Markham water bandits steal liquid gold from fire hydrants in broad daylight

YorkRegion.com
May 21, 2017
Tim Kelly

They have up to 8,600 easy targets in Markham, often steal in plain sight and take something every person uses every day.

Still not sure what bandits are stealing right from under your nose? It's water.

Nearly $30,000 in water was stolen from the City of Markham in 2016 by thieves in trucks who simply drive up to one of Markham's nearly 8,600 fire hydrants, often in the middle of the day, hook up their hoses and fill up their trucks, then drive away. And they're still doing it right now and often in full view of the neighbours.

They don't even mind trying their luck right near the Markham-Stouffville Hospital right off Ninth Line.

It happened at a hydrant on Reginald Crescent -- which is very close to the hospital --  twice inside of a week earlier this month and was spotted by an eagle-eyed neighbour who complained to the city. The water thieves did get away with their wet haul.

City employees descended on the crescent where they applied locking mechanisms to multiple hydrants to deter the thieves from repeating their brazen deeds. The city said the tamper-proof devices attached to fie hydrants are only used in high-risk areas because "they can can slow down a fire response" in the event of an emergency.

Asked how often this happens, the City said five thefts were reported in 2016, but with nearly enough water to fill three Olympic-sized swimming pools stolen last year, far more thefts take place than are reported to the city.

The city said four reported thefts in 2016 took place in summer-time, one in winter, and that violators are prosecuted if caught. A company caught stealing water in King Township last year was fined $1,000 in Newmarket Court for the offence but fines can range up to $50,000 for offenders.

Residents Harvey Thomson and Kimberly Clark, who live in the neighbourhood where the most recent thefts took place, say they're not very happy about water being stolen.

"People in Markham are paying heavier and heavier bills for water and electricity," Thomson said.

"Stealing water is a very expensive and a very serious matter," he said.

"It's about watching out for our community," said Clark, who lives on Rose Way, which adjoins Reginald Crescent.

"Just pay for this water. Just pay for it. It's all about the ethics, it's all about our families and our values," she said.

Both Thomson and Clark encouraged citizens to call the City if they see suspicious trucks hooking up to hydrants and pumping water.