Province introduces law to curb scrap metal thefts
Posted Nov 10, 2011 01:50:35 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The province is introducing new legislation targeted at scrap metal thieves. Justice Minister Ross Landry says the ‘Safe Collection of Scrap Metal Act’ will make it harder for thieves to sell their stolen goods.
The proposed legislation requires scrap metal dealers and recyclers to keep track of all transactions, including the identity of the seller.
Landry says sellers could face a $5,000 fine or a year behind bars if they don’t show valid I.D. when taking metal and copper into the dealer.
“When (dealers) see suspicious items, they could call the police. They have that option,” he says. “If (dealers) felt uncomfortable and they had purchased (metal or copper), they have the option to turn you away and not purchase your item.”
Landry says it could take up to a year before all regulations under the act are in place.
Liberal Justice Critic Michel Samson doesn’t think the legislation will work.
“The government here is trying to regulate an industry that’s not regulated. The only people who are known as scrap metal dealers are those who self-identify. There’s no licensing, there’s no means of government knowing who’s even doing this,” he says. “The dealers themselves will tell you, the illegal items are not coming to them. They are coming to those who are operating in their backyards out of a pick-up truck.”
The province says police investigate more than 300 cases of copper and metal theft each year.
