A call for people across Windsor to keep their eyes open and be aware following a significant number of copper wire thefts this month across the city.
Ward 4 Councillor Mark McKenzie is making the call after a number of copper wire thefts across his ward, including the VIA Italia neighbourhood, which has left streetlights and streetlight infrastructure damaged.
McKenzie says residents need to be more aware.
“You see something, say something. Call police if something doesn’t look right; if you see people in the middle of the night on the roads and around light posts, call police and let them know. If you have cameras, share those images with police,” he says.
ENWIN reports it has responded to multiple copper theft-related repair requests involving streetlights in recent weeks. The utility also reports it has experienced a significant increase in copper theft-related streetlight repair requests compared to the same time in 2025.
A statement from ENWIN provided to AM800 News says, “ENWIN crews have responded to multiple copper theft-related repair requests involving City of Windsor streetlight infrastructure along Erie Street and in other areas in recent weeks. The extent of damage varies from incident to incident. In some cases, many blocks of copper wiring may be removed, while in others the wiring is damaged but not fully stolen. As a result, the quantity of copper involved, and the scope of repairs required can differ considerably between incidents. Copper theft continues to be a growing issue affecting utilities and municipalities across Canada. In 2026, ENWIN has experienced a significant increase in copper theft-related streetlight repair requests compared to the same period last year.”
McKenzie says we also need to go after the scrapyards accepting copper wire.
“They must know that it’s stolen material, stolen goods. They need to stop accepting it, and if they’re not going to stop accepting it, we need to start cracking down on them and start charging some of these scrapyards for taking stolen goods,” he says.
McKenzie says it’s disappointing because it comes at a huge cost.
“These individuals are grabbing this copper wire; they’re getting maybe $10, $20, or $30 for it, but it’s costing thousands of dollars to replace it when you talk about the cost of the materials but the labour costs as well,” he says.
In early September, Windsor’s police chief also warned about the growing trend of copper wire thefts, noting that the number of incidents had doubled since 2023.
Anyone with information related to the theft of copper is asked to contact Windsor Police or Crime Stoppers.