Don't expect any city government party-poopers to start taking the fun out of local Halloween celebrations.
There are no plans to place an age limit on trick or treaters, or restrict costumes.
However, that can't be said for the New Brunswick town of Bathurst. There, a contentious Halloween bylaw puts an age limit on the pursuit of sugary loot and sets a curfew for anyone in disguise.
The new rules ban trick-or-treating for anyone older than 16 and set an 8 p.m. curfew for all, relaxing the old bylaw forbidding teens over age 14 from collecting candy door-to-door with a 7 p.m. cut-off.
The bylaw also prohibits anyone from wearing a facial disguise in public after curfew. Anyone spotted donning a zombie mask or a witch's veil after 8 p.m. can be fined up to $200.
While many towns and cities have issued Halloween-related policies or guidelines to protect little ghosts and goblins or step up police patrols, a bylaw restricting trick-or-treating and enforcing an early curfew is an unusual step.
And don't expect North Bay to jump on board.
"As for age restrictions, curfews or disguises, we are not contemplating at this time nor has there been any conversations to date on any changes," says Mayor Al McDonald. "Let's have kids be kids and enjoy the tradition.
"We believe in safety first and encourage everyone that is trick or treating to make sure their costumes have good sight visibility, recommend that children wear reflective material so they can be seen and we encourage our residents to be extra careful on Halloween night when driving due to the sheer number of extra pedestrians."
Take our poll: How old is too old to be trick or treating? About a third of responders feel 14 should be the upper limit.
Bathurst police say they'll use common sense enforcing the Halloween bylaw.
"If some child is walking around at 8:05 p.m. and has a mask on, we're not necessarily going to give them a ticket," Const. Jeff Chiasson said in an interview Monday. "But if we do find people over the age of 16 throwing apples or stealing candies from other kids or things like that, that's where the imposition of the fines would be put into place."
The bylaw gives police a tool to prevent and stop mischief, he said, adding that fines would be used only as a last resort.
"I think the spirit of this is to prevent any mischief," he said.
With files from Brett Bundale in Halifax.
