Are Winnipeg malls hosting Halloween events this year?

Kids trick-or-treating with non-medical face masks. (Shutterstock)

WINNIPEG -

Halloween is coming up in just a few days, and health officials are advising that people still need to remain safe and follow COVID-19 health precautions.

According to Dr. Brent Roussin, Manitoba’s chief provincial public health officer, the province has already started to look into what its advice will be for the holiday.

"It is going to be, again, sticking with fundamentals. All these things that we've been talking about now for over 18 months," he said at a news conference earlier this month.

"We will be having some more guidance as things come and, of course, our epidemiology might look a lot different as we get closer to Halloween, but the fundamentals will remain the same.”

For anyone looking for a safe activity, some Winnipeg malls will be offering events that align with current public health orders.

According to a spokesperson for Kildonan Place and Grant Park Shopping Centres, there will not be indoor events at either mall this year. Grant Park Shopping Centre, however, will hold a drive-thru trick-or-treating event on Oct. 29 in the mall's parking lot for children 12 and under. The event runs from 3 to 6 p.m., or while supplies last. The mall said kids must be present in person to receive treats, and no walk-ups are allowed.

Kildonan Place will also be holding its ‘Carving for a Cause’ celebrity pumpkin carving contest, but instead of having the carving done at the mall, the pumpkins will be dropped off for people to carve at their homes and workplaces.

Garden City Shopping Centre will not be doing its usual trick-or-treating indoor event, but will hold an outdoor drive-in movie in the parking lot on the south side of Kingsbury Avenue. Gates open at 5 p.m. ‘Hotel Transylvania’ will play for the younger kids, followed by 'Goosebumps' later in the evening. People are encouraged to register their spots online.

Tickets are $10 per car, per movie, and all ticket sales will be donated to the Canadian Mental Health Association Youth Division of Winnipeg and Manitoba.

A spokesperson for C.F. Polo Park said there will be no Halloween events at that mall.

CTV News Winnipeg has reached out to other malls to find out their Halloween plans and will update once there are more details.

- With files from CTV’s Danton Unger.