Allen Siyou Wu says he was naive about what can happen to home building sites in Windsor.
But now that his student housing project has been hit by vandals and copper wire thieves on four separate occasions so far this summer, he’s wondering how crimes like these continue to happen.
“It is very surprising. We know the government, they [are] encouraging everybody to build a house, because we have a housing shortage in Canada, right? But they’re not putting anything to support us,” Wu told CBC Windsor.
“We can’t fight bureaucracy, right? But at least they can put some more patrol in the middle of the night. Like, we can send our cops here. That’s what I’m hoping for, as a bare minimum.”
Wu and his business partners are in the midst of building new student residences on Bridge Avenue, a few blocks from the University of Windsor campus.
The project consists of a matching pair of three-level homes, each with eight bedrooms. Wu estimates the total investment in the property at around $1.6 million.
The thefts have been occurring overnight, when chunks of electrical cable have been cut and removed from framing. The repair work has cost the project thousands of dollars. Wu has reported the thefts to police, though Windsor police did not respond to a request for comment.
Wu said that in the latest incident, nothing was taken: The perpetrators caused senseless damage. A neighbour’s surveillance camera recorded at least four individuals meeting up on the sidewalk before entering the home.
“We don’t know if they’re homeless, or just random teenagers who just want to screw things up,” Wu lamented. “They just cause chaos.”
Copper wire theft up by 78% over last year, Bell says
After the second incident, Wu emailed the mayor’s office, asking if the City of Windsor could provide any guidance or support on the issue.
“We understand your concerns and recognize that other property owners across the city have been experiencing similar issues,” the mayor’s office replied, in an email that was also sent to CBC Windsor.
“We encourage you to consider hiring one of the many private security providers throughout the city.”
Wu told CBC Windsor that he and his partners were already frustrated by how much they’ve spent on building application and inspection fees — in the range of $20,000 to $30,000.
Now they’re feeling like there have been more obstacles than there has been help for their housing-creation efforts.
“I just feel like this is something that we have to pay our attention to,” Wu said. “This doesn’t happen just to us. It happened to every single site near the University of Windsor. Everything construction site, it happened — the same thing. This is very disappointing.”
Sarnia police warn against copper theft, following recent string of incidents
Norbert Bolger, chair of the Windsor-Essex Home Builders’ Association, isn’t surprised to learn of Wu’s complaints: He’s heard similar from his members.
“Unfortunately, it’s more common than what we think. It’s something that we kind of have to deal with,” Bolger said. “And in certain areas, it’s worse than others.”
While Bolger agrees that four incidents at one location is “horrible,” he thinks the suggestion to hire security is reasonable: Many of his association’s members have done so at their work sites, including surveillance cameras and guard patrols.
“Actually, it’s happened to myself and our company over the years,” said Bolger, who owns NOR-BUILT Construction in Amherstburg. “Like everything else, it’s just the cost of doing business.”
Asked if he has any advice for Wu, Bolger replied: “Hurry up. Get it finished.”
“It sounds like he’s new to the business… It’s a learning curve, unfortunately.”
Urgent action needed to address copper thefts, says Senate committee
Copper wire theft isn’t only a local or regional issue. The problem is being discussed at the federal level.
In April, representatives from public utility and telecommunications companies warned a Senate committee that the rising prevalence of the crime puts essential infrastructure at risk.
Sarnia police recently warned about copper theft, and utility provider Enwin says that copper theft has resulted in about $250,000 worth of repairs to streetlights and electricity distribution infrastructure in Windsor this year.
Last year, Bell Canada declared Windsor a hotspot for copper theft.
Some municipalities are beefing up their bylaws to address the issue. In June, the Municipality of Chatham-Kent announced new requirements for salvage yards and other businesses that buy scrap metal.
Among those requirements: Payments for “higher-risk materials” such as copper, bronze or metallic wire must be made through traceable methods, and transaction records must be maintained by salvage businesses for a longer period.
Windsor considers bylaw to crack down on copper thefts
Windsor city council is considering similar enhancement of regulation — such as banning cash transactions on scrap copper.
