Vandalism and theft to blame for internet, TV and phone outage in Calgary
A disruption to internet, television and phone services in several north Calgary neighbourhoods is related to vandalism, CTV News has learned.
Service to all 5,000 impacted customers was restored shortly before 5 p.m. on Tuesday.
Officials with Rogers/Shaw Communications said the problem was caused by a fibre line being cut during the suspected theft of copper wire.
- Sign up for breaking news alerts from CTV News, right at your fingertips
- The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App
Calgary police said the reported vandalism of fibreoptic cables took place around 6 a.m. in the 1100 block of Renfrew Drive N.E.
Tuesday's outage marks the second time in 15 days Rogers/Shaw customers were without service for the better part of a day due to suspected copper wire thefts.
On May 6, thousands of customers had service cut -- some of them were the same people impacted by the latest outages.
"I hope this is the last time because we're losing business with this one. Now, with so many people calling, I can't answer, you know, so I'm losing clients as well," said Fadi Bootano, who has a barbershop along 10th Street N.W. that has now had service cut twice this month.
Both outages left several businesses in the Kensington area without service, meaning booking and paying systems were inoperable.
Many businesses had to ask customers to pay with cash or they were turned away.
"It's costly," said Eric Smith, the senior vice-president of the Canadian Telecommunications Association.
"It's costing millions of dollars in terms of, not just the damage, but the repairs. It's requiring service providers to invest more in different technologies and procedures to try to help prevent these types of crimes," he said.
The group has been advocating for the government to take a harder stance against people who are convicted of vandalism of critical infrastructure.
"One of the things that we're asking government to do is to amend the Criminal Code so that the penalties are more serious. Right now, it's the equivalent of, you know, getting charged with stealing a bicycle. And that just does not provide a significant deterrence to people," Smith said.
In its statement to CTV News, Rogers/Shaw says outages due to vandalism have been "increasing year-over-year at a rapid pace."
"Rogers has experienced four to five times (more) outages due to vandalism since 2022," the company said.
"Outages due to vandalism can also take three to four times longer to repair than any other outage types due to extent of damage and associated repairs."
If you see anyone damaging utility lines, you're asked to call police.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6972801.1721660708!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
WATCH LIVE 'We failed,' says Secret Service director grilled on Trump assassination attempt
The director of the Secret Service says the assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump was the agency's 'most significant operational failure' in decades.
Hollywood reacts to Joe Biden exiting the U.S. presidential race
Hollywood was quick to react to the news that U.S. President Joe Biden was ending his bid for re-election and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris.
What to know about the Canadian ties of Kamala Harris, Biden's choice for successor
U.S. President Joe Biden is stepping aside as the Democratic candidate in that country's November election and throwing his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris -- a Montreal-area high school graduate who spent several years in the city.
Prince George is 11 -- see his birthday photo
Prince George has turned 11, and as per tradition his proud parents have released an official portrait to mark the occasion.
Israel orders evacuation of part of Gaza humanitarian zone as war's toll passes 39,000 Palestinians
The Israeli military ordered the evacuation Monday of part of a crowded area in the Gaza Strip it had designated a humanitarian zone, saying it is planning an operation against Hamas militants there.
Wildfire forces evacuation of B.C.'s Barkerville gold rush heritage site
Visitors have been told to avoid B.C.'s historic Barkerville gold rush town, which is among several areas in the province's Cariboo region under evacuation orders due to the massive Antler Creek wildfire.
LeBron James to be Team USA's male flag bearer for Olympic Opening Ceremony
NBA legend LeBron James has been selected as Team USA’s male flag bearer for the Opening Ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games.
The pilot who died in crash after releasing skydivers near Niagara Falls has been identified
Officials on Sunday released the name of a pilot who died in a skydiving flight after her passengers jumped from the aircraft near the Niagara Falls.
Air Canada cuts 2024 forecast amid tough competition in international markets
Air Canada is lowering its 2024 forecast as it grapples with tough competition in international markets and its planes aren't as full as it anticipated during the second half of the year.