Clark says Saskatoon needs to solve jailed youth problem – StarPhoenix

Saskatoon is failing when it comes to keeping Indigenous youth out of jail, costing millions, Saskatoon Mayor Charlie Clark says.

April 17, 2018

Saskatoon is failing when it comes to keeping Indigenous youth out of jail, costing government millions and preventing billions in economic activity, Saskatoon Mayor Charlie Clark says.

Clark identified the youth incarceration rate as a key problem in his annual state of the city address on Tuesday in front of a business lunch crowd of about 300 people.

“This system is not working and it’s failing all of us, but we have a chance to turn it around,” Clark said at the Greater Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce event at TCU Place.

He cited provincial statistics, notably that the incarceration rate for youth in Saskatchewan is twice the national average and high school graduation rates for Indigenous youth are about half that of non-Indigenous students.

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