Residents in a southeast Edmonton neighbourhood are raising concerns after a culmination of Halloween activities in the community over the years they say has come to a breaking point. Summerside Grande Boulevard has become known as a Halloween destination for Edmontonians who travel from all corners of the city to walk by and trick-or-treat at homes lavishly decorated in spooky accouterments. But as more and more people visit the neighbourhood, residents are raising concerns about congestion, property damage and theft. Nicole Cebuliak, a homeowner on Grande Boulevard, said she heard last year saw 3,000 people come to the neighbourhood on Halloween. “We’re not funded for this. There’s no sponsorship for this kind of event. It’s all out of our own pocket,” Cebuliak told CTV News Edmonton, adding that adults were also going door-to-door trick-or-treating. Resident Lisa Reineke said she spent about $1,000 on Halloween candy last year. “That is a very expensive bill for Halloween, and Halloween is going to be on a Saturday this year, so we anticipate the crowds to be very large and starting much earlier in the day this year,” said Reineke. Another issue the neighbourhood faces is vehicle and pedestrian congestion. “I’ve had friends that have tried to drive down the boulevard and they said it took them over an hour to go from one end to the other,” said Cebuliak. “It’s not just the cars; it’s the volume of people on the sidewalks. You’re literally shoulder-to-shoulder with people.” The congestion has expanded beyond the boulevard with some homes in the surrounding community seeing 400 or more trick-or-treaters. Reineke says she has seen street-racing, weapons, people walking through yards and stealing decorations. “That leaves a really touch taste in everybody’s mouth who has really enjoyed showcasing,” said Reineke. Cebuliak is among some of the other residents who put their decorations away at night to avoid thefts. “I know of at least two other houses where on Halloween they shut down, went to bed and stopped giving out candy,” she recalled. “It was after 10 p.m. and that’s when their decorations were stolen.” Cebuliak and her family are debating whether or not they want to participate in handing out candy this year, especially as it collides with Treat Accessibly, an event that helps make Halloween inclusive for children with disabilities and mobility needs. Grande Boulevard has hosted Treat Accessibly the last couple of years, but not on Oct. 31. “The street was shut down … there were security services, there were first aid services, donations for candy were provided … It was fun,” said Cebuliak, adding that the event coinciding with regular Halloween activities will create safety issues. “We didn’t ask for the volume of people to come. I certainly don’t promote it.” The Treat Accessibly event will go from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Halloween in an effort to avoid large crowds. “But as people continue to come – the crowds have already started here on evenings and weekends – residents are saying, ‘We don’t want to take that risk. We don’t want all of these children coming, who have accessibility needs that we might not be able to meet,’” said Reineke, who also serves as block captain for the event. “We aren’t able to get the street closed. We aren’t able to get the support from the city at this time to meet the needs for the infrastructure, for safety of children, safety of vehicles, for waste management – all of those pieces that would make it a safer time for children here.” In order to have safety measures in place, residents would have to apply for permits and pay out-of-pocket for insurance, policing and permitting. “That’s really hard to hear as a citizen in this community,” said Reineke. “We did not ask for Halloween to be this large event, it has organically happened and I think some of the tension is that as a municipality, where is their responsibility in helping make sure that all of the children are safe here on Halloween?” Cebuliak has spoken with Mayor Andrew Knack about the issue. “There is absolutely concern from the mayor,” she said. There are some residents that have tried to get support from Grande Boulevard homeowners to develop a plan to designate the street similarly to Candy Cane Lane. “There isn’t an appetite to organize into something similar to how Candy Cane Lane operates where they have a committee, they organize street closures and they work with the city on getting those permits and having appropriate insurance in place,” said Cebuliak. The Grande Boulevard resident of 12 years said she would like to see the street closed to vehicles on Halloween. “Treat our street like your home, like your street. It’s about respecting other people’s homes and respecting each other as a broader community.” With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Amanda Anderson
