Drop in complaint calls for Diwali fireworks

While some residents were frustrated with Diwali fireworks displays, complaints in Kitchener and Waterloo actually dropped this year. CTV’s Ashley Bacon reports

Fireworks lit up the sky Monday night as millions of people around the world, and here in southern Ontario, celebrated the “Festival of Lights.”

Diwali is a major religious event for followers of Sikhism, Jainism and Hinduism, and represents the victory of light over darkness, goodness over evil and knowledge over ignorance.

Fireworks are an important part of the celebration but their use, during any holiday, has recently stirred up debate in Waterloo Region. Some cities want to restrict fireworks displays over safety concerns stemming from bad behaviour at unauthorized Canada Day parties. Both Kitchener and Waterloo have taken steps to ban fireworks sales in 2026.

While fireworks are allowed for Diwali, the rules around setting them off differ from community to community.

Kitchener only permits fireworks displays between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m., with Cambridge and Woolwich Township allowing them as late as 11 p.m.

Fireworks in Waterloo are permitted on Monday, and also Tuesday, between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m.

CTV News reached out to Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge on Tuesday to find out if residents were following the rules.

“Kitchener experienced fewer complaints related to fireworks over the Diwali celebrations than in previous years,” the city said in a email to CTV News. “From Saturday to Monday, we received 111 complaints and issued just over 20 charges, which is less than half the complaints received in previous years.”

No serious injuries or incidents were reported.

“The main charge that we issued was for fireworks being set off in areas that weren’t permitted, such as on the sidewalk, on the street, in parks, that type of thing,” Ian Misheal, Kitchener’s manager of enforcement, told CTV News. “The fine amount is rather large. It’s a $1,500 fine amount, and that’s the charge that we’ve mostly seeing come in.”

The city also said, in anticipation of the increased call volume, they had eight addition bylaw officers working on Monday night.

Waterloo, meanwhile, received 19 calls for service. However, only one charge was laid for setting off fireworks outside of the permitted times. That fine was set at $1,000.

By comparison, in 2024, bylaw officers in Waterloo responded to 30 calls for service during Diwali. One charge was also laid, though the penalty at that time was a $400 fine.

Cambridge said they had six charges related to Diwali celebrations. One of those was issued Sunday and the remaining five were handed out on Monday. The city said they were still compiling data on the number of calls officers responded to.