If you want to light up the skies above the North Shore this Halloween, your legal options are limited.
While the sale and use of fireworks are banned in West Vancouver and the City of North Vancouver, the District of North Vancouver permits private pyrotechnic displays on a limited basis.
The sale of fireworks is allowed in the DNV Oct. 25 to 31. If you want to set them off, you must apply for a permit through the municipality.
To qualify for the $5 permit, you must be at least 19 years old, intend to use the fireworks on private property and have permission from the property owner. According to the municipal bylaw, you don’t have to live in the district, but must state where you intend to set off the fireworks.
With a permit, you can set off the regulated explosives on Halloween (Oct. 31), between 6 and 10 p.m.
Most North Shore News readers want to snuff out fireworks, poll shows
The ability to light off fireworks may still appeal to some, but most on the North Shore appear to be opposed to the practice.
According to a recent North Shore News poll, nearly 72 per cent of local readers said fireworks should be banned.
Earlier this year, some at DNV council moved to outlaw the practice.
At a council meeting in January, the district’s fire chief said that firefighters typically seize large numbers of fireworks on Halloween, mostly from teens setting them off in parks illegally.
Last year, one fireworks seller in the district had their $1,500 bond revoked over numerous bylaw infractions. Just less than 200 fireworks permits for backyard displays were issued.
Coun. Jim Hanson spoke in favour of the ban, citing complaints from the community that fireworks are upsetting to pets and wildlife, while straining police and fire resources.
But the ban was defeated 4-2, with Mayor Mike Little saying fireworks displays are “community building.”
Fireworks were banned in West Vancouver by council in October 2023.
Private pyrotechnics are also outlawed in the City of North Van, but some exceptions are made for special events.
Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) has banned the sale and discharge of fireworks on reserve land, but səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh Nation) has not.
The North Shore News polled 1,390 North Shore News readers and asked the question: Should fireworks be banned?
The poll ran from Oct. 11 to 30, 2024. Of the total votes, we can determine that 446 are from within the community. The full results are as follows:
Results are based on an online study of adult North Shore News readers that are located in North Vancouver. The margin of error - which measures sample variability - is +/- 2.62%, 19 times out of 20.
North Shore News uses a variety of techniques to capture data, detect and prevent fraudulent votes, detect and prevent robots, and filter out non-local and duplicate votes.
