Police commission not on board with mother’s call for Saskatoon curfew

Agatha Eaglechief, in green, speaks at a Saskatoon Board of Police Commissioners meeting Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016. (Angelina Irinici/CTV Saskatoon)

A Saskatoon mother’s push for a youth curfew wasn’t met with support by the city’s police commission.

Agatha Eaglechief wrote a letter to city officials last month calling for the nighttime curfew, and on Thursday, she was given the opportunity to state her case at a Board of Police Commissioners meeting.

“They’re getting wild out there,” said Eaglechief, whose 20-year-old son is in prison.

A curfew for youth under 18 would slow gang activity and help parents keep tabs on their kids at night, she argued.

“I wish I could go out there and just drag them home, but it’s hard. It’s just me. I try my best to drag my own kids home,” she told media after she spoke at the meeting.

The police board commended Eaglechief’s efforts, but argued enforcing a curfew would not be the best use of police resources.

“Curfews are extremely hard to enforce. I’m really not sure it’s a police function,” Deputy Chief Bernie Pannell said following the meeting.

“If there is a bylaw that is written, we will follow the bylaw… but as two of our commissioners said, there’s probably better uses for our members than checking up on kids who are out after hours.”

La Ronge, in northcentral Saskatchewan, recently enacted a curfew bylaw calling for anyone under 18 to be off the streets between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m., unless they’re with a parent or guardian. The bylaw was passed 10 years ago but rarely enforced.

Eaglechief brought up the town’s move and said even without the police board’s backing, she will continue fighting to keep youth off the street.

Her aunt, Viola Sparvier, said Saskatoon needs to implement programs for parents.

“Nobody even helps the parents to help the kids,” Sparvier said. “The parents don’t have the proper tools to teach the children, and the children can’t learn without the proper tools. We need to start with the adults. We need to start with the parents.”

Councillor Darren Hill, who sits on the police board, said he heard from many residents who were against implementing a youth curfew. Most people told him the city needs more youth programs and services.

A curfew would not be realistic, but city council can look at youth programming, he said.