$5K damage from $10 copper theft at Timmins church

Thieves stripped copper from St. Anthony's AC unit, causing $5,000 in damage. Pastor John Lemire called it disheartening given the church's charitable work.

A Timmins church is facing a costly repair after thieves stripped copper from the rectory’s air conditioning unit late last month.

The incident happened sometime between the evening of June 27 and the early morning hours of June 28 at Saint Anthony of Padua Cathedral on Spruce Street North.

Pastor Father John Lemire said the damage went beyond the loss of the equipment itself.

“Someone or some persons came and completely destroyed our air conditioning unit. Was, throwing all over the, the lawn and, had stripped all of the, copper from it,” Lemire said.

The damaged unit cannot be repaired, leaving the parish to replace it at a cost of about $5,000.

Lemire said the incident was especially frustrating because of the role the church plays in supporting people throughout the community through programs and services such as food assistance and outreach.

“So, to have someone come in to, to vandalize it and to steal it for seven to ten dollars worth of, of money when you consider all that we do to support the community, it was certainly very disheartening,” said Lemire.

The theft is one of several recent copper-related crimes being investigated by the Timmins Police Service.

Staff Sgt. Guy Bouffard told CTV News that four copper thefts have been reported over the past two months involving both businesses and private properties.

“These crimes happen when criminals are looking for opportunities,” Bouffard said. “You want to avoid those opportunities, keeping your property well-lit, maybe secured with alarms or, cameras.”

Bouffard said security measures such as lighting, cameras and alarms can help deter potential thieves.

“You can get security cages that secure AC units, as well as alarm tamper alarms on those cages,” said Bouffard.

Lemire said incidents like this have also raised broader concerns about safety in the community.

“We need to do something as a community to be able to, to move forward so people feel safe that people don’t feel so vulnerable and that, we have a sense of, of, of law within our, within our area that we can be, who we used to be,” said Lemire.

Police told CTV News that the investigation remains active.

The parish is awaiting delivery of a new air conditioning unit, which Lemire said will be installed with additional security measures.