The mayor of Yorkton, Sask., is welcoming a young serial car thief from Winnipeg who was banished to his city by a Winnipeg judge.

Chris Wyatt says his bustling eastern Saskatchewan community of 17,000 is a good place to go through rehabilitation.

The 16-year-old was among the top car thieves in Winnipeg, Crown attorney Liz Pats told a sentencing hearing before Manitoba Judge Janice leMaistre on Friday.

A judge handed out the unusual sentence, describing it as the teen's last chance to turn his life around. The boy comes from a family whose members are responsible for more than 180 auto theft convictions.

According to news reports, more than $175,000 in civil lawsuits are still before the courts for car-related damages the teen's family members are accused of causing in Manitoba.

In Saskatchewan, the thief will be living with other relatives the court was told were positive role models.

"You know if there's a place that he can turn his life around, it's going to be in Yorkton," Wyatt said.

"There's a lot of good things happening here, there's a lot of job opportunities, if he chooses that way. There's also a lot of things to do if he goes to school. School activities, the drama, the sports. Lots of hockey rinks here, things like that if he chooses the positive way."

Wyatt said the RCMP will be keeping tabs on the teen to make sure he abides by curfew conditions set out by the court. They will, for example, be knocking on the door of his new home in Yorkton to ensure he is there.