New bill targets theft of scrap metal in Manitoba

Manitoba wants to crack down on the theft of scrap metal in the province.

On Thursday, new legislation was introduced with the goal of deterring the resale of stolen scrap metal. Justice Minister Cameron Friesen said stolen scrap metal can be resold quickly by thieves, making it hard to trace and investigate. He added it is extremely costly to the electricity, construction, telecommunication and industrial sectors in the province.

"Metal theft is an increasing concern in Manitoba that affects public safety and can be extremely costly to individuals and business owners," said Friesen in a news release.

The new legislation would require scrap metal dealers to record identifying information about the seller, as well as details about transactions.

Dealers will also have to report information about legislated items that are considered highly vulnerable to law enforcement and hold on to that information for two years.

The act will also prohibit the use of cash for highly vulnerable items, regardless of value.

The province said the bill contains exceptions to ensure it is not overly burdensome on legitimate sellers and does not apply to items at a lower risk of being stolen and resold.

Friesen said the department undertook a two-month public and stakeholder engagement in the fall of 2020 and the majority of respondents were in favour of enacting new scrap metal sales legislation.

Manitoba Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont, speaking during a break from Question Period, said this legislation could put a dent in the number of thefts across the province.

“We have property crime increases of up to 300 per cent, because people were just going into yards, stealing people’s bikes, chopping them up, and selling them at the scrap metal dealer in the neighbourhood,” he said. “This is a way of regulating it.”