TORONTO -- A few days before Halloween, Ontario Premier Doug Ford got his hands dirty and showed off his pumpkin carving abilities.

The two-minute video entitled “Carving with Doug” was released Tuesday morning as a way to wish families a happy Halloween.

In the video, Ford says that pumpkin carving was one of his favourite things to do as a child, and then as a father.

“This brings back so many memories, growing up we would always have a contest with my brother Rob and myself and my other two siblings.”

The video proceeds to show Ford taking a knife and cutting off the top of a pumpkin.

Instead of using a spoon to get the seeds out of the pumpkin, the premier put his hands inside the fruit and scoops up a big chunk of pulp.

“That’s the fun part,” he said in the video.

The premier then starts to cut out his design, with a focus on creating fangs for a creepy smile.

“I better not quit my day job,” the premier joked.

A trailer for the video was released Wednesday night teasing “something spooky” to come.

The video was released about a week-and-a-half after Ontario’s top health official said that kids in COVID-19 hot spots should not to go trick-or-treating this Halloween.

Disappointed kids in Toronto, Peel Region, York Region and Ottawa have been encouraged to celebrate in their own household by carving pumpkins, hosting a movie night or having a candy hunt on their property.

The recommendation to effectively cancelling trick-or-treating was not well received by infectious disease experts or members of Ontario’s opposition party, who said that if kids can go to school and take the bus they should be allowed to trick-or-treat.

“But somehow, you know door-knocking, outdoor activity is more dangerous than that, so I mean, I don't blame parents if they're extremely confused as to what's happened here,” NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said when the recommendations were released.

Ford’s pumpkin carving video does not mention any of the COVID-19 recommendations made by health officials. Instead, it simply ends with a message from the premier’s family.

“I want to wish everyone a very happy Halloween. Have fun, stay safe.”