B.C. mother ordered to pay over $4K for son’s dirt bike thefts, tribunal finds

Dirt bike. (Source: Rodolfo Clix/Pexels)

A previous version of this story reported that one of the bikes was located at the home of B’s friend. The bike was found “near” the property, according to the decision. — A mother has been ordered to fork out for her child’s wrongdoing after the B.C. Civil Resolution Tribunal determined her to be responsible for her son’s involvement in the theft and subsequent damage of three dirt bikes.

A decision on the dispute posted July 10 outlines how three Honda dirt bikes belonging to the applicant, referred to as Mr. S, were “intentionally taken and damaged” in September 2023.

The bikes were later found at the home of the mother of one minor, referred to as B, and near the home of his friend after the two had taken them in the night and removed their parts, according to the decision.

In B.C., a minor is defined as anyone under the age of 19.

Tribunal member Alissa Reynolds was tasked with determining whether B or his mother were financially responsible for the damage caused after the mother, identified as Ms. R, argued she had no financial responsibility for her child’s actions.

Reynolds referred to The Parental Liability Act, particularly Section 3, which says that if a child intentionally takes, damages or destroys another person’s property, their parent can be liable for the loss of or damage to the property.

Reynolds said Ms. R had a possible defence, however, if she could prove she both “exercised reasonable supervision” over her son at the time of the incident, and “made reasonable efforts to prevent or discourage B’s conduct.”

Reynolds ultimately found Ms. R knew her son had been “behaving inappropriately for several months” before the bikes were taken, and noted she hadn’t pointed to any “steps that she took to improve her parenting skills before this incident.”

Based on those factors, Reynolds found Ms. R had not established she was reasonably supervising her son on the night of the incident.

“I find that Ms. R is liable for B’s actions in damaging the dirt bikes,” she said

Ms. R and her son were ordered to pay a total of $4,106.63 in damages within 30 days of the decision being made.