Charges, fights and frightening scenes: what sparked the fireworks debate?

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Municipalities throughout Waterloo Region are taking a hard look at the rules governing fireworks as the debate around their use rages on.

But what sparked these local discussions?

Several concerning incidents were reported within the last few years in addition to general concerns about noise, animal welfare and respectful behaviour.

Canada Day chaos in Kitchener

Canada Day celebrations took a distressing turn in Kitchener in 2024 when a large group set off fireworks into a crowd of people in Victoria Park.

Witnesses said fights broke out and Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS) officers used pepper spray to try to regain control of the situation.

“Fireworks were going off in the pathway, ambulance lights, police, bylaw, police running after kids,” witness Cathy Lumb said. “Kids throwing fireworks right in front of me, saying they didn’t do it. It was horrible.”

Officers started getting reports of bad behaviour around 8:50 p.m.

Stephanie Livingstone and Kayla Merpaw were at the park when the festivities devolved into chaos.

“A firecracker got thrown behind my friend and her baby, who is six-months-old,” Merpaw recalled.

Although the baby wasn’t hurt, the group was rattled by the experience.

Livingstone said they were followed by a group of young people as they tried to leave the park. She said they asked the group to stop following them and admitted to giving them the middle finger.

A fight broke out and Livingstone said she was kicked in the head “about 40 times.”

“I thought I was going to die, literally,” she said.

Livingstone then went to the hospital where she was diagnosed with a concussion, a broken finger, a sprained neck and bruised ribs, in addition to cuts and bruises.

“I was both very disappointed and very angry,” Mayor Berry Vrbanovic told CTV News following the violence and confusion at the park. “There seemed to be a total disregard for the safety of others.”

Twice in two years

The 2024 incident followed a similar situation in 2023.

WRPS arrested two people after unsanctioned fireworks were set off in the park.

At the time, police said around 500 people had gathered to watch the show and it took two hours to clear the crowd.

Nearby residents described the scene as “chaotic” with fireworks going off in all directions.

According to police, an officer and a member of Kitchener bylaw both had minor lower-body injuries after being struck by fireworks.

An 18-year-old man from Kitchener was arrested and charged with assault with a weapon for allegedly shooting fireworks into crowds.

A 29-year-old man from Kitchener was also charged with assault and failing to comply with a release order.

Waterloo councillor hit with roman candle

Kitchener was not the only city to report concerning behaviour during Canada Day celebrations in 2024. A Waterloo city councillor was hit with a firework while she was walking with her family on Central Street.

Julie Wright, who represents Ward 7, said she was headed home after a drone show in Waterloo Park when she saw a man with fireworks at MacGregor Public School.

When she told him he couldn’t shoot off roman candles, he turned and shot the explosives directly at her.

“I am a little singed, but not significantly injured,” Wright said in a social media post. “I was shot at multiple times and hit once. This firework insanity has to stop.”

Waterloo Regional Police arrested a 37-year-old Kitchener man days later and charged him with assault and assault with a weapon.

Guelph teens fight with fireworks

Two teenagers in Guelph were taken to hospital after a fight in August 2024.

Guelph Police Service officers were patrolling in the Victoria Road North and Wideman Boulevard area around 11:45 p.m. when they were flagged down by a passing driver.

“[He] had a couple of passengers in his vehicle who are friends of his, and he indicated to the officer that they had been injured,” said Scott Tracey, a spokesperson for the Guelph Police Service.

Officers learned two groups of young people had met up at Northview Park and a fight had broken out.

“During which a 16-year-old female and an 18-year-old male were both struck by projectiles from fireworks,” Tracey said. “The 16-year-old female was also sprayed with some sort of noxious substance.”

Police explained that the girl was hit in the neck, while the boy was struck in the back of his head.

Both were taken to hospital with minor injuries.

Industry experts respond

During the ongoing discussions around fireworks, industry experts have maintained the position that they are safe when used responsibly.

“[Teenagers] come to me every year wanting to buy roman candles, which is actually the culprit in this,” business owner Sim Sahota said while speaking to Kitchener City Council during a meeting on Monday. “It’s one of the products that actually needs to be banned. That’s what I would suggest. You could pick a roman candle up, light it up and shoot it at each other and it makes it very dangerous.”

“Banning the regulated sale of consumer fireworks won’t stop these bad actors. It’ll simply penalize the families, businesses and individuals who do follow the rules,” Greg Kasparian told councillors.