Bill C-70 a good start but more is needed to combat infrastructure vandalism: CTA

A new bill – aimed at countering foreign interference – illustrates the importance of Canada’s telecom networks, but more reforms are needed to protect telecom equipment from rapidly increasing acts of vandalism and theft, says the Canadian Telecommunications Association (CTA). Introduced in the House of Commons on May 6, Bill C-70 proposes substantial updates to the Criminal Code, including new offences for sabotaging infrastructure that provide essential services, such as transportation, energy, health, financial, and communications infrastructure. While the CTA praised the bill for these protections, it called for further amendments to maximize the criminal penalties for those who intentionally damage or steal from telecom infrastructure. "Telecommunications networks are the lifelines connecting communities, businesses, and emergency services,” said CTA president and CEO Robert Ghiz in a press release. “Just as we cannot afford disruptions due to sabotage, Canadians' safety should not be put at risk because of acts of theft and vandalism.” According to the CTA, telecom service providers have reported a 400 per cent increase in acts of theft or vandalism of their equipment since 2022. The majority of incidents involve copper theft, costing millions of dollars in repairs for service providers and millions of minutes in lost productivity for Canadian users. While the bill is focused on foreign interference and sabotage with the intent to endanger the safety or security of Canada, this dramatic increase in copper theft is a “more immediate concern,” said SVP Eric Smith in an interview with the Wire Report. “When we're dealing with … the intent is to steal and to then resell something for money. So, it isn't really captured under the sabotage offence that is being updated under Bill C-70,” he said. “It’s not a victimless crime,” said Smith. He explained that further reforms to criminal law are “the next logical step” to protect against acts that have largely the same consequences for Canadians as the acts of sabotage defined in the bill. “We need to make sure that there is a sufficient deterrence, and that the message is sent that these types of acts will not be tolerated.” The CTA urged the government to adopt recommendations from a March 2023 report by the Canadian Telecommunications Network Resiliency Working Group, made up of representatives from telecom providers and Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada. Specifically, the report recommends maximizing criminal penalties “in the event of willful or negligent damage to, and/or acts of vandalism or theft of critical network infrastructure.” “This isn't just us saying it; it's both government and industry experts who recognize that there's a need to modernize and strengthen our criminal penalties for these types of willful criminal acts,” concluded Smith. – Reporting by Phalen Tynes-MacDonald at pcreed@thewirereport.ca

Bill C-70 a good start but more is needed to combat infrastructure vandalism: CTA

News | May 13, 2024

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Bill C-70 a good start but more is needed to combat infrastructure vandalism: CTA

News | May 13, 2024

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