Calgary builders and trade workers are expressing growing frustration over a surge in crime targeting construction sites across the city. Thieves are increasingly making off with high-value equipment and building materials, often in broad daylight, leaving companies to bear significant financial losses.
Rising Prevalence of Thefts
Travis Boulanger, owner of TEL Construction, has experienced four thefts in the past two months alone. He described how thieves cut chains securing his equipment and loaded it onto vehicles before driving away. In another incident, pallets of expensive building materials for custom homes were stolen. Surveillance footage of both incidents was handed over to the police.
“I’ve never seen anything like this in 15 years working in construction in Calgary,” Boulanger said. “They just roll up with trailers or with trucks or vans in broad daylight and they just start loading equipment.”
Boulanger added that the problem is widespread: “I think you’d be hard pressed to find a crew or a guy that hasn’t been robbed at some point in the last year. It’s so frequent.”
‘There is no police enforcement’
Ron Butler, president of New West Luxury Homes, said construction site thefts have become a “major issue” for builders over the past two to three years. Over an eight-month period, his company lost approximately $250,000 worth of materials, including wire, lumber, and exterior building supplies.
“It’s just been on a constant uptick of the theft of wire, lumber and exterior building materials,” Butler said. “It’s an unbelievably crazy issue that the builders are saddled with — with zero help from anyone.”
Butler criticized the lack of enforcement, stating, “There is no police enforcement. Even when we do catch people and give police licence plates, it’s like, ‘what are we gonna do about it?’ There’s no reason for these thieves not to do it because they don’t get criminalized. They don’t get thrown in jail. It’s infuriating, frustrating — and there’s no help.”
Boulanger echoed these sentiments, noting that despite providing police with video evidence and license plate numbers, officers often say little can be done. “I spoke to the police and they said this is just a weekly occurrence (and) they don’t have the manpower to go into every single case,” he said. “It’s just kind of unfortunate that it’s happening, but this is the state of construction in Calgary right now.”
Builders Take Matters Into Their Own Hands
With limited police assistance, some builders have resorted to self-help measures. Butler mentioned that victims are now placing trackers on equipment and materials to trace their locations after thefts. However, the overall sentiment remains one of frustration and a call for more robust action to curb the escalating crime wave.
