There’s a crime wave sweeping through eastern Canada, and it’s not jewellery or bank notes the thieves are after, but the

copper wire

found in telecom lines.

Such thefts are rising at such an “alarming rate” that

Bell Canada

made a public statement about the “growing crisis that is endangering public safety and disrupting essential communications infrastructure.”

Copper theft is up 23 per cent from a year ago, with Bell reporting more than 2,270 incidents nationwide since 2022.

This is not a victimless crime, says the telecom. Thieves who target the lines for copper are disrupting phone and internet access. Copper thefts now account for 88 per cent of all physical security incidents on its network, with over 500 cases reported in the first half of 2025.

Major Canadian telecoms like Bell and

Telus Corp.

have been replacing copper in recent years with fibre, but the transition is not complete. Damage to copper lines can also harm fibre cables because they are often bundled together.

“Copper theft is a serious crime that directly threatens the safety and well-being of Canadians. These thefts are not just about stolen copper; the perpetrators often damage other infrastructure such as fibre cable and the crime can potentially put lives at risk when people can’t call 911 as a result of the damage,” said Bell’s chief technology officer Mark McDonald

in the release. 

Ontario, New Brunswick and Quebec are the hardest hit, with 63 per cent of all copper thefts occurring in Ontario. Hamilton, Cambridge and Windsor are particular problem areas, said Bell.

Just last week

two people were charged

after telecom wires were cut down near Guelph.

In May, thieves felled 33 hydro poles by the Hound Chute Generating Station near Cobalt, Ont., stripping them of copper wire police say was worth $100,000.

In New Brunswick there have been 80 incidents so far this year, said Bell, with most of them occurring in the Fredericton–Oromocto corridor.

The issue has come before the Senate Transportation and Communications Committee and Bell wants government to amend the Criminal Code to increase penalties. The telecom said it is also accelerating its transition to all-fibre, which now covers 60 per cent of its network.

The world’s third most consumed metal, copper is used in a wide range of industries from building construction to electronic products. One of its biggest drivers in recent years has been electric vehicles.

With surging demand and dwindling supply, the scrap metal market is sometimes referred to as

“the world’s largest copper mine.” 

Prices have been rising since the pandemic, with a surge this year sparked by the threat of

United States tariffs.

The benchmark London price rose to more than three-month high of almost US$10,000 a tonne last week.

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Investors who put their money in real estate, especially condos, two years ago, might wish they chose stocks instead, according to today’s chart from BMO Capital Markets.

BMO argued this case in 2023

, saying TSX stocks had better yields, liquidity, payout growth and tax advantages, while real estate would struggle with cash flow dynamics, building supply and sinking rents.

It’s a trend that has further to run, said BMO senior economist Robert Kavcic this past week.

“While cash flow dynamics in real estate are ‘less bad’ now with mortgage rates and prices both down, they’re still not compelling enough to draw investment in from other asset classes like equities and GoCs — real estate requires a risk premium (though many forgot that).”

Equities on the other hand still have relatively favourable valuations and earnings and dividends should continue to grow if Canada reaches a trade deal with the U.S., boosting the economy, he said.

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With Donald Trump’s tariff war keeping markets on edge, investors may be anxious about their financial plans. Allan Norman for

FP Answers explains

the three steps of the planning process — life planning, financial planning and financial advice — to get you what you want and keep it, no matter what happens.

Send us your summer job search stories

Recently, we published a feature on the

death of the summer job

as student unemployment reaches crisis levels. We want to hear directly from Canadians aged 15-24 about their summer job search.

Send us your story, in 50-100 words, and we’ll publish the best submissions in an upcoming edition of the Financial Post.

You can submit your story by email to

fp_economy@postmedia.com

under the subject heading “Summer job stories.” Please include your name, your age, the city and province where you reside, and a phone number to reach you.

Are you worried about having enough for retirement? Do you need to adjust your portfolio? Are you starting out or making a change and wondering how to build wealth? Are you trying to make ends meet? Drop us a line at wealth@postmedia.com with your contact info and the gist of your problem and we’ll find some experts to help you out while writing a Family Finance story about it (we’ll keep your name out of it, of course).

McLister on mortgages

Want to learn more about mortgages? Mortgage strategist Robert McLister’s

Financial Post column

can help navigate the complex sector, from the latest trends to financing opportunities you won’t want to miss. Plus check his

mortgage rate page

for Canada’s lowest national mortgage rates, updated daily.

Financial Post on YouTube

Visit the Financial Post’s

YouTube channel

for interviews with Canada’s leading experts in business, economics, housing, the energy sector and more.

Today’s Posthaste was written by Pamela Heaven with additional reporting from Financial Post staff, The Canadian Press and Bloomberg.

Have a story idea, pitch, embargoed report, or a suggestion for this newsletter? Email us at 

posthaste@postmedia.com

.

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