Only three provinces — Ontario (16) and Manitoba and New Brunswick (12) — have set a minimum age to leave a child alone at home. But social services generally advise that no child under the age of 12 should be left alone at home. Six provinces and one territory define a child as under the age of 18, while 16 is the norm for five others, including Nova Scotia and Nunavut. British Columbia and New Brunswick are the only two provinces where young adults are still considered children if they are under the age of 19. Chris Mark`s three children, ages 8, 7 and 4, walk with a parent to the school bus stop at the end of the street, visible from the front of their home. “We rush them. Our biggest fear is not something scary, but that they will be distracted and miss the bus,” he says. “Maybe next year we`ll let the eldest continue on her own.” A 2011 Metrolinx study of school trips to Hamilton and the Greater Toronto Area found that parents who live within two miles of school are more likely to let children in grades 4 to 6 (ages 9 to 11) walk alone. Within a two-kilometre radius, 59% of children in grades 4 to 6 walked or cycled without a parent. Earlier this year, a Metrolinx report found that the number of students driving to school in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area has more than doubled in recent decades. It has risen to nearly 31 per cent, while the number of children walking to school has fallen from 56 per cent to 39 per cent.
“Walking to school is an important part of growing up, it`s an important part of being good at school, because when you go to school you look fresh and exercise,” says Lynn, an author and speaker from Vancouver. That children run was a no-brainer a generation ago. Now, it`s an agonizing parental dilemma: what is too protective and what is too permissive? “My neighbours drive their Grade 7 and 8 students to school. And I thought, `Yes, my children will be all alone. Let`s go. On Greyhound buses, anyone under the age of eight must be accompanied by a person who is at least 15 years old. Children between the ages of eight and 14 can travel alone on the bus, but certain conditions must be met, including: the journey must not last more than five hours, children cannot switch from one bus to another, and the journey must start during the day and end at 10 p.m., among other things. Children`s movie tickets from Cineplex, the country`s largest movie theater chain, are available for children ages three to 13. Unsupervised teenagers in this age category are allowed to purchase tickets for a G-rated film. While there is no official policy regarding the age at which a child should attend a film alone, Sarah Van Lange, Cineplex`s director of communications, says there are safety guidelines in place to help young guests who are not supervised.
Although Vancouver does not have a minimum age for unsupervised children, the issue remains unclear when it comes to public transit. Last year, the province ordered a local father and parental blogger to stop allowing his children aged 7, 8, 9 and 11 to take the bus to school alone. She was told that a child under the age of 12 could not be responsible for young companions without parental supervision. The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) does not have a policy for unsupervised minors – the decision to let children ride the bus, tram or subway rests with the parents. At a time when parents are obsessed with safety, there are many rules and laws that govern what children can and cannot do without supervision – even the age that legally defines a child varies from province to province. What is done in practice may be very different from what is officially mandated, but it is always useful to know the rules. And it`s always best to ask. From flying alone to babysitting, this is how children from different parts of the country can be independent without their parents: among those who live more than two kilometers, only 40% of parents said their children could travel alone before the age of 13.
Canada`s Wonderland in Toronto is not age-neutral for children enjoying the amusement park without parents, but a spokesperson said that if a child looks “unreasonably young” to be alone, “staff will step in to ask if they`re lost, if a parent is nearby; If this is not the case, we will take steps to contact a parent or guardian to ensure the child`s safety. “The humble commute to and from school has taken on new meaning as parents and child experts worry about children`s lack of exercise. This twice-daily hike offers a convenient chance to get muscles moving. Before letting a child walk alone, Morrongiello advises a parent to travel like a filmmaker and talk aloud about possible decisions and risks. On other walks, let the child be the director of the film depicting the action while the parents run behind. Data from a transit authority in the Greater Toronto Area suggests fewer children than ever are going to school unaccompanied. Leaving children unattended is a legal grey area. But in some places, such as airplane cabins and parking lots in Quebec, the rules are strict and fast. Mark went to school alone at the age of 6, crossing Mt.
Pleasant and Lawrence Avenue, he says. “It`s funny to think that 9 years is too young. We live in the helicopter generation. No one wants to be the one in a million to whom something happens. » Toronto`s chief planner prepares daughter to go on her own at 9 Toronto mom thinks 9 is too young to go alone What is the right age for a child to go to school without an adult? The answer, according to experts: 9 years. Air Canada`s Unaccompanied Minor service is not available to children under the age of eight. Instead, they must travel with a passenger who is at least 16 years old. However, the service is mandatory for children aged eight to 11 travelling alone and listed as optional for children aged 12 to 17.
Children who walk to school and are not associated with accidents: study After lengthy discussions, Anthony Humphreys and his family decided that children could cycle or walk without parents as early as age 8, and then more regularly at age 9. The primary school was a five-minute drive away with no busy streets. “Children need to be responsible,” Humphreys says. “I didn`t want the baby all the time.” There is no minimum age to work in New Brunswick, the Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Nunavut and Quebec. But laws in most provinces, as well as Canada`s Labour Act, require that jobs for children not interfere with school and, in some cases, prohibit hazardous work and require the employer to obtain a permit. “Parents told me their children couldn`t handle it,” says Aurora Mendelsohn, whose 9-year-old daughter regularly came home home alone for about 40 minutes. “But I think it`s the parents who are afraid.” Toronto`s mother, Tanya Barrett, has no problem motivating her 10-year-old twins to go out unattended and take public transit alone to get to school for the first time in September. That still doesn`t make it an easy decision.
Naomi Lieberman`s eldest is 8 years old and Lieberman has no plans to let her daughter go alone anytime soon. The child should walk on a busy street and cross a busy intersection. But it is the fear of foreigners that worries Lieberman the most. “We hear about missing children all the time,” she says. “When I drop her off at school, I watch her walk through the door. According to the study, Canadian children not attending school is a major source of parental confusion about the age and circumstances under which children can be left unattended. There is no legal age for children to become babysitters in Canada, and it is not uncommon for them to start as early as age 12. The Canadian Red Cross offers a child care course for children aged 11 to 15, a program focused on child care, first aid, injury prevention, leadership and business skills. This depends, of course, on the maturity and temperament of the child, the distance to travel to school and the volume of traffic.