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Halloween celebrations in West Vancouver will likely be less explosive in the future after council moved to ban the sale and private use of fireworks in the district Monday night.
Banning private use of fireworks brings West Van into line with other Metro Vancouver communities, where only a small handful of municipalities – including both the District of North Vancouver and West Vancouver – still allow fireworks to be sold and set off privately.
But the incendiary displays are a historical practice that’s no longer in line with concerns about environmental and wildfire risks, Assistant Fire Chief Jeremy Calder wrote in a report to council.
Calder said residents have consistently called for a ban on fireworks, citing noise that upsets pets and wildlife, poor air quality, damage to property and threats to public safety.
Calder noted both the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) and the City of Vancouver have both banned fireworks in the last two years. Both the District of North Vancouver and Tsleil-Waututh Nation are considering banning fireworks.
Under current rules, members of the public can apply for a permit to discharge fireworks from Oct. 24 to 28 and on Oct. 31 for a $5 fee. But Calder said there is no verification process associated with that application.
The total number of permits issued has been declining, he added in the report, with 50 permits issued last year.
Officially dousing storefront sales and cracking down on crackers won’t entirely stop problematic activity, particularly as fireworks are frequently bought online, Calder acknowledged in the report. But it will allow police and West Van staff to enforce the rules, he said, and stop the district’s condoning of fireworks.
According to the fire department, in the weeks leading up to and following Halloween, a large number of public complaints are typically received, including ones for noise, concerns that gunshots have been fired, fireworks causing anxiety to household pets, environmental pollution and litter left on neighbouring properties.
In 2022, there were 29 West Vancouver Police Department files involving fireworks and there have been six so far in 2023, according to the report. The majority took place at schools, in parks or on roads, and five resulted in property damage. Ten of the complaints were from fireworks displays at private properties. Of those, only one had a valid permit.
The report added that since 2018, there have been 12 fires associated with fireworks reported in West Van, including two structure fires, one instance of fireworks and compressed gas cylinders on fire against a high school, one newspaper box set on fire, and three instances of fireworks set off in the interior stairwells of commercial buildings.
Under the proposed bylaw, fines for breaking the rules would range from $300 to $500.
Council did not discuss the fireworks ban Monday night, but Coun. Nora Gambioli said she welcomed the change.
“We have a lot of resources being put into this issue, especially around Halloween time,” she said, adding that, according to a map provided by the fire department, West Van remains one of the few places in the Lower Mainland that still allows fireworks.
Others include Bowen Island, and the villages of Lions Bay, Anmore and Belcarra.
“I don’t want to be the only one that still allows fireworks in the whole Lower Mainland. That would be a bit too exciting, wouldn’t it?” she said.
The bylaw banning fireworks must come back to council for final adoption.
