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By Mel Rothenburger

Armchair Mayor

ROTHENBURGER: Banning New Year’s Eve fireworks would avoid many tragedies

Jan 4, 2022 | 4:24 AM

WHAT WOULD New Year’s Eve be without fireworks?

Well, pets and livestock would be more content and a lot safer, for one thing. And, there would be fewer injuries, less property damage, less harm to the environment, and less harm to human health.

A Kamloops family, for example, is mourning the loss of their beloved border collie, who panicked when New Year’s Eve fireworks were set off in the neighbourhood, escaped from her yard and was killed by a car.

And there’s the ranching family whose horse broke through a fence and suffered a serious injury. At the Coast, there was an even worse incident in which a panicked horse got onto a highway and was struck and killed.

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Such incidents are all-too common on Halloween and New Year’s Eve — fireworks are absolutely traumatic for pets, wildlife and livestock.

Animals aren’t the only victims — fireworks have resulted in fires and injuries and have triggered PTSD episodes among some people.

Regulations vary from one community to another. In Kamloops, with notice to Kamloops Fire Rescue, residents are allowed to set off fireworks between Oct. 24 and Nov. 1 (which matches provincial law) and between Dec. 25 and Jan. 1.

However, several B.C. municipalities have banned them altogether.

Setting off fireworks is fun for families but they aren’t worth it. They’re fine when professionals do it on Canada Day and other major community events but localized private fireworks need to be banned.

The place to do it is at the source — that is, point of sale — because that’s the best way to enforce it.

The B.C. SPCA is sponsoring a petition to Parliament asking that consumer fireworks be banned nationwide. It points out that such fireworks are a source of pollution and toxic debris, stretch police resources, panic animals, have caused many injuries and even deaths, and have set off wildfires.

You can sign the petition until Feb. 25 — just Google it.

I’m Mel Rothenburger, the Armchair Mayor.

Mel Rothenburger is a former mayor of Kamloops and a retired newspaper editor. He is a regular contributor to CFJC Today, publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, and is a director on the Thompson-Nicola Regional District board. He can be reached at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or Pattison Media.