Iqaluit city council discusses youth curfew
“We can’t just let children run around at 2 in the morning”
At the Dec. 11 Iqaluit city council meeting, the mayor and councillors debated setting a youth curfew in response to the city’s recent string of arsons. (PHOTO BY COURTNEY EDGAR)
Iqaluit city council is considering setting a youth curfew in response to last month’s Northmart fire and string of other suspicious fires.
While one city councillor enthusiastically supports the idea of a youth curfew, another vehemently opposes it. Meanwhile, the mayor and deputy mayor have indicated a cautious interest by suggesting they would like to see an RCMP report on how curfews have affected crime in other Nunavut communities, like Cambridge Bay and Arviat.
The idea first arose on Nov. 27, when Coun. Jason Rochon had asked RCMP Staff Sgt. Garfield Elliott if he thought crimes would decrease if a youth curfew were in place. When Sgt. Elliot conceded that crimes at night would likely decrease with a curfew, Rochon requested the topic be discussed further at the Dec. 11 council meeting.
“I think there are too many children who are not safe when it comes to being out at night,” said Rochon at Tuesday night’s meeting, explaining that last summer there were kids who would sniff gas beneath houses in the middle of the night.
“There were also the recent fires. Even if it is adults who set the fires, then youth shouldn’t be out when adults are doing those kinds of crimes.”
Coun. Jason Rochon is pushing for a curfew for youth in Iqaluit. (FILE PHOTO)
He said that he understands that sometimes children are not safe at home, but that is a matter for social services.
“We can’t just let children run around at 2 in the morning on a school night in -40 weather just because they are not safe at home. That just means somebody else is not doing their job. So I would like to see council pushing to make sure that youth are protected,” Rochon said.
However, Coun. Kyle Sheppard said he “vehemently opposes” the idea of a curfew, since it “violates our basic human rights and freedoms.” If one is imposed in Iqaluit, he says he will fight it in court.
“Children who are out on the street that late at night are almost universally better off on the streets than they would be at home at night, which is a very unfortunate situation to be in. Some of the social issues we face are dangerous for some children to be at home,” Sheppard said.
Sheppard reminded council that the Charter of Rights and Freedoms hangs on the wall in the city hall chamber and said that any form of curfew imposed on anybody at any age is a violation of their basic human rights.
“Putting a curfew in place tomorrow could possibly prevent certain issues, but I will never support anything that I feel is a violation of our basic charter of rights and freedoms,” Sheppard said.
“Children really are at risk when they are outside late at night, but there are other levels of government, other social services that need to address this, and I support that completely.”
Mayor Madeleine Redfern said council will talk to the RCMP to learn more about curfews for next month’s RCMP update.
Redfern also said she knows that other communities, like Arviat, have had curfews, so she would look into it through her role as president of the Nunavut Association of Municipalities.
A curfew was needed years ago. It is not a human rights violation. It’s just the public doing the job that the parents aren’t doing. If imposing a curfew on a child is a human rights violation then I weep for the future.
From Concerned Kabloona: The issue of curfews for kids is a serious one and there are good reasons to be cautious about imposing one. However, violating rights and freedoms, as protected by the Charter, is not one of them. Councillor Sheppard might want to take a look at the copy of the Charter on the wall and read section 1, which says Charter rights are guaranteed … “subject only to such reasonable limits prescribed by law as can be demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society”. Section 3 guarantees every citizen the right to vote but 12-year olds are not allowed to vote: a “reasonable limit”. Just stick to what’s best for the kids and don’t pretend this is an issue of fundamental human rights.
Rochon must be hanging out with a lot of terrified southerners for him to make this push. It’s the first time I’ve heard him mentioned in the news since he got elected…and it’s a short sighted band-aid solution.
The only thing the curfew will do is put the kids who are most at risk out of sight. What should be done is find out why these kids are causing trouble in the middle of the night. Attack the problem, don’t sweep it under the rug.
Then on the other side you have Shappard going on about going to court over human rights….
Where are our level headed councillors?
I believe Councillor Sheppard is showing his lack of knowledge and objectivity in his reaction to discussion regarding youth curfews. To resort to a concept of violation of human rights displays his lack of willingness and ability to see problems and solutions.
First of all, imposing a curfew on children under the age of majority does not reflect a violation of human rights at any level of Canadian law, rights, responsibilities or freedoms. I’ll grant him naivete to think otherwise. In fact, curfews on those under the age of majority take the form of many responsibilities under Canadian law. These can be seen in the health system, justice, family law, education system, electoral rules, financial and contract law, property rights …. ad infinitum.
Where is Mr. Sheppard’s biography for the City web site wall?
https://www.city.iqaluit.nu.ca/city-hall/city-council
Nothing wrong with curfew. We have a siren that goes off on school night about 9:45 and the kids hear it. Than its time to go home. Just a little reminder. It works.
How many times does it have to be said that kids need challenging and interesting activities? One of them, of course, should be their school work.
I my self would brain storm befour I get in to this matter to see the young kids who has stayed out from the drunks , the kids need help with them parents being drunk and you want to proceed with judgement’s what is really wrong why the kids get into trouble , I have been in the shoes of drunk and had to stay away being hungry and dint like hanging around drunks , had to force my self to get to work while very young and this or I am not a expert , people say my people does wrong things and they judge me over there own choices , we need them experts they say they have there GED’s
Young fella
I wonder if Councilor Kyle has a legal opinion to back up his claim that a curfew is a violation of the charter or did Kyle suddenly become a lawyer between twitter rants.
A reasonable Councilor would have made a motion to direct staff to seek a legal opinion.
Sled Dog — Seeking a legal opinion would be a waste of money. See my earlier post. You don’t have to be a lawyer to see that Charter protections would not apply here. Just think through whether a curfew would be a good idea.