Ontario Construction News staff writer
A Northern Ontario construction business and a communications tower are the latest sites to be targeted for copper thefts, OPP report.
A “significant theft of copper wire” happened sometime between July 6 and 11 at a construction yard in Temiskaming Shores, a town just north of Sudbury.
Officers found a substantial quantity of copper wire was removed from heavy machinery that was stored at the back of the construction yard, including multiple rock crushers and conveyors.
The value of the stolen materials is estimated to be more than $40,000, police said.
However, the total loss is expected to be higher once repair costs and machinery downtime are included, police said.
Police are also investigating two separate incidents of copper theft from a communications tower in Corbeil, just outside of North Bay, early on July 14 and on July 16.
The tower is located inside a fenced compound that was secured with padlocks and chains.
“Upon inspection, the enclosure was found unsecured, and the locking mechanisms were missing,” police said, adding the tower stands between two buildings with cables running up from both structures and that the cables “appear to have been cut using a power tool.”
“It is believed that the tower was then climbed and the opposite ends of the cables were also severed,” police said.
Anyone with information on either incident, including suspicious sightings or activity, is asked to contact police.
Several thefts have been reported at construction sites across Ontario, including:
Guelph (Hanlon Creek Boulevard industrial site) – More than 36 metres of installed copper wire was cut out and removed from a new industrial building under construction at 350 Hanlon Creek Blvd on May 5. Entry was forced through a gate and plywood barrier.
Guelph (homes under construction near Speedvale Ave W & Kathleen St) -Two homes were entered March 3 or 4, and copper wire valued at around $20 was stolen, causing up to $40,000 in rewiring costs per home.
Collingwood (Stewart Road construction/commercial site) – In April, OPP reported theft of over $20,000 worth of copper wire from a fenced commercial or construction site in Collingwood, Ontario. Article published April 29, 2025.