Theft of heating oil from churches in eastern Canada on the rise

Theft of heating oil from churches is on the increase in eastern Canada, according to Ecclesiastical Insurance’s Halifax office.
Most recently, thieves stole heating oil from a church in Atholville, New Brunswick. They damaged the oil tank and siphoned off some 1,000 litres of heating oil, the insurer said in a press release.
Steve Venturini, senior underwriter at Ecclesiastical Insurance’s Halifax office, expressed concern about the impact of fuel oil theft on faith communities when so many are working with shoestring budgets.
“While the theft of heating oil is a relatively new phenomenon, more and more incidents are reported every year,” he said. “In Eastern Canada, we’ve seen a number of churches targeted over the past few years, along with other institutions and businesses. In fact, the RCMP is investigating three other incidents that took place this past October, one of them targeting CN’s train engines.”
Ecclesiastical notes high fuel prices as a factor in the thefts.
“According to Natural Resources Canada, furnace oil prices for the week ending Dec. 13, 2011 ended at $1.17 per litre – 20 cents per litre higher than they were last year,” Ecclesiastical notes in a press release. “In addition to losing costly oil, the targets may be left with damaged tanks and oil spills which, in turn, can lead to significant clean-up expenses.”