Copper wire thefts leaving rural N.S. residents without phone, internet service

Some residents in the rural Nova Scotia communities of Joggins and Lower Cove spent the past weekend without landline and internet services after copper lines belonging to Bell Canada were cut and stolen.

Locals say there have been at least five similar thefts of copper wire in the last year.

Laurie Glenn Norris said her 93-year-old dad lives in Lower Cove and has lost access to his landline phone — sometimes for days at a time. Bell is one of only a few providers available to residents in the Cumberland County communities. 

"I am very concerned about him and other senior citizens in the area who … can't call 911 if the line is down or call for help to a neighbour if something happens," said Norris, who lives in River Hebert, N.S.

Norris said the copper lines tend to be cut during weekends and it takes several days for Bell technicians to repair them.

Residents angry, says councillor

Carrie Lee, the councillor for the district, said she has heard from residents frustrated with the continued copper thefts that is stripping the area of an outside connection. 

"Morale is really down. People are scared, they're angry, they're frustrated. And I mean, I think people need to realize it's not the same as other areas. When they lose access to that, they lose access to everything that connects them to the outside," said Lee. 

Lee said residents have recommended Bell Canada install trail cameras on their poles to capture and potentially deter thieves.

In P.E.I., Maritime Electric said last month it is working with Charlottetown Police Services to install surveillance cameras at electrical substations to hopefully curb copper wire thefts.

Lee said she's unsure if that's the answer in Cumberland County, but no other solutions have been offered from Bell or the RCMP. 

"I don't know if they're necessary or what the solution is, but there doesn't seem to be any talks of one," said Lee. 

Bell apologizes to customers

In a statement Monday, Bell told CBC News that it expected to have the repairs completed by end of day. It noted that copper theft is on the rise.

"Our teams have been working as quickly as possible to repair the damage," said the statement. "We apologize for the inconvenience."

Allie Duguay, a nursing student who lives in Joggins, doesn't use a landline, but she depends on the internet to supplement the poor cellphone service in the area.

"It's the internet portion of it that's a big factor for me," she said. "Typically I rely on my Wi-Fi for calling in any event that someone needs to contact me."

'A very vulnerable spot'

She said the recurring loss of internet service has interfered with her online nursing program. Duguay said she missed an exam and has had to drive to find good cellphone service to do online schoolwork in her vehicle using her mobile hotspot. 

She is calling on Bell Canada to do more to secure their lines to prevent this from happening again.

As of Monday afternoon, she and other residents of Joggins and Lower Cove were still waiting for Bell technicians to conduct repairs, leaving residents "in a very vulnerable spot," she said.

"It's only a matter of time until something happens and somebody's life is put on the line because of this," said Duguay.

RCMP told CBC News they are aware of the thefts and investigations are ongoing.