and power utility infrastructure caused by copper theft to blocking a major highway or sabotaging a bridge. (RCMP)Police and companies affected by copper thefts are trying to tackle the problem that’s becoming more pervasive in Nova Scotia. At a town hall meeting in Tatamagouche on Wednesday, RCMP district commander for Colchester County Sgt. Marc Rose said it is a significant file. “Copper theft and wire theft is huge across the province right now. We’re just inundated in Colchester with that,” said Rose. Officers compared the damage to telecommunications and power utility infrastructure to blocking a major highway or sabotaging a bridge. David Joice, director of network operations with Bell Canada, said while the crime is more common in Ontario and New Brunswick, incidents of copper theft are rising in Nova Scotia. He said there’s been almost 70 cases in 2025 so far, most of which have occured in northern Nova Scotia.“In 2025, we’ve seen twice as many incidents as we saw in 2024 and four times the amount of incidents that we saw in 2023,” Joice said in an interview with CBC News on Friday.That same day, he said some Bell customers in Wentworth, N.S., were experiencing an outage due to copper theft.“Usually these things happen in the middle of the night. That’s when thieves take advantage. There are often alarms, but sometimes not,” he said, adding that security cameras are being installed to deter further theft.”Sometimes we have to hear from customers to hear that their service has been impacted.”How customers are affectedJoice said it can take about 12 hours to repair a cut line. While the role of copper has dwindled as the world moves to fibre optic cables, he said the different strands are often interwoven so thefts can affect both. Some Nova Scotians have temporarily lost connection to internet and landlines, while others have experienced power outages as a result of the theft.It is also dangerous for thieves, as live wires contain more than 25,000 volts of electricity capable of causing injury or death, according to Nova Scotia Power.“We don’t want to see anybody get hurt at any of our facilities. It’s an unsafe place to be,” said Adam King, operations manager for substations at Nova Scotia Power. “The other side of it keeps our employees away from doing good work on the reliability front.”King said the number of thefts “ebbs and flows” and the utility is installing cameras. He said much of Nova Scotia Power’s copper wires have been replaced by an alternative that is primarily steel.“It gives us all the electrical criteria that we need to make, but it’s worth less at the scrapyard,” said King. Nova Scotia Power says theft of copper can be dangerous as live wires contain more than 25,000 volts of electricity. (Mark Crosby/CBC)In Tatamagouche, RCMP said approximately five groups are known to authorities and metal recyclers in the area are co-operating with police.Still, members of the public expressed frustration about those charged with theft being released back into the community.Joice said there’s not enough deterrence to stop the activity, but he hopes the federal government’s proposed bail regime changes will pass, which would make it harder for repeat offenders to get bail.”It’s such a pervasive and such an impactful issue that it needs to stop,” he said.“We’re hoping that all of our tactics and all the efforts made by the Canadian government and other governments are actually starting to take place, and stop this behaviour.”MORE TOP STORIESABOUT THE AUTHORLuke Ettinger is a reporter with CBC Nova Scotia based in Truro. Reach him at luke.ettinger@cbc.ca.
Colchester RCMP ‘inundated’ with copper thefts
