What will it take to end copper theft — and the havoc it wreaks — in B.C.?
CBC
Copper may no longer be used to make Canadian coins, but thieves who target the valuable metal still cost British Columbians a pretty penny.
The rose-coloured hardware is found in electrical wiring, transformers and pipes, and can be sold for anywhere from $2 to $4 per pound — making homes, construction sites and public infrastructure a prime target for thieves.
The safety risks theft carries were made painfully clear earlier this year, when RCMP said theft-weakened copper gas lines in downtown Prince George caused an explosion that sent three people to hospital, one of whom sustained severe burns all over her body.
But despite B.C. Hydro reporting an 80 per cent drop in thefts in the last decade, experts and metal recyclers say the province needs more than current laws to counteract the metal's persistent allure and keep people safe.
"It's really, to me, an unspoken crime," said Tyler Mierzwa, a criminology masters student and researcher at Simon Fraser University.
"Everyone knows it happens, but they don't really know the consequences."
Copper theft on public infrastructure has decreased drastically in B.C. since 2012, when a new law aimed at making it harder to sell stolen copper came into force.
B.C. Hydro says 63 recorded incidents of copper theft cost the Crown utility about $495,000 in stolen property and repairs in the last two years, down from about $1 million in damage annually in 2012.
The Metal Dealers and Recyclers Act (MDRA) requires sellers to show ID, and metal dealers not to use cash for payments over $50.
Dealers also need to record every transaction, and alert police if they have reasonable grounds to believe goods are stolen.
"The police have the authority to investigate and recommend criminal charges related to metal theft," said a spokesperson for the B.C. ministry of public safety and solicitor general in a November statement to CBC News.
B.C. Hydro says it has also been installing protective measures at key infrastructure locations, and using security teams and law enforcement to encourage the public to report potential crimes.
There is no clear estimate of how many people in B.C. have been injured or killed due to copper theft. WorkSafeBC says it doesn't specifically track workplace injuries or deaths related to the crime.
But some scrappers and experts say the laws are insufficient and onerous, driving business away from law-abiding buyers and towards an active unregulated market.
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