Town cancels trick-or-treating due to polar bears

ARVIAT, Nunavut, Oct. 22 (UPI) —

A Canadian town has canceled trick-or-treating in favor of an indoor event due to the threat of polar bears wandering the streets.

Arviat officials posted to the hamlet’s official Facebook page saying the town would host an indoor event for kids at the Mark Kalluak community hall Oct. 31 as an alternative to trick-or-treating, which officials said would be too risky this year due to the polar bear presence around town.

"It was clear that the majority of people liked the idea of providing a safer environment for kids to celebrate Halloween," officials said in the Oct. 15 post. "The goal of this event will be to make sure our kids remain safe and still have fun."

"Picture 1,200 kids going door to door in Arviat in the middle of polar bear season," Arviat Senior Administrative Officer Steve England told CBC News. "It’s a pretty obvious conclusion of what tragedies could come out of that. We’re just trying to safeguard the younger population by offering an alternative."