Damaged railway crossings due to incidents of copper theft: Pictou RCMP
Posted Jun 29, 2026 01:00:02 PM.
Last Updated Jun 30, 2026 01:06:37 PM.
Police in Pictou County are investigating multiple reports of copper theft, which damaged equipment at railway crossings.
On June 10, 17 and 22, Mounties responded to reports of damage that appeared to have been deliberately caused as part of attempts to steal copper from the electrical systems.
Police said this kind of damage impacts functionality at railway crossings, which is a “significant public safety risk” as it can prevent it from properly warning drivers of approaching trains.
Anyone with information, including scrap dealers who may have accepted parts that came from this equipment, is asked to contact RCMP or Crime Stoppers.
Increase in thefts across Atlantic Canada
There has been a surge in copper wire thefts across the country as Bell logged 1,275 incidents related to thefts of the metal from its network in 2025.
Rogers said the total number of outage hours related to vandalism in its networks, which includes attempted copper thefts, has increased by 400 per cent since 2022.
It pushed an Ontario MP to push for a crackdown on scrap yards that buy stolen copper wire. She introduced a private member’s bill in the House of Commons that would make it a crime for scrap metal dealers to trade, traffic or have for sale any scrap metal that was known to be stolen, punishable by a fine of up to $10,000 and a jail sentence of up to two years.
In Nova Scotia, dealers are not required to ask anyone trying to sell copper for identification, contrary to laws in New Brunswick.
Rogers is the parent company of CityNews Halifax.
With files from Sarah Smellie, The Canadian Press.
