Bell Canada reports nearly 1900 acts of vandalism on its facilities in eastern Canada, 90 % of which are linked to copper flight. Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean is particularly targeted by criminals.
Quebec is second in the provinces where the number of copper flights is among the highest, mainly in the region.
The Saguenay stands out as the region with the most cable flights in Quebec.
Copper cables are those that provide access to the Internet and telephony. They are heavy, long and electricity loaded.
These numerous constraints do not prevent some criminals from stealing them.
Each flight can cause major breakdowns that have very real consequences for the network of the telecommunications company.
The Bell Canada brand.
Photo: Canadian press / Sean Kilpatrick
This affects centers like 9-1-1 and fire services […] In most cases, we can talk about broken 10 to 12 hours to be repaired. So it’s not something that is done quickly
underlines the director of operations and external services for Bell Canada, Mario Barbieri.
Copper theft has become more lucrative in recent years. Between 2020 and 2025, its book price increased from $ 2.50 to almost $ 5.
It is sure that it becomes something more interesting. Then there are people who are ready to take a little more risk to be able to get their hands on copper, at the price that has increased recently
Admet Mario Barbieri.
Vigilant recyclers
The recovery centers, they are tightening their controls to better trace the origin of materials and other coveted materials.
Our system tells us that such a person has come to sell us such material and we see exactly what is sold, quantities and invoice.
Steve Larouche is the managing director of Lac-Saint-Jean Métal.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Maltais Jasmine
A solution to the problem
Bell begins a transition to optical fiber, a material with a low resale value, which helps to counter these flights.
The intention that we have to answer this problem is the acceleration of the program [de mise en place de la fibre optique].
