Vancouver bans the future sale of fireworks
Posted November 5, 2019 4:37 pm.
Last Updated November 5, 2019 11:18 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — Vancouver city council has voted to ban the sale and use of consumer fireworks.
Vancouver has become the latest municipality to ban the use of personal fireworks on Tuesday after Coun. Pete Fry put the motion forward in October.
He notes the dangers of fireworks, costs of damages, adverse effects on mental health and animals, and environmental impacts.
“I think, you know, the rest of council heard loud and clear from all the folks who have really been impacted by the irresponsible use of fireworks,” he says, adding similar bans are in place in other municipalities across the Lower Mainland.
“In every other municipality that has banned the sale of fireworks it’s led to a marked reduction in nuisance fireworks calls and less of a cost on fire first responders [and] police first responders,” Fry says.
The Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services vocalized their frustrations earlier this month calling for a ban after seeing hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages after Halloween night.
Fry also expressed concerns over some of the pop-up shops selling fireworks for Halloween this year.
“We had at least five of them who were in violation of the terms of the license selling illegal fireworks or, in one case, we had a vendor who had put in a fake fire exit,” he says.
This ban is expected to take effect in 2021. It is only for consumer fireworks and will have no impact on the Celebration of Light.
With files from Amanda Wawryk and Lasia Kretzel
