Long weekends during the summer typically keep Mississauga bylaw enforcement officers busy responding to incidents where fireworks are either used or sold illegally.<\/p>\n
And the City of Mississauga complaints line normally fields dozens of calls from residents drawing attention to the same issues.<\/p>\n
Not this past weekend, though, as city officials say only six fireworks-related complaints were received from the public over the Labour Day weekend. In addition, no fines were issued for improper use of fireworks or illegal sale of the devices.<\/p>\n
\u201cComplaint volumes over the Labour Day long weekend were low (six complaints overall) and there were no significant issues reported related to fireworks use across the city,\u201d city spokesperson Irene McCutcheon told INsauga.com.<\/p>\n
Prior to the final long weekend of the summer, city officials reminded residents last week that backyard fireworks displays were not permitted in Mississauga on Labour Day weekend unless residents first got the go-ahead from the city.<\/p>\n
Celebrating with fireworks anywhere in the city on any day throughout the weekend, including the holiday Monday, required a permit.<\/p>\n
As usual on holiday weekends, Mississauga bylaw enforcement officers were out in full force to ensure fireworks weren\u2019t being sold or used illegally.<\/p>\n
In Mississauga, fireworks displays are only allowed at home without a permit on Victoria Day, Canada Day, Diwali, Lunar New Year and New Year\u2019s Eve.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Diwali will be celebrated in early November this year.<\/p>\n
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Dozens of complaints this past Canada Day<\/p>\n
In contrast to this past weekend, bylaw enforcement officers and the city\u2019s fireworks complaints line were kept busy earlier this summer and in the spring.<\/p>\n
According to the city, Mississauga residents registered 58 fireworks use complaints<\/a> with the city\u2019s bylaw enforcement department during the most-recent Canada Day holiday period, which ran from June 26 through July 2.<\/p>\n By comparison, 63 public complaints were received during 2025 Canada Day celebrations<\/a> and 221 inspections of vendors at that time led to two charges for non-permitted sale of fireworks.<\/p>\n This past Victoria Day weekend in May, the city received 84 complaints<\/a> from residents related to the illegal use of fireworks.<\/p>\n In fall 2025 during Diwali celebrations, the number of fireworks complaints in Mississauga was the \u201chighest in history\u201d<\/a> with 432 public complaints received over a six-night period.<\/p>\n New rules now on the books<\/p>\n New fireworks rules in Mississauga took effect earlier this year and impact all holidays where residents and others use the celebratory devices.<\/p>\n Under Mississauga\u2019s amended fireworks bylaw<\/a> approved by city council in late 2025, residents can only set off fireworks at their homes between 6 and 10 p.m. on the aforementioned holidays\/dates where permits are not required.<\/p>\n In addition, residents cannot use roman candle fireworks and the city is no longer allowing permits for consumer fireworks. Only permits for display or professional fireworks will be approved.<\/p>\n Several months after strengthening its fireworks bylaw last fall, Mississauga hiked the penalties \u2014 again \u2014 earlier this year for those who break the rules.<\/p>\n Stiffer fines for offenders<\/p>\n Bylaw enforcement officers can now dish out costlier fines of $500 to $1,000, depending on the infraction, to offenders on the spot. Previously, there were either no set fine amounts for many offences and for others a penalty of $125 was imposed.<\/p>\n The city\u2019s \u201cnew, increased and escalating\u201d fines took effect on May 1.<\/p>\n Senior city staff said earlier this year the previous penalties \u201cand enforcement mechanisms for fireworks-related contraventions\u201d were not effective deterrents, \u201climiting the city\u2019s ability to achieve sustained compliance.\u201d<\/p>\n 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<\/a> took effect in January of this year.<\/p>\n After lengthy debate and public input, council last October opted\u00a0not to impose a full fireworks ban<\/a> in Canada\u2019s seventh-largest city, which was being considered, and chose instead to bolster the bylaw.<\/p>\n 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<\/a> \u2014 or more.<\/p>\n