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Alberta

Happy Halloween! Province gives the go ahead for Trick or Treating

Published

5 years ago

3 minute read

From the Province of Alberta

Halloween

  • Alberta’s chief medical officer of health is not cancelling Halloween.
  • Outdoor Halloween activities are lower risk and supported by public health.
  • A new tip sheet online will help Albertans of all ages enjoy a safe and healthy Halloween.
  • Printable posters will let people know if you are handing out treats.

For more information and to find the printable posters go to Alberta.ca/Halloween

If you want to know what the province says about Trick or Treating this year watch this video starting at the 9:40 mark.

From trick-or-treating to the double feature picture show, you can enjoy your favourite Halloween activities safely by taking some simple precautions. Leave the terror to monsters, ghosts and evil clowns – not the pandemic.

Trick or treating

Don’t go trick-or-treating if feeling ill, even if symptoms are minor

Choose costumes that allow a non-medical mask to be worn underneath – make sure you can see and breathe comfortably

Minimize contact with others: trick-or-treat with your family or cohort, remain within your community, and stay 2 metres apart

Avoid touching doorbells or railings: call “trick or treat” from 2 metres away, knock instead of using doorbells, use hand sanitizer after touching surfaces

Wash hands and disinfect packages before eating candy

Handing out candy

Don’t hand out candy if feeling ill or isolating

Wear a non-medical mask that fully covers your nose and mouth

Ask trick-or-treaters to knock or call out instead of ringing the doorbell

Use tongs to hand out pre-packaged candy to avoid handling treats

Find creative ways to maintain distance from trick-or-treaters:

Hand out treats from your driveway or front lawn, if weather permits

Set up a table or desk to help keep yourself distanced

Make candy bags and space them out on a table or blanket; don’t leave out self-serve bowls of bulk candy

Build a candy slide, candy catapult or other fun, non-touch delivery methods

Halloween parties

Stay home if feeling ill, even if symptoms are mild

Spend time with people you know – the smaller the group the better

Choose games and activities that don’t use shared items and allows people to stay 2 metres apart

Don’t share drinks, food, cigarettes, vapes or cannabis

Host your party outdoors, if weather permits. If you must stay indoors:

  • reduce your gathering size
  • choose a location that allows for physical distancing between people from separate families and cohorts
  • provide hand sanitizer

Wash or sanitize your hands often

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Born in humble circumstances and initially considered rough around the edges, Crackers Hot Shot overcame long odds to carve out a career that would forever impact the province’s racing industry. From a “wild, unhandled filly” to Alberta’s “Horse of the Year” in 2013, to producing foals who carry her spirit and fortitude into future generations.

Her influence ripples through Alberta’s racing and breeding landscape: from how young stock are prepared, to the aspirations of local breeders who now look to “the mare that did it” as proof that world-class talent can emerge from Alberta’s paddocks.

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Visit thehorses.com to learn more about Alberta’s Horse Racing industry.

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Alberta

Province orders School Boards to gather data on class sizes and complexity by Nov 24

Published on October 31, 2025

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Better data, better outcomes for Alberta students

To help schools address classroom complexity, Alberta’s government will begin collecting annual data on class size and composition.

Over the past three years, Alberta has welcomed more than 80,000 new students. With this unprecedented growth, classroom complexity and class sizes are among the biggest issues facing schools and teachers across the province.

To meet this challenge head on, Alberta’s government will work with school boards to gather yearly data on class sizes and composition. This information will be used to better understand staffing, student needs and classroom complexity. School boards will be required to submit data on Alberta classrooms by Nov. 24, and by January, this data will be made publicly available and will then be released annually.

Data collected on classroom complexity will help the province understand and address issues in schools, including class sizes, and support strategic investments in classrooms. Over the next three years, school boards will be provided with funding to hire 3,000 teachers and 1,500 new education assistants to support students with complex needs.

“We are ready to work with school boards and teachers to address classroom complexity and class sizes. We have heard them loud and clear and we are taking bold action to address these issues.”

Demetrios Nicolaides, Minister of Education and Childcare

Alberta’s government is establishing a Class Size and Complexity Task Force to begin work immediately on identifying solutions to the challenges facing Alberta classrooms. Alongside new annual data collection, the task force will ensure every student gets the attention and support they need to succeed. Details about the task force will be shared in the coming weeks.

“This data will provide essential insight into classroom realities, guiding evidence-based decisions and advocating for sustainable funding to address complexity, ensuring every student and educator in Alberta has the support to thrive.”

Mike McMann, College of Alberta School Superintendents

Quick facts

To inform decisions on addressing classroom complexity, data will be collected on total numbers of:

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  • students, per classroom, per school
  • severe, mild/moderate, and gifted/talented students, per classroom, per school
  • English as an additional language (EAL) students, per classroom, per school
  • refugee students, per classroom, per school
  • First Nations, Métis and Inuit students, per classroom, per school
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  • students waitlisted for assessment, per classroom, per school
  • incidents of aggression and violence
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  • Budget 2025 is investing $1.1 billion to hire more than 4,000 teachers and educational staff.
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