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Originally Posted by Textcritic
If my kids decide to leave and go live somewhere else, at this point in their lives there is not a lot I can or should do to stop them.
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Just so you're aware there is a huge difference in laws between 15 year olds and 16 year olds. I don't believe you can simply let a 15 year old "run away". You certainly can't just let a 15-year-old-runaway stay with you. That's breaking the law.
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Originally Posted by https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/C-46/section-280.html
280 (1) Every person who, without lawful authority, takes or causes to be taken a person under the age of 16 years out of the possession of and against the will of the parent or guardian of that person or of any other person who has the lawful care or charge of that person is guilty of
(a) an indictable offence and liable to imprisonment for a term of not more than five years; or
(b) an offence punishable on summary conviction.
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You also are required to report to the police if you have reasonable and probable grounds that a child (defined as anyone under 18) is in need of intervention.
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Originally Posted by https://www.canlii.org/en/ab/laws/stat/rsa-2000-c-c-12/latest/rsa-2000-c-c-12.html#sec4_smooth
4(1) Any person who has reasonable and probable grounds to believe that a child is in need of intervention shall forthwith report the matter to
(a) a director, or
(b) a police officer.
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You really had no choice but to call the police. If you let him stay, you would have been breaking the law. If you kicked him out suspecting he was being abused and didn't call the cops, you would have been breaking the law. It was really a question of whether you called 911 and had it settled there, or kicked him out and called one of the hotlines. Either way, pretty much same results.
There's not really even wiggle room for someone to argue that you made the wrong choice. You did the only legal choice you had if it was reasonable to believe he was in trouble (and given his actions, it absolutely appears to be the case).