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
5 rescued after avalanche triggered north of Whistler, B.C. RCMP say
Emergency crews and heli-skiing staff helped rescue five people who were caught up in a backcountry avalanche north of Whistler, B.C., on Monday morning.
Quebec fugitive killed in Mexican resort town, RCMP say
RCMP are confirming that a fugitive, Mathieu Belanger, wanted by Quebec provincial police has died in Mexico, in what local media are calling a murder.
Bill Clinton hospitalized with a fever but in good spirits, spokesperson says
Former President Bill Clinton was admitted Monday to Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington after developing a fever.
Trump again calls to buy Greenland after eyeing Canada and the Panama Canal
First it was Canada, then the Panama Canal. Now, Donald Trump again wants Greenland. The president-elect is renewing unsuccessful calls he made during his first term for the U.S. to buy Greenland from Denmark, adding to the list of allied countries with which he's picking fights even before taking office.
UN investigative team says Syria's new authorities 'very receptive' to probe of Assad war crimes
The U.N. organization assisting in investigating the most serious crimes in Syria said Monday the country’s new authorities were “very receptive” to its request for cooperation during a just-concluded visit to Damascus, and it is preparing to deploy.
Pioneering Métis human rights advocate Muriel Stanley Venne dies at 87
Muriel Stanley Venne, a trail-blazing Métis woman known for her Indigenous rights advocacy, has died at 87.
King Charles ends royal warrants for Ben & Jerry's owner Unilever and Cadbury chocolatiers
King Charles III has ended royal warrants for Cadbury and Unilever, which owns brands including Marmite and Ben & Jerry’s, in a blow to the household names.
Man faces murder charges in death of woman who was lit on fire in New York City subway
A man is facing murder charges in New York City for allegedly setting a woman on fire inside a subway train and then watching her die after she was engulfed in flames, police said Monday.
Canada regulator sues Rogers for alleged misleading claims about data offering
Canada's antitrust regulator said on Monday it was suing Rogers Communications Inc, for allegedly misleading consumers about offering unlimited data under some phone plans.