MONTREAL -- Last year, Halloween was a horror show, with rain and wind and even cancellations in some areas.
This year is almost as scary, with the prospect of trick-or-treating during a pandemic.
To make things a bit less frightening, a young woman has created an interactive candy map so families can see which of their neighbours will be offering treats on Halloween night.
Sarah Jolicoeur, 20, is a business student at H.E.C. and doesn't want Oct. 31 to be a bust.
"I think children won't come to my house, which is sad, so I wanted to give out candy. But if children don't come, it's just going to be a boring night for me," she said.
Trick or treating is supposed to be fun, but this year it isn't easy to figure out which of your neighbours will be participating. Walking all around and not getting any treats is a bit of trickery -- and best avoided. The interactive map takes the guesswork out candy collecting.
For example, if you're planning on trick or treating in Pointe-Claire, the map shows you which streets will have the most people planning to take part.
"My maps are not for people to go into other neighbourhoods, it's to go around in your own neighbourhood -- which street is the best in your own neighbourhood," said Jolicoeur.
If you want to get involved, you can fill out the short form and add your city and address to the map.
You can also access the map of your area, which may be getting new additions constantly.
Jolicoeur started this project with her Monteregie town of St-Basile-Le-Grand and the idea just snowballed across Quebec.
"I really just went through creating one map, the one of my city. I sat back and watched the reaction, and people got excited, so I said, 'Wow, I need to make this bigger,'" added Jolicoeur.
From Alma to Blainville to Dunham, more than 6,000 households have added their address to the map, and there's room for plenty more.
Jolicoeur said she's happy with her accomplishment. "I'm not doing it for any other reason than to be proud of myself," she said, suggesting that it would be a treat if one of her professors at H.E.C. could give her some school credit for the project.
In Dorval, a mother of twin six-year-old boys listed her home on the interactive map.
Véronique Côté said she's glad to know which homes to head to on Halloween night.
"Because of the pandemic, I think it's a good idea to map on the internet, because I'm not sure if a lot of people are going to give candies. So, I can see which house will give candies," said Côté.