Consumer fireworks in jeopardy

Times Contributor 

 

Family fireworks across the province may soon be illegal.

Alberta Municipal Affairs is amending the Alberta Fire Code to ban family fireworks in any county or municipality that has not implemented a permit process or already banned family fireworks.

Fireworks used for Canada Day and other festivities would still be allowed under the changes.    

“I think their (government) intent is to make everyone have a bylaw regarding the fireworks,” said Jim Cammaert, owner of the fireworks factory at Rockyford. “I think they’re going to be illegal if there is no bylaw in place, at least that’s what the language is now.” 

Cammaert said the new law would hurt his business. “It all goes back to people’s rights and liberties when they restrict the usage of all kinds of things. I know when I was a kid growing up we got to play with firecrackers, that’s what kind of led me into the special effects field, and then they made them illegal.”

Cammaert said the Canadian Fireworks Association is lobbying the government to be reasonable with their consumer fireworks law. 

“We have a doctor in town who just loves fireworks, and hegoes with his kids every year (and sets some off). It’s sort of a family tradition around New Years. To take that away seems to me to be ridiculous,” he said.

“What it does is kind of like prohibition, it drives it underground and people are going to bring them (fireworks) across the border. They’re going to use them illegally, and that’s no good either.”

Groups across the province are lobbying against the proposed changes. Some of the changes include things like requiring every family fireworks store to register with the government and have special labeling for any family fireworks sold in the province. 

The fire damage caused in Alberta by fireworks of all types is less than 0.04 per cent of the damage caused by all fires from 2001 to 2010.

“There isn’t a reason to ban it or to make it so difficult that people can’t have fun with it. There’s some very responsible people who do fireworks for their granddads 65th birthday. It’s part of celebration and to take that away just because you’re worried that somebody won’t do it right, or because you’re worried that it’s too risky — I mean there isn’t the incidents to support that kind of action in Canada,” said Cammaert.

Last September, Cammaert agreed to help Wheatland County create a bylaw that would help encourage the safe handling of fireworks. For now, that process has been put on hold while everyone waits for the new regulations for the Alberta Fire Building codes.