EDITORIAL – City bureaucrats got it half right on Canada Day fireworks display
An editorial by Mel Rothenburger.
THE CITY’s BUREAUCRACY has it half right with its decision about fireworks for the upcoming Canada Day weekend.
The use of so-called backyard fireworks has been banned, along with open flames of any kind. As well, there will be no official Canada Day fireworks display on the evening of July 1 this year.
The rationale is the drought, which raises the risk of fire, according to Kamloops Fire Rescue.
Several times in the past, I’ve advocated for the banning of backyard fireworks. There are just too many problems with them.
Fireworks displays have a history of causing property damage, environmental damage and injuries, as well as tragedies involving pets and livestock. Fireworks drive animals nuts. Horses and cattle panic; there have been cases of them escaping their enclosures and running into traffic, causing fatal accidents.
But the problems are generally confined to backyard fireworks, the kind where enthusiastic residents buy a couple of hundred dollars worth of Roman candles and such and set them off at home, with no education or expertise on how to do it.
The big community fireworks — the kind we’re talking about for the Canada Day spectacle — are carried out by professionals who know how to keep them safe.
So, what about the drought and wildfire issue? It’s a legitimate concern, except that the only exceptional thing about this year’s fire season in the Southern Interior is that it’s been a non-story so far. Mother Nature has smiled on us with enough rain to keep the forests damp and largely fire-free.
At this point, the forecast for July 1 is for moderate weather, with a high of 28C, a possibility of a light breeze, and a 40 per cent chance of showers. Between now and then, highs each day are forecast for under 30C with frequent showers.
Sure, the weather being what it is, it could change dramatically before Canada Day but calling off the fireworks now is carrying caution to a very high level. The fireworks display could have been given a tentative green light barring changes in the weather.
So, it’s a good move to ban backyard fireworks for a host of reasons — they’re already heavily restricted anyway — but doing away with the Canada Day community fireworks enjoyed by so many is, at this point, hasty.
Mel Rothenburger is a former regular contributor to CFJC-TV and CBC radio, publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, and is a recipient of the Jack Webster Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award. He has served as mayor of Kamloops, school board chair and TNRD director, and is a retired daily newspaper editor. He can be reached at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.
ArmchairMayor.ca 
Our dog welcomes the removal of things that “go bang in the night”. He was terrified by noises such as fireworks.
Mel, do you think there may be fireworks INSIDE City Hall tomorrow (Tuesday)? If another little old lady dares to show up and break the rules, fireworks inside the building are a possibility.
But, we may have seen the last of little old ladies who wear a sweater and carry a walking stick, hoping to speak to the Mayor. A pretty stern message was sent to the last one who tried anything. Had the female CSO and the gum smacker CSO been equipped with pepper spray and batons, there would have been “a quick knockdown leading to the mop-up stage” (fire department lingo) by the time the members of our national police force arrived to take the little old lady away in handcuffs.
LikeLike
of course someone has to make this about council being out to get the mayor…
LikeLike
There is also quite a history of “hasty” or “hasty-ish” decision from City’s bureaucrats rubber stamped by council.
LikeLike
If past years are any indication, backyard arsonists will put on their usual show throughout the night, with no penalty what so ever. We have one fellow in our area who can be counted on every year to blast several hundred dollars worth of gun powder into the air “’cause he likes fire”. His words not mine.
I personally am looking forward to a smoke free night, watching the light show and not having my dog hiding under the bed or not listening to neighborhood dogs who are tied outside, howling frantically to get away from the noise.
LikeLike
There’s a water drought not a topographical land drought as this has been amongst the wettest springs in memory. What evidence does the city have that commercial fire works have on creating forest fires, what examples do they have? Maybe they exist, if so present the evidence to educate the populous, help us understand this decision. Without any evidence, city hall is asking the citizenry to trust what has proven to be a very untrustworthy administration. Why would we do this? And where is council on this decision, it’s their job to demand explanations and advocate for the electorate. Is it too much to ask for them to stop undermining the mayor and actually work for the betterment of the city for five minutes? The fireworks are one of the very few highlights of the no fun city we call Kamloops, can someone please give an adult explanation without the BS please!
LikeLiked by 2 people