A small fireworks display is seen past the Peace Tower on Parliament Hill on Canada Day in Ottawa on Monday, July 1, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
By The Canadian Press
Jul 13, 2026 | 11:18 AM
OTTAWA — Ottawa’s emergency manager apologized today after an unannounced fireworks show rocked parts of the city last week.
The surprise display of pyrotechnics took place after 11 p.m. on July 9, as music fans were starting to file out of the popular Bluesfest concert festival site just west of downtown.
The fireworks were the ones that were supposed to be set off on Canada Day but had been cancelled after severe storms and flash floods shuttered the annual national birthday celebrations.
The federal Heritage Department says setting off the fireworks in the city was safer than dismantling the launch area and moving them elsewhere and says it chose not to inform the public in order to prevent crowds from gathering without sufficient security and medical services.