Fireworks debate reignites ahead of Canada Day
While the city of London gets set for a major fireworks display at Harris Park this Friday, it’s a day some in the community dread.
Kings University College and Fanshawe College student Becca Amendola has made repeated calls for a ban on fireworks. So far, she said her pleas to the city have been ignored.
“The council here in London has declared a climate emergency,” explained Amendola. “Fireworks cause particulate matter that never disappears. It kills animals, birds abandon, deer jump into streets, animals have heart attacks, people can actually have heart attacks."
Amendola, who has studied environmental geoscience and social work, said she has researched the effects of fireworks and believes they cause more harm than good
Emma Carrasco, who manages the Kaboom fireworks trailer at Masonville, said she agrees fireworks can be harmful to the environment. She doesn’t, however, believe there should be an outright ban.
Emma Carrasco manages the Kaboom fireworks trailer at Masonville, June 27, 2022. (Bryan Bicknell/CTV News London)“A lot of people find enjoyment in them and they use them to celebrate holidays,” she said. “So I think for this reason they should be definitely more heavily regulated, but not entirely banned.”
Amendola, meantime, wants London to consider replacing public fireworks displays with laser shows — an option she said was used successfully in London’s Hyde Park neighbourhood recently.
London is scheduled to present Canada Day fireworks on Friday at 10 p.m.
The city says it will begin gathering community input online regarding the fireworks bylaw as early as this week. There are plans to update the fireworks bylaw next year. As for this holiday weekend, people should expect enhanced education and enforcement around setting off fireworks.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
BREAKING Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Metro Vancouver mayors call for serial killer Robert Pickton to be denied parole
A dozen mayors from around Metro Vancouver say federal Attorney General and Justice Minister Arif Virani should deny parole for notorious B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton, and reassess the parole and sentencing system for 'prolific offenders and mass murderers.'
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
2 military horses that broke free and ran loose across London are in serious condition
Two military horses that bolted and ran miles through the streets of London after being spooked by construction noise and tossing their riders were in a serious condition and required operations, a British government official said Thursday.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.