The City of Kitchener moved closer to shrinking the number of days fireworks are allowed to be lit on Monday.
Currently, residents can light fireworks on nine days per year but on Monday, council’s community and infrastructure services committee approved a recommendation from staff that would chop that to three days.
The rules currently allow for fireworks on Victoria Day, Canada Day and Diwali as well as the days before and following but the new measures would see residents allowed to light fireworks only on those three days.
There would also be no rain days so if there is wet weather on Victoria Day, residents cannot wait a day.
In addition, there will also be a hard stop time of 11 p.m. for fireworks, a measure that was previously not in place.
Council asked staff to look into fireworks as there has been a giant increase in complaints from residents over the past few years, Kitchener director of municipal enforcement Gloria MacNeil said at the committee meeting Monday.
According to the stats she provided, there were 58 fireworks complaints in 2018, while there were 170 last year.
MacNeil also warned of challenges that bylaw officers face when they attempt to coral those who don’t follow fireworks rules.
“Fireworks complaints are difficult to enforce,” she said. “People disperse quickly after launching fireworks.
“Complaints typically do not provide a specific address and come from an area.”
She went on to say that by the time officers are able to get to the scene, it is usually too late.
“They typically don’t last for longer than a few minutes, making it difficult by the time the officer gets there,” MacNeil said.
She told the committee that there have been cases where people have been busted for not following the rules and in those circumstances, a summons is provided.
Comments