Skeletons, pumpkins, candy and a little bit of mischievousness are all regular occurrences on Halloween day, but a curfew, such as the one that has become habit for long-time St. Paul trick-or-treaters, isn’t quite as welcome as the tasty treats or creepy decor.
Last week, the neighbouring community of Bonnyville took centre stage in local and provincial media as the town council voted to uphold its curfew, which requires youth under 16 to be accompanied by an adult after 7 p.m.
In St. Paul, that curfew is much more strict. Trick-or-treating is allowed to take place from 4 to 6 p.m. – period.
For any parents celebrating Halloween in St. Paul, the evening usually involves a hectic schedule of running around, dressing children in costumes over layers of warm clothing, and squeezing in a bit of Halloween fun, all before suppertime.
For parents who have regular working hours, taking their children trick-or-treating on Halloween isn’t even an option. Although trick-or-treating in the daylight offers safety benefits, the likelihood of children running around in the streets without adult supervision is probably increased, with many parents still at work during St. Paul’s current hours.
Extending the curfew is the easiest and most obvious solution to satisfying everyone’s concerns, as most people against the current rules are not opposed to the idea of limiting trick-or-treating hours in some capacity.
A question about the curfew on the Journal’s Facebook page saw a majority of residents speaking out against the curfew.
One comment read, “I work until five so it doesn't make sense for me to run home to open my door, and now that I'm a mom, it will be hard to show my daughter the fun in Halloween . . . Bring ol' school Halloween back to St. Paul!”
