Montréal postpones Hallowe'en

21 posts / 0 new

Wed, 2019-10-30 18:02

Unionist

In case you were wondering whether we really were a "distinct society".

Municipalities across Quebec call for festivities to be delayed due to weather

Quote:

Montreal is joining several municipalities across Quebec in urging trick-or-treaters to delay going door-to-door for Halloween until Friday, due to a scary weather forecast that includes heavy rain and high winds.

Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante made the announcement on Twitter on Wednesday afternoon.

Environment Canada has issued a rainfall warning for the city and area, calling for between 40 and 70 millimetres of rain with winds gusting to 80 kilometres per hour between Thursday night and Friday morning. The weather agency warns that people should be on the lookout for flash floods and water accumulation on the roads.

And yet, some 500 kilometres to the northwest in Rouyn-Noranda, 15 to 25 centimetres of snow is expected, but there are no plans in that community to cancel Halloween.

Other municipalities outside Montreal have also postponed Halloween, including Magog, Trois-Rivières, Drummondville, Longueuil, Saint-Lambert, Sainte-Julie, Sorel-Tracy and Mont-Saint-Hilaire. Laval officials have said people can choose whether to go out trick-or-treating on either Thursday or Friday night.

Wed, 2019-10-30 19:07

pookie

I think it's pretty silly. And liable to cause lots of confusion.

Wed, 2019-10-30 19:18

Ken Burch

This will probably keep some kids from getting bad colds in the name of candy. Good on Montreal for doing this.

Wed, 2019-10-30 19:57

kropotkin1951

A great opportunity for some enterprising kids to go trick or treating for two nights instead of one. What a great idea.

Wed, 2019-10-30 21:50

(Reply to #4) #5

Unionist

pookie wrote:

I think it's pretty silly. And liable to cause lots of confusion.

You talk about "confusion" as if it's a bad thing!

Thu, 2019-10-31 15:40

lagatta4

And now the worst weather is set for late tonight (too late for the little ones, and teens put up with anything if they can annoy adults)

Fri, 2019-11-01 06:05

lagatta4

This has obviously gone viral, as has Québec Solidaire MNA Catherine Dorion, who is an artist, dressing up as a stereotypical "straight lady" MP: https://www.cliqueduplateau.com/2019/10/31/catherine-dorion-gagne-lhallo...

Yes, she has very long legs; she towers over me. Hope she didn't have to walk around in those f-me heels, though as she is a thespian as well as a visual artist, she has probably learned how to do so for certain roles.

In real life, she usually wears jeans (formal black ones for the National Assembly) and yes, sometimes Docs.

Fri, 2019-11-01 10:06

lagatta4

As for me, a real micro-emergency. A gale broke a branch off the large tree in front of my flat; gales continue; I can't move it. I phoned 311 (Mtl access number, other than for serious crimes and accidents). At least (for the time being) I don't have to go out today, and I finished my rush gig, so less worry about power failures. If so, Livia and I will cuddle in bed. If not, I'll just clean house as it needs doing after a rush gig.

Fri, 2019-11-01 10:30

pietro_bcc

Its not a big deal more important things to be worried about, but it is a bit ridiculous.

I'm really not that old but I'll probably sound like a stereotypical boomer now, but in my day if it rained on Halloween we put on a coat and carried an umbrella. If it was raining too much then we stayed home, watched a horror film and ate the candy my parents bought to give to the other kids. The idea that we would be allowed to go trick or treating or that my neighbors would hand out candy on November 1st is laughable.

Also the weather wasn't that bad when the kids should've been out to trick or treat 6-8pm, when I came home from night classes at 10pm it was legitimately terrible weather (but at least it wasn't windy unlike today so the umbrella helped.) Kids are tougher than we give them credit for, should've let them go trick or treating and they would look fondly on the memories later.

Fri, 2019-11-01 10:56

#10

lagatta4

Today all umbrellas including supposedly windproof ones will meet an untimely end. I do have a hooded rain jacket (for cycling, but longer than the pro racer ones) if I should have to go out. Not cycling today - I want to go to the (cheap and good) PA supermarkets south of here, in Mile End, but will take the bus if the gales end. A cool thing I have is caribiner (mousqueton) clip-on lights (red and clear) to put on clothing, from Lee Valley, who now have a store in Laval, not far from Montmorency métro. https://www.leevalley.com/fr-ca/shop/maison/eclairage/lampes-speciales/6...

Even for walking when very dark, but I doubt that will stop distracted drivers on phones from running down pedestrians and cyclists. Oh, of course there are also pedestrians and cyclists on phones too, but they are a bit less lethal to others. I am REALLY old school about that. The only portable I have is an old dumbphone.

