14-Year-Old Charged in Edward Street Break-and-Enter Investigation
THUNDER BAY — A 14-year-old has been charged following an early-morning break-and-enter investigation on Edward Street after Thunder Bay police responded to an alarm and found damage at multiple retail locations.
Thunder Bay Police Service officers were dispatched to the 400 block of Edward Street at about 3:15 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 16, 2026.
Police respond to retail alarm
Officers with the Primary Response Unit arrived within minutes and found that multiple retail locations had been damaged. Police said the suspects had left the area before officers arrived.
As the investigation continued, officers located and arrested one person.
A 14-year-old has been charged with:
- break and enter; and
- theft under $5,000.
The accused was released from custody with a future court date.
Police have not released the youth’s identity.
What the charges mean under Canadian law
Break and enter is covered by section 348 of the Criminal Code. The section applies when a person breaks into a place with the intent to commit an indictable offence, commits an indictable offence after entering, or breaks out after committing or intending to commit an indictable offence. Where the location is not a dwelling house, the offence can proceed by indictment, carrying an adult maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, or by summary conviction.
Theft under $5,000 is dealt with under section 334(b) of the Criminal Code. For an adult offender, the offence is hybrid: if prosecuted by indictment, the maximum sentence is two years; it can also be prosecuted by summary conviction.
Those adult maximum penalties should not be interpreted as the expected sentence in this case. Because the accused is 14, the Youth Criminal Justice Act governs the proceedings unless a court ultimately imposes an adult sentence through the separate process provided under the Act.
Youth sentencing is different from adult sentencing
Youth courts have a broad range of sentencing options designed around accountability, rehabilitation and reintegration. Under section 42 of the Youth Criminal Justice Act, available sanctions can include a reprimand, an absolute or conditional discharge, a fine of up to $1,000, restitution, community service, probation for up to two years and, where the statutory requirements are met, custody and community supervision.
Custody is not automatic. Section 39 of the Act restricts when a youth justice court may impose a custodial sentence and requires courts to consider reasonable alternatives to custody in qualifying cases.
For most offences where a youth sentence involving custody and supervision is imposed, the combined period generally cannot exceed two years. The actual sentence in any case depends on the offence, circumstances, the young person’s record and other factors considered by the court.
The Youth Criminal Justice Act does allow the Attorney General to seek an adult sentence for certain offences committed after a young person turns 14 where the adult maximum penalty exceeds two years, but that requires a separate application and notice process. There is no information in the police release indicating that such an application has been made in this case.
Why the accused cannot be identified
Section 110 of the Youth Criminal Justice Act generally prohibits publishing the name of a young person, or other information that could identify the youth as someone being dealt with under the Act. There are limited statutory exceptions.
NetNewsLedger will not publish information that could identify the accused.
Presumption of innocence
The charges have not been proven in court. The accused is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
The investigation remains a Thunder Bay Police Service matter, file TB26032582.
