Special interests are trying to eliminate fireworks sales in
certain municipalities in the Vancouver Lower Mainland and in certain municipalities
in the Greater Toronto Area. They are using some city Councillors and Fire Department
Officials to aid them in their push to eliminate the sale of Fireworks.
Their Story vs. Truth
These Special Interest Groups claim that it is a safety issue, they say that Fireworks
are being abused by people under the age of 18. They say that most fires, for which we are
unsure of how they actually started, are a result of Fireworks in the wrong hands.
The truth is use of Consumer Fireworks is up almost 100% within the past 10 years. Canada has
the best safety record anywhere in the world due to the rigorous testing every Firework has to
go through in order to be allowed for sale in Canada. Fireworks are a Federally regulated product.
You can purchase them if you are over 18 years of age. The Federal Government says that they
are safe and as citizens of this country we have a right to own, possess and use them.
For someone to say that we can't use them is equivalent to the City of Toronto saying that
no one is allowed to drive cars in their city as they feel it is unsafe. Or, the City of Vancouver
saying that we think people should be 25 years old in order to purchase alcohol.
These Special Interest Groups jump to conclusions on a regular basis. They claim that the cause
of many fires is Fireworks. With almost every fire, we have found out after the fact, they were
wrong. Yes, it was another reason these fires started.
Most of the time the damage to our industry is already done as the news media are quick to jump
on another Doom and Gloom story. Yes, sensationalism sells newspapers and makes for better ratings.
A Firework by itself cannot start a fire, it does not happen
often but when it does it is almost always caused by Fireworks in the hands of minors!
The Fireworks industry in Canada estimates that almost all of the fireworks purchased and used in
Canada are done so by responsible adults. What the Special Interest Groups want to do is stop most of
us from enjoying Fireworks because of the actions of a small minority. The truth is that the majority
of the Fireworks that minors set off are products currently banned in Canada. They are sold by people
who drive across the border, many of them organised gangs, and then sold to school kids by people
from the trunks of their cars.
Think about it, everytime the Fireworks season comes around in your area for weeks leading up to it we can
hear firecrackers going off. Firecrackers are not a legal product
and they are the main cause of the fires that Fireworks start.
What Officials Should be Doing
Instead of trying to ban a product that by itself is not dangerous, let's look at the cause of
the problem. Obviously, it's fireworks in the hands of the wrong people. The mechanism is already there
to stop the wrong person from possessing fireworks. You don't need to be a Rocket Scientist! It is
currently illegal to own or possess fireworks if you are a minor. It is also illegal to give or sell
fireworks to a minor. All that you have to do is simply enforce the existing Federal law. I am sick
of municipalities complaining about a problem and doing nothing to resolve it.
Most fireworks retailers are great, they follow all the Federal Laws. The ones that don't... fine them and
confiscate their fireworks... word will get around and they will stop selling to minors. On long weekends
when the guys who sell from the trunks of their cars are out selling, keep the By-law Officers around and
fine these illegal operators, seize their fireworks and give the Officers a few days off the next week. Be
Pro-Active not re-active. Do not punish the vast majority of us who enjoy using fireworks!!
Elimination Won't Work
Eliminating sales of fireworks does NOT eliminate USE by consumers. Consumers want fireworks;
they’re a Canadian tradition. In Newfoundland people celebrate New Years, in Quebec it is St. Jean Baptiste Day,
in Ontario it is Victoria Day and in British Columbia it's Halloween.
Fireworks are legal and are sold in every province and territory in Canada. They are legal for sale in every
developed country and in most third world countries. America celebrates it's Independence Day, England it's
Guy Falks Day and Germany is New Years Day just to mention a few.
Eliminating legitimate sales is also dangerous. When you eliminate sales, the demand is still there. It invites
criminals to satisfy consumer demand by selling homemade explosives and unregulated products out of the trunks
of their cars to kids and others.
Regulation Does Work
Regulating the sales and use of fireworks does work, because it satisfies consumer demand
yet sets some safe and sane rules that law and fire officials can enforce. Regulations can
restrict purchase and possession to adults. They can also set specific days, times and
locations for use of the products. Doesn’t that make more sense? Other provinces and municipalities
have proven this approach works better.
We strongly believe that if Municipalities adopt and enforce the current regulations regarding the sale
and storage of Consumer Fireworks, all of these problems with Fireworks in the wrong hands will go away.
