The Canadian city of Bathurst relaxed a harsh Halloween law that banned children over age 14 from trick-or-treating and placed a 7 pm curfew on all festivities, but Deputy Governor Kim Chamberlain still isn’t happy, insisting that even with the changes, the law remains too severe.

Speaking with CBC news, Chamberlain expressed her disdain with the new law, which now allows children up to age 16 to trick-or-treat and extends the curfew to 8 pm, saying, “I wanted to demolish it altogether but I got outvoted.”

The new law, while certainly less strict than the previous one, still imposes over-the-top consequences on violators. Anyone caught in costume after curfew or still trick-or-treating will be fined up to $200.

While pleased that the new law allows working parents more time to prepare and trick-or-treat with their kids, Chamberlain is less than pleased with the idea that kids may be targeted simply for how they look on what is supposed to be a fun night for all.

City spokesman Luc Foulem assured residents that no one is going to be stalking older kids on Halloween, but that the original law, which this new one replaces, was enacted because older residents complained about Halloween night mischief. The idea is that the law, which may be side-eyed by some, is intended to curb late-night tomfoolery.

As Chamberlain points out, there are measures parents and police can take to deter ne’er-do-wells from acting overly spooktastic that don’t involve shutting down the whole operation for everyone, and I happen to agree. Nobody wants to deal with candy-stealing or TP-ing on All Hallows Eve, but there are plenty of cities that figure out how to maintain control without sucking the fun right out of everything.

I, for one, have exactly zero problem with teenagers trick-or-treating, and while I’m not naive — I’m aware that teenagers are more prone to impulsive and risky behavior — they’re still kids. So we should let them be kids for as long as possible. The big, angry world awaits them in just a few short years, and that precious time to be a child will be gone forever. So why not preserve it for as long as possible?

And not that I’m speaking from experience here (I totally am), but there are a lot worse things teenagers could be doing than trick-or-treating, including abusing drugs and alcohol in unsupervised locations, among other things. At least with trick-or-treating, they’ve got an army of adults keeping an eye out.

And lest we forget, what about teenagers with special needs? Many of them, though they look old enough to be young adults, are far from it, and Halloween night is a way for them to participate in a harmless and fun community activity, one they and their parents look forward to. I mean, hell, my uncle with Down Syndrome enjoyed Halloween well into adulthood, and there was nothing mischievous in his intentions. He just wanted to have fun. And fun he had.

I can appreciate the steps many communities are taking toward ensuring Halloween is a safe and enjoyable activity for everyone, but some of their measures, including this law, take things too far. Let’s loosen our capes, add a little spirit to our witches’ brew, and chill the hell out, shall we?

The Bathurst law is slated to undergo a third reading in October. Maybe they’ll come to their senses.