Nova Scotia man accused of severing telecom link between Nova Scotia and Newfoundland
Advertisement
Read this article for free:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Digital Subscription
One year of digital access for only $205*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*First annual payment billed as $205.00 + GST for one year. This annual subscription will automatically renew at $233.00 + GST every 52 weeks (10% off the regular annual price of $259.35). Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Add Free Press access to your Brandon Sun subscription for only an additional
$1 for the first 4 weeks*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*Your next Brandon Sun subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $17.95 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $24.95 plus GST every four weeks.
Read unlimited articles for free today:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 17/12/2025 (241 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
INGONISH – The RCMP have charged a man with purposely cutting a subsea fibre optic cable linking Nova Scotia with Newfoundland, but the Mounties stressed the accused didn’t intend to damage essential infrastructure or harm national security.
The police force confirmed Wednesday that the 33-year-old from Ingonish, N.S., was arrested last Wednesday and charged with mischief causing more than $5,000 in damage.
The Bell Canada cable was severed off the coast of Aspy Bay in 30 metres of water, near the northern tip of Cape Breton, on Dec. 24 of last year. Earlier this year, a Bell Canada spokesman said it was possible the cable had been pulled to the surface and cut after it was snagged on a boat’s anchor.
Wrapped in coils of thick wire that act as armour, the three-centimetre-thick cable has been described by Bell as a “primary connection” for internet, television and long-distance communication between the two provinces.
When crews retrieved the ends of the cable, they determined it had been sliced clean, as if someone had used a specialized tool, the RCMP said in February.
On Wednesday, the RCMP issued a statement saying they had conducted a complex investigation that included working with the federal Fisheries Department and executing a search warrant on a vessel moored at a wharf in Ingonish, N.S., on the eastern side of Cape Breton.
RCMP Cpl. Cory Stead said he couldn’t comment on why the man cut the cable. He said evidence collected in the past year made it clear the man’s actions had nothing to do with national security or a desire to damage key infrastructure.
“I can’t speak to any motivation,” Stead said in an interview.
The cable stretches about 130 kilometres across the Cabot Strait, between Dingwall, N.S., and Codroy in the southwestern corner of Newfoundland. After it was repaired, Bell used remotely operated vehicles to bury it deep into the ocean floor.
Stead also confirmed that on Jan. 4, 2024, the cable had been severed five kilometres from of Aspy Bay, but there was insufficient evidence to proceed with the case.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 17, 2025.