The decision to postpone Halloween in some municipalities in Quebec has garnered mixed reaction from parents and politicians in the province.
Quebec Premier François Legault commented on the move Thursday, saying he hopes trick-or-treaters have a great Halloween regardless of when they head out. It is not the province’s call to decide whether to keep or push festivities scheduled for Oct. 31, he said.
“I’ll let the municipalities take the decision,” he said. “The weather is different from one city to the other.”
READ MORE: Halloween safety tips for trick-or-treaters in Quebec
The City of Montreal joined several other towns in encouraging parents to delay activities to Friday. Mayor Valérie Plante announced the decision Wednesday based on the forecast of heavy rain and strong winds for the area.
The cities of Longueuil, Pointe-Claire, Westmount, Saint-Lambert, Sainte-Julie, Varennes, McMasterville, Sorel-Tracy, Mont-Saint-Hilaire and Magog have also done the same.
Christian Dubé, MNA for La Prairie, laughed when he was asked about Halloween weather and rescheduling festivities. He looked on the bright side, noting that celebrations could last longer than usual due to the inclement weather.
“The kids could have an excuse to have both days,” Dubé said.
Nathalie Néron, who lives in Westmount, told Global News she supports the idea of postponing Halloween.
“It’s supposed to be a fun day for the kids,” she said. “I don’t think it’s a fun day for them to go trick-or-treating.”
However, not all towns are on board. The cities of Beaconsfield, Dorval and Vaudreuil-Dorion, among many others, have no plans to delay Halloween activities.
Benoit Charette, MNA for Deux-Montagnes, still plans to go trick-or-treating in his town of Saint-Eustache.
“I’ll be there with my children tonight no matter the weather,” he said.
Montreal police will be out both days
As Environment Canada warns there will be heavy rain and powerful winds, the police department in Montreal will be out in full force.
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Jean-Pierre Brabant, a spokesperson for Montreal police, told Global News that police officers will be canvassing neighbourhoods on both Thursday and Friday.
“It doesn’t change anything on our side,” said Brabant. “If it’s today or tomorrow, we will have the same service on the road to assure the safety of everyone.”
The city’s plan to push Halloween to Friday is being met with praise from some residents. Karl Desy is concerned about the weather, saying 40 millimetres of rain is a lot for young families to handle.
“For the safety of the kids and stuff being outside with all the rain, it could be very slippery,” he said.
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— With files from Global News’ Tim Sargeant, Brayden Jagger Haines and the Canadian Press
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