Yellowknife (July 30/03) - You see it all over: broken fences, smashed windows, slashed tires and graffiti.

Vandalism is an ever-present problem. So we asked Yellowknifers if parents of youths convicted of vandalism should be held financially responsible.

Of 33 callers, 26 said yes. Only one person voted no, while five callers didn't register a vote.

Here's some of what you had to say:

"Parents should be held accountable because it's the parents who are supposed to show what the kids are supposed to do and not supposed to do. It's a matter of respect and if there's no respect within the family as a unit and no respect outside the family, then the kids should be responsible. And if they can't pay, the parents should."

"I feel they should pay because with the sentences that are handed out today with probation, nothing happens with the child. When they start losing money, it seems to benefit a bit."

"I think that the young people should then repay their parents after they have done damage or vandalized somebody's private property. When you choose a behaviour, you should be ready to accept the consequences."

"As a parent of two children I think it's basically a really easy question to answer. Yes, I should be responsible. The fact of the matter is, I've been responsible for my children for years and if they mess up, I should be paying for it."

"I really believe the kids are running the parents nowadays, plus the court system."

"I think that if a child did commit vandalism of any sort, they obviously have a chip on their shoulder. And the parents may have caused that and they may be able to help it. Yes, they should be held financially responsible because that's the only thing that makes sense."