By Ahmad Hathout
TORONTO – Bell is suing individuals who were allegedly involved in a scheme to steal its copper equipment and sell them for a profit.
The lawsuit, filed last week in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, alleges that Sylvain Fleury and an unnamed accomplice broke through the protective fences surrounding the telecom’s cellular facilities at seven Ontario sites and stole copper equipment to sell to other unnamed individuals for a profit. The individuals who purchased the equipment are also named in the suit because they allegedly knew the equipment was stolen.
Fleury was arrested by Ontario police in November 2022 and charged with the thefts.
According to the statement of claim, the thefts occurred between around June 2022 and March 2023. “Fleury and John Doe 1 damaged Bell’s property by cutting through fences, forcing open locked gates and prising open locked gates and doors, and stealing copper telecommunications equipment,” the statement said, adding at the time of the thefts, “the price of copper per pound paid by, among others, scrap metal dealers was attractive to sellers.”
The telecom is seeking general damages of $100,000 for trespassing, theft and lost profits; $100,000 in special damages for the copper replacement and the costs to repair damage; and $100,000 in punitive damages. Bell is also asking the court to order Fleury to disclose the “accomplices and co-conspirators” involved.
Bell said there have been more than 170 copper theft incidents to its network over the last 15 months, largely in New Brunswick, Ontario and northern Quebec, resulting in over $3 million in damages and “hundreds of hours” of service interruption.
“The lawsuit is another step we are taking to protect our critical infrastructure against recurring theft and vandalism,” Nick Payant, Bell’s vice president of operational services and core network, said in a press release. “Reliable communications networks are essential for everyone to run their business, stay connected and connect to emergency services.”
Bell added in the release that incidents of copper theft are on the rise.
“Vandals are cutting down telecommunication cables from poles to steal the copper wire and then selling that copper for cash,” Bell said. “Each incident takes on average 10 to 12 hours to repair, and during this time customers may not have access to Internet, TV and home phone, which impacts their ability to reach emergency services.”
The lawsuit comes weeks after the largest telecommunications companies submitted a report to Innovation Canada requesting that the federal government take more action against network facilities damage and theft. The report recommended Parliament introduce a federal law that protects service providers’ “critical and ancillary infrastructure and maximizes criminal penalties in the event of willful or negligent damage to, and/or acts of vandalism or theft of critical network infrastructure.”
“With over 170 incidents of vandalism in the last 15 months, extra alarms, security and support from local law enforcement isn’t enough,” Payant added in the statement. “We need the government’s help in prioritizing increased fines and amendments to the criminal code to protect our critical infrastructure.”
Photo via Bell