Fri, 2019-11-01 16:01

#11

Pondering

It should be changed to the last Saturday in October. It is dumb to do things the same way just because that is the way it was always done. When I was a kid costumes were starting to shift to heroes and princesses but mat night was still a thing.

Today halloween is celebrated by adults on the weekends and by some large companies on a Friday. No one feels compelled to have Halloween parties on a weeknight in order to honor the date of Halloween.

There is no reason the part of Halloween that is children going house to house dressed up collecting candy must be on the exact date when it causes problems every year for parents who have to rush home from work and from workers who don't want to rush home to give out candy. There is always concern over rush hour and jay-walking children coinciding.

How about all the adult celebrating must be on Oct 31st to honor the date and the children's event be on a weekend because they are too young to understand the significance of it.

Fri, 2019-11-01 16:30

#12

alan smithee alan smithee's picture

In the end it was stupid idea..Today was WORSE than yesterday. Fuck,stop with the micro managing.

Fri, 2019-11-01 16:40

(Reply to #12) #13

Pondering

alan smithee wrote:

In the end it was stupid idea..Today was WORSE than yesterday. Fuck,stop with the micro managing.

That's because it was a last minute decision based on the weather not because it is logistically difficult to make it the last Saturday of October.

Fri, 2019-11-01 16:51

#14

alan smithee alan smithee's picture

Halloween is October 31. Has been that way (or least as long as my mother as a child) what seems like forever. You can't postpone Christmas, why would you postpone Halloween?

You're only a kid once (a reality that can't be avoided). Geez, we used to go out in blizzards, didn't matter what the weather was like.

I'm sure some traditions have disappeared (Mad Night the night before Halloween comes to mind) but kids still love candy, why can't they have their fun?

Leave it alone.

Fri, 2019-11-01 16:58

(Reply to #14) #15

Pondering

alan smithee wrote:

Halloween is October 31. Has been that way (or least as long as my mother as a child) what seems like forever. You can't postpone Christmas, why would you postpone Halloween?

You're only a kid once (a reality that can't be avoided). Geez, we used to go out in blizzards, didn't matter what the weather was like.

I'm sure some traditions have disappeared (Mad Night the night before Halloween comes to mind) but kids still love candy, why can't they have their fun?

Leave it alone.

The last Saturday of October is not postponing it is having it sooner. The purpose is so kids can have fun instead of having to rush home because it's a school night. It would be more fun to the spend the day finalizing their costume.

Christmas is a religious holiday that was formalized when Christianity was the defacto religion of everyone except for rare exceptions. It is a legal holiday when most businesses are forced to close. Personally I have no problem with moving Xmas but I don't think you could get majority support for moving Christmas. Halloween and Christmas don't compare.

Fri, 2019-11-01 20:04

#16

kropotkin1951

Pondering all the kids I know hate it when Halloween is on a weekend because it ruins their mid-week fun with their friends. The teenagers and young adults don't care one way or the other because they all do what you want the kids to do which is celebrate on a weekend. Let kids be kids and have some fun that isn't structured down to demanding that only on weekends can any fun be had.

Sat, 2019-11-02 00:52

(Reply to #16) #17

Pondering

kropotkin1951 wrote:

Pondering all the kids I know hate it when Halloween is on a weekend because it ruins their mid-week fun with their friends. The teenagers and young adults don't care one way or the other because they all do what you want the kids to do which is celebrate on a weekend. Let kids be kids and have some fun that isn't structured down to demanding that only on weekends can any fun be had.

It always wrecked the fun to have it on a weeknight for me and for my friends. We couldn't stay out as late and couldn't have supper early. When it was on the weekend it was much more fun.

Sat, 2019-11-02 01:34

#18

Misfit

Kids like to get dressed up for school. There is the fun when everyone is in costume at school. Also, when I was young, there was more vandalism when Hallowe'en fell on a Friday or Saturday. The older kids would be out later and did a lot more damage.

Sat, 2019-11-02 20:47

#19

Unionist

Valérie Plante is a disappointment on many levels. Not least of which is her pandering to the Montréal police. I know I had a good reason for joining Projet Montréal, but I'm having trouble remembering what it was.

Sun, 2019-11-03 07:13

#20

lagatta4

I still prefer her to the other side, but find her jovialism very annoying.

Sun, 2019-11-03 17:19

#21

alan smithee alan smithee's picture

Plante or the 3 Stooges? I'll take Plante everytime