'Where are all the lights?': Copper wire thefts on the rise as Edmonton thieves target street lights and utilities

Edmontonians have endured a recent string of street light and utility outages as thieves are making off with wires and cables — some of which aren’t worth a dime.

Anne Martin, vice-president of network engineering and operations with Telus, said 30 pedestals (utility boxes) have been broken into in three weeks’ time.

Thieves are after valuable copper wire, which can be sold quickly to scrap metal dealers for cash.

Wire thefts targeting company infrastructure have been climbing across Canada, rising by more than 800 per cent in five years, according to Martin. But Edmonton and the rest of the province have been a hot spot.

“Alberta is the epicentre of this.”

From September through October, copper theft and vandalism in the city have hit Kaskitayo, Mill Woods, Twin Brooks, Castle Downs and the South-East Industrial Park the hardest, Telus said.

When infrastructure is targeted, it can take anywhere from hours to days for repairs, and Martin said the cost doesn’t affect only the company.

“You can potentially take out an entire community, and you’re cutting off 911 access, emergency services access. So it’s a fairly significant public safety concern,” she added.

But while thieves are after copper wire, Martin said they’re often cutting out fibre optic cables, too, which have zero scrap value.

Ward Nakota Isga Coun. Reed Clarke said he’s noticed recent outages in his ward near Grovenor, North Glenora, and specifically around 142 Street.

“I was like, ‘Where are all the lights? What’s going on here?’ ” Clarke said.

Similar to what Telus is reporting, he said thieves are targeting lights even when they have no copper inside.

Chelsea Keelan, director for technical and regulatory services for parks and roads with the city, said damage to street lights has been quite severe and has required more time for repairs than usual.

“The city is now using preventive measures, including locks on street light poles in locations where wire theft is occurring and installing aluminum wire in place of copper to help mitigate future damage and outages,” Keelan said.

Meanwhile, Todd Janes, director of the Stony Plain Road Business Improvement Area, said it’s not uncommon to see a panel missing at the base of a city street lamp, which can mean a person was checking for copper wire. However, he said businesses have also been targeted.

“For our organization, it’s already a tough go for businesses. And when they have their property damaged and then copper wires stripped, it’s significant,” Janes said.

Telus has been upping its security in the wake of all the thefts, using alarms, cameras and proprietary locks. In crime hot spots, the company has started placing physical guards on the scene and switching over to fibre cables when possible, Martin said.

But both Martin and Janes are calling for tougher regulations on scrap-metal buyers.

“Ending cash payments, to requiring mandatory ID checks. There’s been recent legislation in Alberta specifically regarding scrap-metal dealers, but we definitely need that consistent enforcement across all jurisdictions,” Martin said.

She also said punishments need to be tougher for those who impact “life-saving” infrastructure.

Janes and Clarke both said focusing on the source of the money — the scrap buyers — will disincentivize people from committing the thefts.

Clarke said he’s started to look into options for what bylaws could help.

Until then, some businesses are putting up signs on their property saying, “No Copper Inside,” letting vandals know their efforts would be in vain.

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