Entire Streets Making Halloween Accessible! Canada Is Nominating Halloween Streets Faster Than Planned: What the Early Response Means
- Rich Padulo
- Aug 6
- 6 min read
Entire Streets is exactly what the founding family knew would happen.
Canadians have nominated 146 unique streets for Treat Accessibly Halloween Streets 2026, according to Treat Accessibly nomination data as of August 3, 2026. The nominations span 8 provinces and more than 70 cities and towns, from Charlottetown, P.E.I. to Comox, B.C. Approximately 25 streets will be selected this fall. Nominations are still open, and any street in Canada can be put forward at TreatAccessibly.com.
Treat Accessibly Halloween Streets is made possible by:
How are Halloween Street nominations doing in 2026?
Better than we planned. Honestly, better than we let ourselves hope.
When nominations opened in mid-July, 30 streets were nominated in the first 24 hours. The first seven days brought 98 street nominations, roughly the number our plan had set aside a full month to reach. Three weeks in, the pace has not cooled.
Here is where the campaign sits, according to Treat Accessibly nomination data as of August 3, 2026:
146 unique streets nominated across Canada, from 165 street nominations plus 39 registered Street Captains.
8 provinces represented: Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.
More than 70 cities and towns, from Toronto, Calgary, Edmonton and Halifax to communities as small as Arborg, Manitoba and Bains Corner, New Brunswick.
An estimated 55,000 or more trick-or-treaters visit these nominated streets each Halloween, based on the visitor ranges nominators reported, counted once per street.
35 streets already have a registered Street Captain, the neighbour who volunteers to rally the street.
One number matters more to me than the totals. Our nomination form asks every person the same question: will you register as the Street Captain? All 165 nominators answered. One hundred said yes. The other 65 said they would pass the role to a neighbour who would love it. Nobody said someone should do this. Everyone named who.
What is a Treat Accessibly Halloween Street?
A Treat Accessibly Halloween Street is a street where neighbours agree to remove the barriers between kids and the fun of Halloween. Treats are handed out at the end of driveways instead of at the top of stairs. Every child is welcomed, whether or not they wear a costume, make eye contact or say "trick or treat." Selected streets receive treats, signs, guidance and national recognition, and any street can adopt the approach. Read the full guide to how Halloween Streets work.
Where the nominations are coming from
Ontario leads with 84 nominated streets, followed by Alberta with 27, British Columbia with 17 and Manitoba with 8. Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Saskatchewan and Prince Edward Island round out the map, all according to the August 3, 2026 nomination data.
Almost two-thirds of nominators found the campaign on social media. One in five heard about it from a friend. That second number is my favourite. Halloween has always travelled neighbour to neighbour, and this movement travels the same way.
The people nominating are exactly who you would guess. Most are homeowners who treat every year. Forty-nine are parents and guardians who will be out with their own kids on Halloween night. Twenty-one describe themselves as the person who already organizes the street party, the barbecue or the block's Halloween.
Canada's first official Halloween Street is already showing what happens next
On August 4, we named the first official Treat Accessibly Halloween Street of 2026: 91 Avenue in North Delta, British Columbia.
Doug, the street's Captain, nominated 91 Avenue in late July. By August 3, seventeen neighbours had signed on to treat accessibly with him. Two days later it was 32 neighbours across 29 homes, with 14 homes joining in a single day, according to Treat Accessibly participation data as of August 5, 2026. The sign-ups now reach across eight nearby street names. What started as one street is becoming a neighbourhood.
That is the pattern we hoped Halloween Streets would prove. A nomination starts as one person's idea. Within a week it becomes a neighbourhood's plan.
Why neighbours are nominating, in their own words
A mother in Walkerton, Ontario, who registered as her street's Captain, wrote this on her form:
"My son is a wheelchair user and I would love our neighbourhood to rally together to create a barrier-free trick-or-treating experience, not only for my son but for the many other children in our community who will benefit from it."
A nominator in Pickering, Ontario, pointed out something I have thought about ever since:
"During COVID we set our treat bags on steps or left a bowl of candy out. That same thinking stopped once precautions were lifted, but those same struggles remain. Seeing firsthand my neighbour who lives across from me and uses a wheelchair has shown me how important accessible streets are."
She is right. We proved we could do this for one week in a pandemic. These nominators are asking Canada to do it on purpose, for one night, every year.
Nine years ago, our daughter Siena and I saw a boy using a wheelchair as we placed pumpkins on the stairs to our front door. One handmade lawn sign and a plan to always treat from our driveway later, we learned what these 146 streets are proving right now at national scale: the fix is simple, and neighbours want to be asked.
What the early response means for October 31
Halloween 2026 lands on a Saturday. No school-night rush, more daylight to work with, and more neighbours home to take part. If there was ever a year for a street to try treating accessibly together, it is this one.
Approximately 25 streets will be selected as official Treat Accessibly Halloween Streets for 2026. Selected streets receive up to CA$1,000 in support for treats and supplies, lawn signs, a step-by-step playbook and national recognition.
Here is the honest math: 146 nominated streets, roughly 25 selections. The response has already outgrown the program, and that is the best problem a movement can have. Because selection was never the whole point. Every nominated street, selected or not, can Treat Accessibly this Halloween with a treat station at the end of the driveway and a lawn sign that tells every family they are expected.
How to nominate a street
Nominations take about five minutes at TreatAccessibly.com.
Tell us about the street: its name, city and province, and your best estimate of how many trick-or-treaters visit each year.
Tell us why the street would love this.
Answer one question: will you be the Street Captain, or will you pass the role to a neighbour who will?
Nominations close September 25, 2026. If a street you love should be on this list, this is the moment.
Key takeaways
Canadians nominated 146 unique streets in roughly three weeks, across 8 provinces and more than 70 cities and towns (Treat Accessibly nomination data, August 3, 2026).
Every single nominator either volunteered to lead their street or named the neighbour they would recruit.
Approximately 25 streets will be selected, and every nominated street can still treat accessibly on October 31.
Frequently asked questions
Can I still nominate a street for 2026?
Yes. Nominations are open until September 25 at TreatAccessibly.com. You can nominate your own street or another street you know would love it.
Does a street need ramps or perfect accessibility to be nominated?
No. Halloween Streets is about removing barriers with simple choices, like handing out treats from the end of the driveway instead of the top of the stairs. Any street willing to welcome every child can be nominated.
What do selected Halloween Streets receive?
Selected streets receive up to CA$1,000 in support for treats and supplies, lawn signs, a step-by-step guide and national recognition as an official Treat Accessibly Halloween Street.
What happens if my street is not selected?
You still get Halloween. Every nominated street is invited to treat accessibly with driveway treat stations, lawn signs and our free guides, and to stay connected for 2027.
Who can nominate a street?
Anyone in Canada. Homeowners, renters, parents, grandparents and community leaders have all nominated streets this year, and you do not need to live on the street you nominate.
About the author. Rich Padulo founded Treat Accessibly with his family in 2017, after he and his daughter Siena saw a boy using a wheelchair as they were putting pumpkins on the steps to their front door. Siena asked, “how does he Trick-or-Treat when all the houses have stairs.” What began as one handmade lawn sign is now a national movement to make Halloween a night where every child is expected and welcomed. |
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