A presentation by a Town of St. Paul resident had town council rethink its Halloween trick-or-treating hours and move it to accommodate working families this year.
Brandi Frowen attended the regular Oct. 14 Town of St. Paul council meeting to ask the Town of St. Paul about its Halloween hours, which typically run from 4 to 6 p.m.
Council gave her some background, explaining that the hours have been in place for several years, and that it is not an enforced bylaw, but a suggestion.
“It’s a voluntary thing,” Mayor Glenn Andersen said. The hours were put in place for safety, so that trick-or-treating coincides with daylight hours, council explained.
“My argument is, since then, time has changed,” said Frowen. Since 2007, Albertans put the clocks back only on the first Sunday of November, after Halloween. “At six-o-clock, you still have tons of light out,” she said.
Andersen looked outside at the sky, dark at 7:30 p.m., and questioned the amount of daylight at that hour. “We’re not hunting,” he joked.
“I am – for candy!” Frowen was quick to respond. She said she’d prefer to see the hours run from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., to give families time to come home from work and school and get dressed without having to rush.
Andersen said he was glad Frowen’s suggested time change was still restricted to two hours, because many people complained about getting hundreds of kids, and would rather not see longer hours.
“I’m in favour of 5 to 7,” said Coun. Edna Gervais, immediately after Frowen’s presentation. She recalled years past as a busy parent herself trying to rush from work to take her children trick-or-treating during the 4 to 6 p.m. hours. “I think it’s worth a try.”
Coun. Ken Kwiatkowski expressed some concerns. “I would like to see the kids done in daylight,” he said. He also felt that a change might spark a “backlash” from people who prefer the current hours.
Andersen suggested leaving the curfew from 4 to 6 p.m. for this year, and gathering more feedback for the following year. He noted council had only heard from one person on the proposed change. “Do you feel there’s enough community engagement?”
However, Gervais said she heard a lot of people complaining on social media about the current hours, and said “many young moms” asked her what she’d be doing to address the issue. Gervais made a motion to change the hours to 5 to 7 p.m. for this year alone, with the change being evaluated for the following year. Her motion was carried by all the councillors.
Following the meeting, Frowen expressed surprise that council was willing to listen to her argument. “I’m happy they’re willing to change,” she said.
“This is my one time of year, I absolutely live for this,” she said, adding her porch light would remain on and her house open to kids for as long into night as she had candy to hand out.
