The Globe and Mail reports in its Thursday edition that after more than 170 incidents of stolen copper in the past 15 months, $3-million in damage and hundreds of hours of lost service, Bell Canada has filed a lawsuit against an Ontario man accused of copper theft and asked the government to help it crack down on vandals. The Globe's Irene Galea writes that the number of thefts of copper equipment has been rising for months and they are particularly frequent in New Brunswick, Ontario and Northern Quebec. Copper wiring, a legacy technology which mainly carries landline services, can be sold illegally for high prices at scrap markets. These incidents can leave many customers without Internet, phone connection and access to emergency services for as long as 12 hours. They could also trigger "widespread network outages," the company said in legal documents filed with Ontario provincial court. Bell is asking Ottawa to raise the fines associated with theft of critical infrastructure and amend the Criminal Code accordingly. Bell has filed a lawsuit against Sylvain Fleury, an Ontario resident who was arrested in November in association with copper theft at tower sites in Northern Ontario. Bell is seeking damages of $300,000.