Mayor Mark Sutcliffe and front-line workers including the Ottawa Police Service urged all road users to consider safety tips to make for a “fun and exciting night of trick-or-treating” in the national capital.
With police reporting the deadliest year on Ottawa streets in a decade, the safety tips provided by the OPS in a release on Oct. 20, included tailored suggestions for drivers, young adults planning to party, children and their parents.
For drivers, the OPS asked them to reduce speed “significantly,” especially in residential neighbourhoods where children might run across streets unexpectedly.
In a news conference outside City Hall on Oct. 29, Sutcliffe and first-responders, including representatives from OPS, Ottawa Fire Services and the Ottawa Paramedic Service as well as OC Transpo, warned drivers of the devastating consequences for families who lost loved ones because of collisions.
“We need drivers to slow down, pay attention, obey the rules and stop looking at their phones,” the mayor said. “Too many families are living with the devastating consequences of preventable collisions and we cannot accept this as business as usual.”
In the OPS release, police suggested residents carry glowsticks and flashlights or wear reflective clothing so drivers could easily spot them. “Use sidewalks, cross only when safe, at crosswalks or corners. Never cut across streets or unlit yards,” the release read.
The advisory also goes as far as suggesting that parents inspect treats before children consumed them.
“Never eat homemade treats, unsealed or unusual snacks, and, if the item is unfamiliar, inspect and read labels carefully. When in doubt, throw it out.”
They also advised children to never enter strangers’ homes or vehicles and to avoid unlit houses or houses without Halloween decorations.
To party goers planning to stay out late, police advised that they keep valuables close by, drive sober, buddy up and respect boundaries.
“No means no. Ensure clear, sober consent before any intimate activity,” the release read. “If someone needs help or something doesn’t seem right, speak up, offer assistance, or call 9-1-1 in an emergency.”
Airbnb also activated its heightened anti-party technology across Canada for Halloween to help reduce the risk of disruptive parties over the weekend even though such incidents remained “incredibly rare,” according to the company’s website. Across Ontario in 2025, only 0.07 per cent of reservations resulted in a report of a party to Airbnb.
“We believe the defences we’ve built over the years, including these Halloween measures, have helped play a part in that,” a post on the website said.
Over Halloween weekend in 2025, those defences deterred approximately 40 people in Ottawa from booking entire homes on Airbnb.
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