A national advocacy group says Mississauga officials are moving too fast to implement new fireworks rules and fines, and as a result are ignoring input from key stakeholders.
The Canadian National Fireworks Association has formally asked that the City of Mississauga defer a report on new fireworks regulations and fines scheduled to be dealt with at the city’s general committee meeting on Wednesday.
The advocacy group, which serves as a voice for Canada’s fireworks industry, wants the matter delayed until more complete consultations can be held.
The association, which says it represents “tens of thousands of residents who use fireworks safely and responsibly as well as Mississauga’s 20-plus fireworks businesses and their hundreds of employees,” claimed in a letter sent to the city on Monday it only became aware of the proposed changes to the fireworks bylaw that day.
“Upon an initial review, we have identified several sections of the proposal that are significantly unclear, raising questions regarding their validity and practical application,” the letter from Aleem Kanji, the CNFA’s chief advocacy officer, stated. “As currently drafted, these measures are causing considerable confusion within the industry and among key stakeholders as well as residents. Given the potential impact of these changes on safety standards, regulatory clarity and compliance with federal and provincial regulations, we believe it is essential that a formal consultation process take place before this item is tabled. Rushing into a new enforcement framework without addressing these multiple ambiguities risks creating an invalid and unenforceable system. While actual stakeholder consultation could have alleviated these concerns earlier, we remain eager to come to the table now to offer practical, expert solutions.”
City councillors will have an opportunity to publicly discuss the CNFA’s letter, and request, during general committee on Wednesday morning.
City wants bigger fines for rule breakers
Having strengthened its fireworks bylaw several months ago, Mississauga is now considering increasing fines — again — for those who break the rules.
A report from senior city staff to be discussed Wednesday at general committee also recommends empowering bylaw enforcement officers to dish out costlier fines of $500 to $1,000, depending on the infraction, to offenders on the spot. Currently, a penalty of $125 is imposed for a number of offences.
If subsequently approved by city council, the “new, increased and escalating” fines would take effect May 1.
In his report, Mississauga’s community services commissioner Raj Sheth noted “current penalties and enforcement mechanisms for fireworks-related contraventions are not effective deterrents, limiting the city’s ability to achieve sustained compliance.”
The city currently relies on the Provincial Offences Act to enforce fireworks rules, which “involves higher evidentiary requirements and lengthy legal processes, limiting timely and effective enforcement,” the report continues.
The changes supported by senior city staff would allow for “more immediate, predictable and proportionate consequences, encouraging compliance, improving operational efficiency and reducing reliance on court-based processes,” Sheth said in the report.
Mississauga’s community services commissioner Raj Sheth says the current penalty system for breaking fireworks rules in Mississauga is ineffective.
Staff’s proposed penalty structure would see escalating fines issued — $500 for first offence, then $750 and $1,000 — for fireworks sales and fireworks-related contraventions in parks, “where non-compliance is commercially motivated or more likely to persist.”
The breaking of rules related to the use of fireworks, meanwhile, would hit the offender with a single fine of $1,000, “reflecting the immediate public safety risks associated with misuse,” the report stated.
Sheth added in his report that current enforcement of fireworks regulations “remains resource-intensive and largely reactive, with complaint volumes increasing during designated holidays. Current penalties are insufficient to deter non-compliance, including repeat contraventions, and enforcement officers continue to face evidentiary and procedural barriers to achieving consistent and sustained outcomes.”
Doling out fines under the city’s Administrative Penalty System, as is the case with many other Mississauga bylaws, as opposed to the Provincial Offences Act will “strengthen enforcement outcomes,” the report noted, adding it will also “modernize the city’s approach to fireworks enforcement by introducing clearer, stronger and more effective penalty tools.”
Last fall, in an ongoing attempt to beef up rules related to use and sale of fireworks, Mississauga city council strengthened regulations and public education efforts related to the celebratory devices. The reworked bylaw took effect in January.
After lengthy debate and public input, council last October opted not to impose a full fireworks ban in Canada’s seventh-largest city, which was being considered, and chose instead to bolster the bylaw.
In late 2023, the city approved changes to its fireworks bylaw that took direct aim at those who most egregiously break the rules. Maximum fines for the worst offenders were increased from $5,000 to $100,000 — or more.
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