Editor:
My holidays would have been a tad quieter and more pleasant had there not been two hours of fire works going on in Area A of the Regional District of Nanaimo.
So I looked up the noise by-laws and was informed that fire works are excluded by the RDN.
Given there are at least two commercial fireworks retail outlets in Area A, this does not surprise me. However, profit making aside, it might be time to revisit the noise by-laws and reconsider the fireworks exemption.
Fireworks are not a harmless, fun filled family event. They cause many pets to quiver in terror, bolt from their homes and subsequently get lost or killed. People with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder don’t do well with fireworks displays, especially if they are unscheduled and unadvertised. Those with migraines don’t do any better. Many small children are frightened of the noise and woken from sleep, never mind all the adults whose sleep is disrupted, many of them shift workers.
Fireworks don’t do much for the well being of wild life; nor do they promote fire prevention.
I suggest the regional district directors re-visit the fireworks exemption and institute some regulations. It is suggested they be restricted to ‘hallmark events’ such as New Year’s Eve. If so, no-one needs to set off fireworks for more than 15 minutes prior to midnight and 15 minutes after. If one has that much money to ‘burn’ try donating it to the food bank or your favorite charity.
There should be no private fireworks displays during periods of drought – forget July 1, the August long weekend or Labour Day, unless its in a large park with the fire department close by or out on the water.
Halloween, well lets keep it from 7 to 8 p.m.
It may have been a rural tradition to play with fireworks at any time of the year, but times have changed. It is 2016 and its time to acknowledge much of what was once rural is now pretty suburban. Neighbourhoods of an acre or less are not rural farms.
Might I suggest the district directors have a look at restricting fireworks so that everyone can have a little peace and quiet and keep pets and humans safe. A permit to ‘play’ with fireworks at home, might be an idea.
E. A. FosterNanaimo
