Curfew report OK'd

Current River Coun. Andrew Foulds is not a big fan of imposing a curfew on city teenagers.

Foulds, a high school teacher by trade, argued vociferously on Monday night against fellow Coun. Joe Virdiramo’s request to have city administration prepare a feasibility study on a curfew, how it could be implemented, its legality and what impact it would have on the city’s police services.

His argument fell on mostly deaf ears, despite an attempt to amend Virdiramo’s resolution to remove the word curfew and instead study a variety of different solutions to keep children younger than 16 occupied.

Foulds said it makes no sense to institute a curfew when it really wouldn’t reduce crime.

Citing the Thunder Bay Police Services 2009 crime report, he said youth offenses amount to about four per cent of all charges laid in Thunder Bay, and that national figures suggest the majority of problems occur between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m.

“I am not making this stuff up,” he said. “I just don’t get a sense that a curfew is going to be a really effective tool. It strikes me that we’re using an elephant gun to swat mosquitoes.”

Then, calling it age discrimination, Foulds said just because other communities have a curfew doesn’t make it right. He added the wrong message is being sent weeks after promising inclusion and a new era of consultation.

“We’re saying a curfew is what we want to do. With a curfew, basically we’re saying we don’t trust you,” he said.

Foulds and Coun. Iain Angus were the only two who ultimately voted against the report, which to no surprise got the wholehearted endorsement of Mayor Keith Hobbs.

Angus said the mechanism to study the effectiveness of a curfew is already in place.

“I think we need to let the crime prevention committee do its work,” Angus said.
Hobbs, who said he would consult with youth before proceeding with a curfew, said he knocked on 20,000 doors during the election campaign, and unlike Foulds, said the idea of a curfew came up on a regular basis.

“If it saves one life then we’ve done our service,” Hobbs said, adding it gives police one more tool in their tool belt.

Countering an argument that some children are probably better off out of their home environment, Hobbs said police would not simply drop curfew breakers off at home if there was a safety concern.

“They’ll take them to Dilico or take them to Children’s Aid,” Hobbs said.

Virdiramo, who said Foulds amendment was too broad and studying the effectiveness of keeping libraries open later or spending more money on the Underground Gym, says the city owes its youth a safe environment.

The report does not bind the city to anything, he added.

“This is one way we could possible take a look at the whole issue and take a look at what we can and cannot do,” he said.

Council was also educated on the existing provincial law, which many people mistakenly believe to be an Ontario-wide curfew.

Not so, said Hobbs.

“It’s a loitering law,” Hobbs said. “There’ a big difference between that and a straight curfew.”

The curfew feasibility report is due before council no later than April 18, 2011.