Proposed Brantford bylaw would crack down on copper and scrap metal thefts

The City of Brantford is proposing a bylaw change to address an increase of copper and scrap metal thefts in the community.

According to a report from city staff, thefts of copper and scrap metal continue to plague local businesses.

Over 443 incidents have been reported since 2019.

"About a million dollars in theft over the last two years,” Brantford Mayor Kevin Davis said. “Mainly effecting commercial operators who might have large HVAC units or buildings that are under construction or renovation."

The bylaw proposal is modeled around legislation from Alberta. The change would prohibit certain items from being purchased by scrap yards, like manhole covers, guard rails, street signs or shopping carts. (A full list of the items can be found at the bottom of this article.)

They would also be required to report the following items to police within a day:

• Materials containing copper, in any form, including tubing or rods, from an air-conditioning or heating unit (but not automobile radiators)
• Materials containing bronze, in any form, including a funeral marker or funeral vase or a historical marker
• Metal that bears distinguishing or identifying marks indicating ownership
• Metallic wire that appears to have had insulation or casing removed from it, including metallic wire that has been burned in whole or in part to remove insulation

Davis said the proposal’s goal is to end cash transactions for scrap metal.

"It prohibits scrap dealers from dealing in cash,” he said. “When they're issuing a payment to someone who's brought scrap in, it would have to be by way of a cheque or a money order, or an e-transfer order. In order to do that the person will then have to produce proper identification.”

Current licensing only requires scrap yards to record I.D. information, but they are not required to make sure the I.D. matches with the seller.

Davis believes traceable transactions would remove the chance of a fake I.D. being used.

A letter sent to council from a local HVAC company supporting the bylaw change, said break-ins have cost them around $10,000 in the past year.

“Items stolen are then purchased by the local scrap metal dealers, which we feel is making it all the more attractive for these thieves to steal. We believe shutting the ability for the scrap metal dealers to accept these items is the first step to end the theft,” the letter read.

Salvage yard Brant Scrap Metal, however, wrote to council with concerns about the change. It said the proposal is disproportionately weighted against the sector, by adding an administrative and financial burden.

The company said it already works to fight metal theft by having sellers set up accounts and training its staff on suspicious materials.

The letter went on to say they believe the change will not stop material thefts, as thieves can still sell outside of the City of Brantford or online.

According to the mayor, while he can't stop thieves from selling in other areas, if the bylaw is approved, it could set a precedent across the province.

"It certainly is something we recommend that the province consider implementing provincewide," Davis said.

The change is still only a proposal. City council is expected to discuss it for approval at their next meeting on Nov. 28.

PROHIBITED ITEMS IN THE PROPOSAL

Items that could be prohibited from being purchased by scrap yards:

• A manhole cover
• An electric light pole or other utility structure and its fixtures, wires, and hardware that are readily identifiable as connected to the utility structure
• A guard rail
• A street sign, traffic sign, or traffic signal and its fixtures and hardware
• Communication, transmission, distribution, and service wire from a utility, including copper or aluminum bus bars, connectors, grounding plates, or grounding wire
• Any metal item that is observably marked upon reasonable inspection with any form of the name, initials, or logo of a governmental entity, utility company, cemetery, or railroad
• An aluminum or stainless steel container or bottle designed to hold propane for fueling forklifts
• A stainless steel beer keg
• A brass or bronze commercial valve or fitting, referred to as a “fire department connection and control valve” or an “FDC valve,” that is commonly used on structures for access to water for the purpose of extinguishing fires
• A brass or bronze commercial potable water backflow preventer valve that is commonly used to prevent backflow of potable water from commercial structures into municipal domestic water service systems
• A shopping cart
• A brass water meter
• A storm grate
• A brass sprinkler head used in commercial agriculture