NEWS PHOTO COLLIN GALLANT Perry Logan, the executive director fo the Canadian National Fireworks Association, discusses the retail industry's view of a proposed resrticions ont he sale and use of fireworks in Medicine Hat during city council's meeting on Monday, Dec. 2, 2019.
cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant
City council has reinstated what amounts to a ban on selling or setting off fireworks inside city limits.
Members voted 6-3 in favour of the new ordinance Monday, which supporters say is a fire safety measure that merely replaces a long-existing ban, which was removed from provincial and national fire codes last spring.
Those voting against said citizens should be trusted to some level after a presentation by officials from a firework retailers association
Perry Logan, the executive director of the Canadian National Fireworks Association, said his group comprising 1,500 store owners across Canada have the ability to educate customers about safe-use and fire risks.
A ban on local sales would only send customers to the internet and not address safety concerns.
“They are a legal product… and bans and prohibition has never worked,” said Logan. “People aren’t going to change habits because of a bylaw.”
The majority of councillors stated Medicine Hat’s arid climate meant restrictions were needed and the ban had worked well in the past.
Coun. Darren Hirsch said he was among council members who asked for a second briefing on the proposal at the committee level this summer and is now convinced the ban is needed.
“There was a lot of discussion of this and the reality is the area in which we live,” he said. “We’ve experienced three droughts; it’s tinder dry
“I was initially challenged to support this, but I’m comfortable.”
Hirsch said that he agreed that most who would use fireworks were responsible, but “not everyone is responsible on the weekend.”
The Medicine Hat Fire Service proposed the bylaw, stating it replaces amended fire codes that now give towns and cities a choice in keeping fire risk to a minimum and was important in the cities network of coulees that fill with dried grass.
A group of councillors argued in the summer that some avenues should be kept open for casual users, perhaps via a one-off permit system.
Coun. Kris Samraj told council on Monday that he can understand the public safety implications, but felt council was overstepping.
“There’s a principle at play and when you lose the ability to trust the public, you’re losing something as a community,” he said.
“The problem here seems to be teenage boys shooting themselves in the face. I don’t think teenage boys (behaviour) is the standard.”
Samraj, along with Coun. Brian Varga and Mayor Ted Clugston voted against the bylaw, which passed 6-3 and lays out a schedule of fines for those who contravene it.
Coun. Phil Turnbull said he would be willing to re-examine the issue again at the committee level, but the bylaw had support to pass as is.
The measure covers low-hazard fireworks, such as Roman candles and not major firework exhibitions, such as at the Canada Day celebration, which have separate licensing and specific requirements.
Logan suggested Medicine Hat follow the examples of cities that have permits in place, or designate several days each year, such as New Years Eve, or the Victoria Day long weekend, as times when no permit is required.
“The bylaw says there’s no way to sell them inside city limits, so there’s no point of access for education,” he said.
Coun. Julie Friesen, the chair of the public services committee, said the measure is needed, and she trusts the opinion of the fire officials.
“They’re not giving it to us idly; it’s because they know what they’re doing,” she said. “The primary purpose is public safety and a providing a safe environment.”
