Thieves stole $165,000 worth of metal intended for the roof of the Vancouver Convention Centre on Tuesday.
"I came in this morning to an empty shop," said Shawn Marsh, a welder with Deelite Welding.
Missing was 35,000 lbs of steel and 20,000 lbs of aluminum.
Marsh told CTV News that a truck driver with a phony way bill convinced his neighbour to open the warehouse. He is offering a $10,000 reward for information that might bring the material back.
"My major customer is now going to be behind four to five months on their project," he said.
David Podmore, chairman of the B.C. Pavilion Corp., said Tuesday the metal isn't central to the building's main construction, but is a finishing feature.
"I'm responsible for the project and I'm telling you (it) will be done on March 15, 2009," he told CTV.
The new convention centre is a huge project for the 2010 Olympics, whose rising labour cost and material have driven its price tag to $883 million, nearly twice the province's original prediction.
The problem of metal theft is not a new one. Cities across B.C. have been looking for solutions to the problem for years.
While many metal recyclers are helping police track stolen goods, undercover stings have confirmed that stolen metal is still ending up in the hands of dealers.
With stories by CTV's Rob Brown and Julia Foy
