Signal Hill residents on high alert after brass address signs stolen

Several Signal Hill residents say brass plaques bearing their home addresses have been stolen, causing issues for delivery and ride share services, which cannot locate the homes, and raising concerns among community members.

"I guess you always feel like your security is threatened," said Pauline Patenaude, a resident of Signal Hill.  

Security camera footage Patenaude shared with CBC News at the end of June shows a person running across her front lawn as an SUV drives along the street with its trunk open in the early hours of the morning. Both the person and the vehicle then disappear behind a tree.

While her sign was not taken, later that same morning Patenaude noticed the signs on some of her neighbours' properties were missing. She suspects the individual from the footage stole the signs and put them in the vehicle.

"Some of the Amazon drivers were having difficulty finding house addresses," Patenaude said. "They were just knocking on doors trying to figure out which number was which. That's when a number of us got outside and realized how many of them were missing."

According to Federal Metals, a Calgary-based scrap metal recycler, metal sign thefts are not uncommon. Many often contain highly valuable precious metals, such as brass, bronze or copper, that can be melted down and sold to scrap metal buyers. 

Brass and copper, for example, can be sold at a rate of two to four dollars per kilogram, the company's website says.

At the end of June, four bronze plaques were stolen from the Hart House in the nearby neighbourhood of Patterson Heights. The heritage site previously belonged to Stu Hart, the former pro wrestler and creator of Stampede Wrestling.

And in March, residents of Canyon Meadows had copper address signs stolen from their homes.

The government of Alberta introduced legislation in 2020 to make it more difficult for criminals to sell stolen metal to scrap yards. The new law was mainly in response to catalytic converter thefts.

According to Patenaude, roughly 15 homes are missing their address signs, and a plaque marking the entrance to the community is also gone.

The Calgary Police Service told CBC News they have not received any reports of sign thefts in the area. 

An 'ongoing epidemic'

Address signs are not the only ones missing in the community. Two years ago a brass plaque disappeared from the cenotaph in Battalion Park, said Ron Waters, president of the Signal Hill Community Association.

Waters said the city removed a second brass plaque to prevent it from going missing too, and is working to replace the signs with cheaper materials that won't be as attractive to potential thieves — similar to what the city of Cambridge, Ont., did last year. 

In a statement, the City of Calgary said the plaques are expected to be ready for installation by the end of August, and fully replaced by the end of September. 

"We can confirm that the replacement plaques are being fabricated, ensuring consistency with the park's commemorative design and heritage intent," the statement said.

Although the recent slate of missing plaques and address signs have been concentrated around Signal Hill, Waters says the problem extends beyond his community.

"This is kind of an ongoing epidemic throughout Calgary," said Waters. "It's kind of sad that we're seeing this because when people go to the extent of placing a plaque, it's usually in memory of someone special or some significant event."

He added that almost all of the address signs in his community were installed by the original developers in the 1980s. For many residents the signs have just always been there.

"It's almost like having a silent friend commemorating the area of where they live," said Waters.

The signs are expensive to replace, costing up to $400 for a new one, Patenaude said. Many residents are looking at alternative options, such as adding cheaper metal numbers above their garages.

Patenaude said while she and other residents are concerned, the community has banded together.

"Everyone's there to support each other and to discuss it," she said. "You don't feel like you're going at it alone."