Ontario construction business, communications tower latest targets of copper theft
The Ontario Provincial Police say a local construction business and a communications tower are the latest sites to be targeted for copper thefts.
Police said there was a “significant theft of copper wire” from a construction yard in Temiskaming Shores, just north of Sudbury.
Officers responded to the yard on July 11 but police said the theft happened sometime between July 6 and 11.
Police 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, police noted the total loss is expected to be higher once repair costs and machinery downtime are factored in.
Meanwhile, police are also looking into 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.
Police said the tower is situated within a fenced compound secured with padlocks and chains.
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“Upon inspection, the enclosure was found unsecured, and the locking mechanisms were missing,” police allege.
Police said the tower stands between two buildings that has 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 allege.
Anyone with information on either incident, including suspicious sightings or activity, is asked to contact police.
In relation to the communications tower copper theft incident, police said there is a possible cash reward of up to $2,000 for information.
Copper theft on the rise in Canada
Earlier this month, four Ontario men were charged after 33 hydro poles cut down for their copper in a rural area of Ontario.
Police in Durham Region issued a warning in May about copper thefts happening from air conditioners and heat pump units in Oshawa. Police said they had received 22 reported incidents since the beginning of the year.
Telecommunications companies such as Bell Canada and Telus said they have noted an increase in copper thefts.
Bell Canada said copper thefts has grown at an “astronomical rate” over the past few years in Canada and that a large portion of the thefts are happening in east end of the country.
Telus reported a 58 per cent increase in 2024 from 2023 in the amount of copper thefts in Alberta. In Edmonton specifically there was a 238 per cent increase in copper thefts.
Bell Canada says copper theft has grown at an astronomical rate over the past few years in Canada, with a large portion of the thefts occurring in the east end of the country.
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Spirits maker Diageo will cease operations at its bottling facility in Amherstburg, Ont., early next year, as it shifts some bottling volume to the U.S., the company announced on Thursday.
The facility, which bottles Crown Royal products, will close in February in a move aimed at improving its North American supply chain.
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About 200 jobs will be affected.
“This was a difficult decision, but one that is crucial to improving the efficiency and resiliency of our supply chain network,” Marsha McIntosh, Diageo’s president of North America supply, said in a statement.
Diageo said it will engage with the community and find ways to support its employees through the transition, and work alongside Unifor to assist unionized workers.
The company said it will still maintain a “significant” footprint in Canada — including its headquarters and warehouse operations in the Greater Toronto Area, and bottling and distillation facilities in Manitoba and Quebec.
McIntosh added the company’s Crown Royal products will continue to be mashed, distilled and aged at its Canadian facilities.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
Toronto police say a 33-year-old man has been charged with attempted murder after allegedly striking two men with his car Wednesday evening.
Officers say they responded to reports of a collision in the area of Don Mills Road and Gateway Boulevard in the city’s North York neighbourhood just before 10:30 p.m.
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Police say two men got into an argument, leading to one man getting into his car and hitting the other man with it.
They say the man then put his car into reverse, striking a second man.
A man in his 50s was transported to hospital with serious injuries and the second man, in his 20s, had minor injuries.
Police say the suspect from Markham, Ont., faces several other charges as well, including two counts of assault with a weapon, uttering threats and dangerous driving.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
A court document shows a Lindsay, Ont., man facing charges for allegedly breaking into an apartment was carrying a crossbow when he was confronted by a tenant.
The resident, Jeremy David McDonald, is also facing assault charges in the incident on Aug. 18 — a fact that has generated widespread interest in the case.
Police information filed in court alleges that Michael Kyle Breen damaged a window and screen at McDonald’s home and carried a crossbow.
The court document says the 41-year-old Breen is charged with break and enter, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, mischief under $5,000 and failing to comply with a probation order.
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Police have said that Breen, who is scheduled to appear in court for a bail hearing next week, was already wanted for unrelated offences.
McDonald, the 44-year-old resident, was charged with aggravated assault and assault with a weapon after he allegedly “did endanger the life” of Breen.
Premier Doug Ford blasted the decision to charge the apartment resident, saying last week that it shows “something is broken.”
Kawartha Lakes Police Chief Kirk Robertson wrote in a statement Wednesday that he recognizes the incident has generated significant public interest and “emotional” responses, but called some of the reaction “unjust and inaccurate.”
Robertson wrote that individuals have the right to defend themselves and their property, but the law requires that any defensive action be proportionate to the threat faced.
“This means that while homeowners do have the right to protect themselves and their property, the use of force must be reasonable given the circumstances,” he wrote.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
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