White Paper: Copper Theft from Canada's Electricity Infrastructure

Expensive, dangerous, and a threat to reliability

Each and every year there are hundreds of copper thefts across the country which have resulted in power outages, increased costs to utilities that are ultimately passed on to Canadians, injuries, and in some cases, even deaths. As the voice of the Canadian electricity sector since 1891, the Canadian Electricity Association (CEA) believes further action must be taken to deter copper theft in Canada. Decision-makers at all levels of government must begin to work together to address this serious and dangerous issue. This paper will outline, in detail, the dangers of copper theft, its costs, and its threat to system reliability. It will also provide an overview of actions that have been taken so far by the electricity sector, by stakeholders, and by provinces to combat copper theft, and it will outline four detailed recommendations that CEA believes are vital to deterring copper thefts in Canada.