With the theft of copper wire continuing to be a concern, the municipality may look at ways to try to make it harder to buy and sell stolen metals.
Councillor Marjorie Crew will be putting forward a motion during Monday night's council meeting that would place stricter by-laws on the purchasing of recycled metals.
Several copper-related thefts have taken place in the area over the last few months, including a large number of items taken from Maple Leaf Cemetery in Chatham. Crew said she believes the theft of copper and other sellable materials have always been a concern but that the issue is getting out of hand. For her, theft and vandalism on the Fifth Street Bridge, which delayed construction on the bridge, was an eye-opener.
"They put their lives at risk, they put first responders lives at risk and then it's the cost to everyone," she said. "Not just with the bridge being shut down but it costs money and time and insurance. We all pay."
She said she understands the reasons for theft are often to fuel a drug habit but she also believes the people who buy the materials with no questions asked are a part of the problem.
"We need to look at what we can do to make the buyers of copper wire more accountable as to where they're getting this and that it's not a result of illegal activity," she said.
Crew's motion won't be a specific by-law but act more as a way to get the ball rolling and start the conversation on putting measures in place to make sure metals are coming from honest sources. She said there is no current by-law that places tight restrictions on how things are bought.
"What I'm looking at is, what are we doing, if anything? What are other communities are doing and what can we do better to put processes in place to make this not so easy to buy illegally obtained scrap metal," she explained.
Crew doesn't know how exactly a vetting process would be done. She also makes it clear she wants to make sure the by-law doesn't restrict people who scrap or recycle for a living and intends to get feedback from the community on how to find a reasonable solution.
"I'm not an expert but I know we need to do something," Crew said. "Our job as a councillor is to think outside the box. That's why you really need to involve all of the stakeholders, the people who buy the scrap, the people who sell the scrap. We need to get everyone's opinion so that we make sure we do the right thing without hindering people who are actually making a living."