A cleaning crew is scraping egg splatter off the walls and vacuuming shattered glass off the ripped-up vinyl flooring in Bryan and Carmen Orthner's home in the northern Saskatchewan town of La Ronge.

Teenage vandals chucked eggs at the walls and ceilings as they smashed, stomped and ransacked their way through the couple's house in a weekend crime spree that hit 15 property owners. The youngest teen facing charges is just 13 years old.

The Orthners, still staying in a hotel, are part of a group calling itself Victims of Vandalism, which successfully lobbied town council and RCMP to resurrect a decade-old curfew for children under 18.

Still, they admit they have mixed feelings about the curfew.

I guess it's for the good of the community and safety of others. – Keagan Floch, 16

"I wouldn't want to see every single kid that's ever out for any reason swept up," Bryan Orthner said, as he recalls his memories of Friday-night high school parties.

As of this past weekend, no one under 18 can be out in public between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. without supervision by a parent, guardian or an authorized adult.

While many teens in La Ronge told CBC News that they feel unfairly penalized, the bylaw's wording is actually directed at their parents.

The bylaw begins with, "No parent(s) shall permit his or her child to be in any public place during the prohibited hours."

RCMP are being asked to warn parents at first, then move on to issuing a $50 ticket and, subsequently, $100 tickets.

They're directed to call Child and Family Services if they can't locate a parent.

Curfew only a start

La Ronge, Sask., has resurrected a decade-old curfew for children under 18 years old. (Bonnie Allen/CBC)

"It's not a silver bullet," La Ronge Mayor Thomas Sierzycki said.

Sierzycki said the curfew is an immediate, interim tool for police to curb crime, but he hopes that a newly formed six-person task force can tackle the deeper socio-economic problems that seem to plague parents and cast their children into unsupervised, unsafe situations.

The town's mayor chooses his words carefully.

"Perhaps the family unit isn't what the family unit should be to ensure the safety of our young people," Sierzycki said.

Community leaders point to poverty, lack of education, and drug, alcohol and gambling addictions.

While Sierzycki is reluctant to say outright that the curfew polices parents, he said, "We're hoping that residents see that it's a tool to get guardians and parents involved in their young people."

Well-behaved teens unfairly punished

Keagan Floch, 16, said he understands the reasoning behind the curfew. (CBC)

At the local arena, midget hockey players finish their drills around 8:30 p.m. and get ready to head home. It's a school night and none of their parents let them stay out past 11 p.m. anyway.

Keagan Floch, 16, shrugs his shoulders over the curfew and gives an answer that would likely make his parents proud.

We don't want to give the perception that La Ronge is in a complete state of lockdown. - RCMP Sgt. Josh Hallett

"I guess it's for the good of the community and safety of others," he said.

He and his teammates bristle at being lumped together with high-risk youth and penalized without cause, but seem to recognize that their restricted freedom is collateral damage in a more serious social struggle.

"I think it's more for the parents, so they know where their kids are," Joseph Ratt, 16, said.

RCMP officers will show discretion

RCMP Sgt. Josh Hallett has directed officers in La Ronge to talk to children and show discretion when enforcing the curfew. (Bonnie Allen/CBC)

"We don't want to give the perception that La Ronge is in a complete state of lockdown," RCMP Sgt. Josh Hallett told CBC News.

He's directed officers in La Ronge to talk to kids and show discretion. A teenager walking home from a part-time job would be treated differently from a 14-year old wandering the streets at 4 a.m.

Other communities in Canada have tried curfews with varying levels of success. In Thompson, Man., city council was forced to abandon its curfew after two parents and a 17-year-old launched a court challenge.

Meanwhile, the First Nations community of Stanley Mission in northern Saskatchewan has enforced a curfew for well over a decade.

A fire hall siren warns teens 16 and under to go home by 10 p.m. on weeknights and 11 p.m. on weekends. The band punishes children who defy the curfew by restricting their access to recreational activities and facilities.

The Lac La Ronge First Nation, which borders the town of La Ronge, plans to dust off its curfew bylaw from 1998.

Curfew not enough

The Orthners are visibly exhausted as they stand amid glass shards and broken TVs and computers.

This week, Bryan Orthner sat through a bail hearing for the teen suspects in their home invasion.

He learned the 13-year-old had been homeless for months after fleeing an alcoholic mother.

"I can't help feeling when you see the story in court that the community has profoundly failed this kid," he said.

"He doesn't feel safe at home, and now he's making other people feel unsafe in their homes," Carmen Orthner added.

As much as they hope a curfew will help, they know it's not enough.