Roxanna Thompson
Northern News Services
Published Thursday, June 19, 2008

LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON - Fort Simpson teenagers 16 years old and younger will have to keep an eye on the time this summer.

The Fort Simpson RCMP detachment plans to enforce a curfew prohibiting anyone 16 or younger from being in a public place in the village between the hours of 11 p.m. and 6 a.m., unless accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.

The bylaw is being enforced in part because of concerns from community members, said Const. Blaine Rawles.

In the past month there's been a marked increase of youth outside at late hours. Concerns have come from a variety of areas including parents and other community members, Rawles said.

By actively enforcing the bylaw the RCMP is creating a tool for parents and community members to use, he said.

The RCMP often receives calls from parents late at night and in the early morning who can't find their child. The bylaw will provide parents with a concrete reason to give their teenagers for why they can't be out, said Rawles.

"These are obviously parents who care about their child and where they are," he said.

Enforcement of the bylaw will also help prevent other activities that go along with late nights out such as underage drinking, Rawles said. It's often at night and in the morning that officers deal with 14 to 16-year-olds who've been drinking, he said.

The bylaw will be enforced at least through July, August and September - the warmer months when people are tempted to be out - said Rawles.

For a first offence the teenager will be taken home and a parent or guardian will be asked to sign a written warning that outlines the bylaw and the cost of further offences.

A second offence comes with a fine of $100 followed by $200 for a third offence and $300 for the fourth and further offences. A parent or legal guardian of the teenager is responsible for the fines.

The purpose of enforcing the bylaw isn't to collect fines, but to give parents information about this option, said Rawles.

RCMP members have already been taking home youth if they find them out after 11 p.m., he said.

In preparation for enforcing the bylaw the RCMP spoke with Mayor Duncan Canvin who was supportive of reviving the bylaw, said Rawles.

Canvin confirmed that he supports the plan.

"If they're having particular problems with youngsters, they should use it," he said.

Canvin said there are a lot of teenagers who sit on the ledge in front of his building at all hours and although they don't cause problems they've been known to get into trouble around the village.

Enforcing the bylaw won't necessarily be the answer to problems such as vandalism but it might make parents take more responsibility for their children, Canvin said.

Robert Byatt, the principal at Thomas Simpson school, said he also agrees the bylaw should be enforced.

Recently there has been a small handful of young people who've been causing difficulties, he said.

"Once again the vast majority are going to have to pay the price for the few," said Byatt.

This spring, the high school was hit by four separate weekends of vandalism during which a number of windows were broken at the school leading to a bill of more than $1,000.

To his knowledge, Byatt said youth were responsible for the damage and if the bylaw had been enforced they might not have made that mistake.

The bylaw has been used in the past, including a few times during the 1990s and in 2004 when the problem of youth getting in trouble at night rose, said Byatt. After the bylaw is revived, incidents generally decrease, he said.