The Canada Safety Council recommends children be a minimum of 10 years old before being left alone. (ID 132732295 © Romrodinka | Dreamstime.com)

By Teena Monteleone

Home alone

Latchkey kids: What’s legal in Saskatchewan?

Jul 16, 2019 | 5:00 PM

Like the majority of provinces, Saskatchewan does not have a stipulated age at which a child can be safely left alone in any location. That makes leaving kids unsupervised a bit of a legal grey area according to the Canada Safety Council (CSC).

“It is one of our most commonly requested bits of information,” said Lewis Smith, manager of national projects at CSC. “It’s a very fine line that has been an issue in front of Canadian courts in recent history.”

Smith referred to a ruling from the British Columbia Supreme Court in 2015 that said children under the age of 10 could not be left safely alone. In that specific case, the child that had been allowed to stay home unsupervised for two hours after school each day was just eight years old.

“Here at CSC, we recommend a minimum age of 10 with consideration given to the child’s temperament, if they, themselves, feel prepared and to the level of preparation to which the parent has prepared the child,” Smith said.

Assuming the child is left with reasonable provisions to ensure they are kept safe, like being in a comfortable environment or with information on how to contact an adult, police or poison control, Smith said there shouldn’t be any issues when it comes to the law.

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If someone does suspect that a child’s safety is endangered by being left alone, it may be considered child neglect. In an email to paNOW, Leya Moore, spokesperson for the Ministry of Social Services said the government branch assesses all reports of abuse and neglect and determines which reports require an investigation. During the investigation, they work with the family to assess if there are safety risks to the child in the home. They then work with the family to develop a plan, which includes connecting them to supports or programs in the community.

The email also stated, “Children only come into Ministry care as a last resort, in situations where we are unable to ensure the children’s safety at home.”

St. John Ambulance in Prince Albert offers a course that teaches youth about being home alone. Regional Manager Kelly Pollock said the recommended age for the class is 10 or older, but its based on what’s ‘reasonable to the parent.’

“If parents want their nine-year-old to take the course, we will offer it to them. Sometimes, a nine-year-old can be more mature and responsible than an 11-year-old,” Pollock said.

In Ontario, any child under the age of 16 cannot be left alone without provisions for due care. In Manitoba and New Brunswick, the age is 12. While the conversation tends to focus on age, Smith said its only one of many considerations.

“It is why the issue is so divisive and contentious,” he said. “Age is the only common factor that can really be addressed and that’s why there is no hard and fast rule…because a 10-year-old may vary in maturity levels and setting an age and leaving it is only addressing part of the issue.”

When it comes to watching siblings or other people’s children, the CSC recommends a babysitter be a minimum age of 12 years old.

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teena.monteleone@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @TeenaMonteleone