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Bulk or boxed candy? Trick-or-treat maps help Canadian families prepare for Halloween

Census Mapper uses 2016 census data to predict busiest neighbourhoods
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The Trick-or-Treat Onslaught map estimates how many trick-or-treat aged kids – between the ages of three and fourteen – live in each neighbourhood across Canada. (Photo via Census Mapper)

Halloween is right around the corner and whether you’re wondering how much Halloween candy to stock up on or you need to know the best neighbourhoods for your little monsters to trick-or-treat in, Census Mapper has got you covered.

The website, created by GIS professional Alejandro Cervantes and mathematician Jens von Bergmann, includes several different interactive trick-or-treater projections maps using 2016 census data.

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The Trick-or-Treat Onslaught map shows many trick-or-treat aged kids – between the ages of three and fourteen – live in each neighbourhood across Canada. Hot-spots are projected based on the number of potential candy hunters per doorbell in the area.

While the Trick-or-Treat Onslaught map helps residents gauge the number of trick-or-treaters to expect, the other map, the Trick-Or-Treat Density Estimator, shows the number of trick-or-treat aged kids in the area by square kilometre and is meant to help families find the best neighbourhoods to target for candy.

Both maps show that the Victoria neighbourhoods surrounding the Hillside Avenue and Quadra Street intersection will be hopping with little goblins and ghouls this Halloween. According to the 2016 Canada Census, 85 per cent of households in the area have children of trick-or-treating age.

In Saanich, the neighbourhoods near the University of Victoria campus bordering Arbutus and Sinclair roads will likely see high numbers of loot-seekers with almost 60 per cent of the households have children of the trick-or-treating age. Residents in the Colquitz area should also expect a surplus of candy fiends with over 50 percent of homes in the area having trick-or-treaters.

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However, according to Census Mapper, the busiest areas in Greater Victoria will be along West Saanich Road in both North Saanich and Brentwood Bay. About 90 per cent of homes in those areas have trick-or-treaters so residents planning to hand out candy should stock up.

While the Census Mapper creators can’t tell folks exactly how many candy bars they’ll need and the numbers are based on the three-year-old census, it can help determine if it’ll be necessary to buy in bulk as the numbers will likely be similar in 2019.


@devonscarlett
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devon.bidal@saanichnews.com