Copper Thieves Targeting Southern Alberta ‘Quite Hard,’ RCMP Say

Police in Alberta are investigating a series of copper thefts that have caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage to farms and industrial operations despite provincial efforts to crack down on scrap-metal theft.

RCMP in the southern Alberta town of Bassano said on Nov. 9 that they were investigating the theft of nearly $100,000 in copper wire from an oil site near the hamlet of Gem, about 130 kilometres east of Calgary.

The theft took place overnight on Oct. 12, leaving extensive damage at the site, police said. Officers collected evidence for forensic testing to help identify the suspects. 

Sgt. Joe Schmidt, detachment commander of the Bassano RCMP, told The Epoch Times that copper theft has been a serious issue since he began working at the detachment four years ago. He said thieves target southern Alberta “quite hard,” and thefts increase as the price of scrap metal rises.

“What I find in Alberta is it’s targeted in specific areas for a short time, and then it moves along. So, you see quick spikes,” Schmidt said.

Schmidt said thieves typically target remote oil and gas sites, although police arrested people this year for stealing metal from irrigation equipment. He noted that the Gem-area site contains more oil and gas infrastructure than just a single pumpjack.

At the site, thieves damaged locks and gates in addition to stealing copper wire, leaving the company facing replacement costs and operational downtime, Schmidt said.

Schmidt said copper and scrap-metal thefts in urban areas are often “crimes of opportunity.” However, in rural areas, the thieves are “very organized” and purposely target remote oil sites.

Schmidt said thieves typically strip insulation from stolen copper wire before selling the metal to scrap dealers. He added that thieves also target catalytic converters.

Schmidt said replacing stolen copper wire valued at $5,000 to $10,000 could cost companies up to $20,000. At larger oil and gas sites, he estimated that replacement costs could reach $200,000.

He said officers believe the Gem site theft may be connected to similar thefts in the area.

Schmidt said police spent seven months investigating the 2025 theft of pivots from irrigation operations before charging three suspects in May 2026. He said pivots, the large, rotating sprinklers, cost $1,500 to $10,000 each, and losses totalled up to $100,000 in material.

Similar Arrests

Alberta RCMP reported on Oct. 6 that they had arrested five people five days earlier in the Fort McMurray area in connection with the theft of $15,000 worth of copper wire from a roadside oil and gas exhibition.

Meanwhile, Edmonton police said on Nov. 5 that they were searching for a suspect in connection with the theft of roughly $80,000 in copper and other stolen property in 2025 and 2026. The police service added that it has received 424 reports of copper-wire theft this year and has made 40 related arrests.

Also, the Calgary Police Service said on April 8 that it arrested a man in connection with the theft of custom vehicle rims and copper piping from refrigeration units at a medical supply centre that caused $400,000 in damages.

Government Efforts

Alberta introduced the Scrap Metal Dealers and Recyclers Identification Act in 2019 to combat metal theft by requiring scrap dealers to verify sellers’ identities, record transactions, and report purchases of specified metals to law enforcement. The province also prohibited cash payments for regulated scrap-metal transactions to make stolen materials easier to trace.

In 2025, the government strengthened the rules by expanding reporting requirements for business-to-business transactions and increasing enforcement measures.