If you were hoping to get your hands on some fireworks for Halloween in Burnaby this year, you will be out of luck.
On Monday, council gave approval for amendments to its fire service bylaw that will ban the sale of fireworks in the municipality.
The actual bylaw changes will come back to council for final approval at a later date.
The city’s fire department has been grappling with the issue for several years, before coming up with the recommendations for a ban.
The city argued the regulation of fireworks sales is problematic due to the hazardous nature of the product.
According to a staff report, fireworks sales have resulted in numerous safety, property use and nuisance issues, including unlicensed businesses and makeshift signs that have endangered the public.
Coun. Sav Dhaliwal suggested it was time for a ban on the sale of fireworks, adding the city recognizes people can still get the product elsewhere if they want. He said it would be preferable if there was a provincewide ban.
However, he argued the ban in Burnaby will stop impulse buying, noting a number of other municipalities already have bans in place.
“We’re joining them to discourage fireworks, which mostly get abused in many ways,” Dhaliwal said, adding people using the product aren’t fully trained and have been hurt.
A number of cities in Metro Vancouver have bans, including neighbouring Coquitlam and New Westminster. However, fireworks can still be purchased in Vancouver.
Coun. Pietro Calendino also noted the ban doesn’t mean there won’t be fireworks in Burnaby, but under the bylaw people will have to get a permit to use them.
Under the current bylaw, the sale of fireworks was restricted to the week leading up the Halloween. In 2015, 14 existing retail outlets and 10 temporary vendors, or “pop-up” shops, were licensed to sell fireworks.
The purchasers had to be 18 and older, and the vendors needed a permit from the fire chief and a business licence.
While the city waits to pass the new bylaw, letters are being sent to previously licensed fireworks retailers notifying them of the change and asking for comment.
