All members of Timmins council are in favour of a city-wide 10:00pm curfew for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mayor George Pirie mentioned the possibility when he instituted a state of emergency. And Tuesday night, he polled councillors.
Joe Campbell says it brings him back to growing up in Schumacher, when there was a 9:00pm curfew.
“I don’t see any trouble with imposing it on a temporary basis during the emergency situation we have right now,” he told the council meeting, “and the number of break-ins we have and criminals walking the streets at night, looking for opportunities.”
Councillor Kristin Murray thinks it could help stem the coronavirus spread. She points to San Francisco and its adoption of a curfew early in the crisis. Murray notes that San Francisco doesn’t have a lot of spread.
“I think the work that we put in now going forward will really dictate where we’re going to end up,” she commented. “So I think if we put in those efforts, yeah it’ll be a little bit of an adjustment, but I think the payoff will be that much more.”
Seven councillors support the curfew. Andrew Marks had lost his electronic connection to the meeting prior to the discussion.