Kitchener set to limit fireworks to 3 holidays in wake of growing number of complaints

Fireworks in Kitchener will only be allowed on Victoria Day, Canada Day and Diwali and must end at 11 p.m. on those days, city councillors have decided.

Staff brought forward a report to the city's community and infrastructure services committee Monday afternoon after council asked for a review of the bylaw in August 2022. Currently, fireworks are allowed on those three holidays, as well as on the day before and the day after each holiday.

The change will mean people can only legally set off fireworks on the actual holiday. There is no alternative if it rains on the holidays.

Nearly all local municipalities allow fireworks on the day before and the day after a holiday, except Woolwich Township which only allows fireworks with a permit.

The staff report said there's been an increase in the number of complaints related to fireworks over the last several years.

It's hard to respond to fireworks complaints, the city's director of enforcement Gloria MacNeil told councillors Monday. That's largely because people often aren't able to give exact addresses for where the fireworks are being set off or bylaw enforcement officers don't arrive before the fireworks are over and so it's hard to determine where they were set off.

Some councillors questioned why the city needs to allow fireworks at all.

Coun. Paul Singh said allowing fireworks "just does not make sense."

"There's many other ways for us to be able to celebrate our various special days," he said. "When it comes to environmental sustainability and responsibility, throwing these things up in the air — it's just not good for public health and it's not good for the environment and it's not good for safety."

Ward 4 Coun. Christine Michaud agreed, saying the fireworks people can buy today are too loud.

"They terrify household pets and animals and children. It just seems to be completely out of control," she said.

"And I'm not convinced that this one-day event is going to just be one day," Michaud added. "I'm sorry for being skeptical but I think we're still going to have a number of citizens who are going to either not be aware or just ignore and continue to do what they're doing."

Coun. Bil Ioannidis, who represents Ward 7, questioned whether the city should only allow certain organizations to host fireworks displays, such as neighbourhood groups. Singh also raised the idea of having sanctioned sites in the city for people to set off fireworks. Neither idea was put to a vote on Monday.

The new fireworks bylaw passed unanimously in committee and will still need to be ratified at a future council meeting. MacNeil said the goal is to have the new bylaw in place before the long weekend in May.