Policy & Positions Manual

Provincial Issues - Public Safety and Solicitor General

Tackling the Impact of Metal Theft on BC’s Economy (2011)

While metal theft is not a new problem for businesses and communities in BC, it is escalating due to the fact that it has not been affectively addressed.  Prices of many metals on the black market continue to increase, in conjunction with the criminal activity that accompanies this activity.  Many of BC’s key industries in communication, transportation and energy are the most heavily impacted.  Businesses and consumers face increased costs as a consequence of the high levels of vandalism and black market activity involving theft and re-sale.  Damaged infrastructure needs replacement, public safety is at risk, and the lives of many BC residents are negatively impacted.

There have been many attempts by local governments to curtail these activities, with modest success.  By-laws are in effect in Vancouver, Surrey, Kelowna, Chilliwack and Richmond.  However, having individual municipalities create their own bylaws on an ad-hoc basis creates an inconsistent and porous patchwork that is unable to prevent this underground economy from thriving and expanding.  The real need for province-wide legislation is still missing.

The Chamber believes that only provincial legislation can effectively address the issue of metal theft in BC, and that municipal bylaws cannot effectively deal with this problem.  Provincial legislation would remove the current patchwork system and approach which many are able to exploit, and replace it with a comprehensive system that could address this problem at its root.

The key is to interdict the problem at the scrap yards.  Many metal operators are legitimate, but there are many who will buy suspicious, if not obviously stolen, materials.  A major aspect of many bylaws currently in place is to require that cash payments are withheld at the point of sale, and to require the scrap yards to retain the goods for periods ranging from 6 to 21 days before processing.  This approach, however, does not go far enough, nor is it consistent across municipal boundaries.

Through consultation with our membership across a number of sectors, the Chamber has identified several initiatives that would directly address this issue:

  • License all companies and individuals buying and selling scrap metal, with the requirement for criminal records checks;
  • Prohibit cash sales.  All remuneration for purchases should be made electronically to established bank accounts held by licensed scrap agents or dealers;
  • Introduce a waiting period before payouts are made;
  • Allow special circumstances for contractors wishing to sell scrap products from their building sites; and
  • Increase the penalty for intentionally stealing any or all metal products.


THE CHAMBER RECOMMENDS

That the Provincial Government assign ministry staff to work with representatives in sectors currently feeling the brunt of metal theft, with the goal to developing a comprehensive strategy, including draft legislation, to coordinate a comprehensive approach to combat this problem.