Copper Theft Crackdown: Bell Achieves Major Legal Milestone Amid Rising Incidents

• Bell secures Québec's first default judgment in copper theft case, totalling $24,000
• Bell recorded 1,275 copper theft incidents in 2025, an approximate 40% increase year-over-year

Bell welcomes the decision of the Court of Québec from November 26 that affirms the seriousness of copper theft through the awarding of compensatory and punitive damages for the first time in Québec. Bell has obtained a default judgment of $24,000, marking a significant milestone in the fight against this crime that disrupts essential services for thousands of customers.

This decision reinforces the importance of protecting essential telecommunications infrastructure and holding offenders accountable. The ruling comes after the theft of copper in Chicoutimi on January 2, 2024 resulted in 94 customers losing internet service for over 36 hours. The Court awarded $19,000 in compensatory damages for network repairs and $5,000 in punitive damages, underscoring the seriousness of the offence and its consequences. 

Several factors contributed to the awarding of punitive damages, including the severity of the impact and danger to public safety, the profits the defendant gained from reselling copper, the significant threat that copper theft poses to telecommunications infrastructures and customers, and the defendant's criminal conviction.

Copper theft: a growing concern

In 2025 alone, Bell recorded 1,275 copper theft incidents, an approximate 40% increase year-over-year.

Copper theft has been escalating across Canada, creating growing concern for communities and telecommunications providers alike. These thefts not only result in expensive repairs but also jeopardize connectivity for thousands of customers and put public safety at risk as 911 services can be disrupted.

Bell is also taking decisive action to combat this growing threat:

• Installing alarms that alert police to infrastructure tampering.
• Deploying additional security guards and surveillance cameras.
• Working closely with law enforcement and pursuing legal action against offenders.
• Completing the transition of 60% of Bell's footprint to a pure fibre network.

If you have any information related to copper theft, please submit a tip anonymously and confidentially to your local Crime Stoppers program by calling 1-800-222-TIPS. You can also leave a secure webtip on the program's website. To find your local program, visit canadiancrimestoppers.org.