Ottawa to increase police patrols in parks on Canada Day after fireworks complaints and fires on Victoria Day
Ottawa police and Bylaw Services officers will increase patrols in parks on Canada Day to stop people from illegally discharging fireworks.
Coun. Riley Brockington asked staff to come up with a plan to address concerns about fireworks use on July 1 after dozens of complaints and issues during the Victoria Day long weekend.
Firefighters responded to calls for eight fires caused by fireworks over the long weekend. There were four grass fires, including a large one in the area of Hunt Club Road and Riverside Drive. Ottawa fire also reported a burning fence, a tree on fire and two instances of flames in garbage cans after people threw out fireworks.
Brockington said there were complaints about the proximity of fireworks to residential housing, the discharge of fireworks in crowds of people and the discharge of fireworks by people under the age of 18.
In a report for the Community and Protective Services Committee, city staff say Ottawa Bylaw received 130 calls for unauthorized discharge of fireworks over the Victoria Day long weekend. Ottawa fire responded to 16 calls related to fireworks, including one for two children suffering burns due to fireworks.
Staff say Bylaw Services officers, with support from Ottawa police, will be deployed to "problematic parks" on Canada Day to enforce park closures and the Fireworks Bylaw.
Parks and beach staff will also provide information and educate patrons on the regulations surrounding fireworks usage on Canada Day.
Under Ottawa's Fireworks Bylaw, individuals can only discharge their fireworks on Victoria Day and Canada Day and the day before and after those days. Fireworks can only be discharged by someone 18 or older, and on private property.
In addition to stepped up police and bylaw patrols in parks, the city will launch a public information campaign about fireworks safety.
City staff plan to develop and disseminate information to fireworks vendors in the Ottawa area about fireworks safety, so vendors can pass on the information to people who purchase fireworks. Ottawa Fire Services and Ottawa Bylaw will make public service announcements on Canada Day outlining safety tips and fireworks regulations, and share safety tips on social media accounts.
In addition to the 130 calls for fireworks complaints over the Victoria Day long weekend, Bylaw Services received 54 calls for unauthorized discharge of fireworks between May 15 and 20.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark 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 Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
1 arrested in northern Alberta during public shelter order
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
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.
New deep-water channel allows first ship to pass Key bridge wreckage in Baltimore
The first cargo ship passed through a newly opened deep-water channel in Baltimore on Thursday after being stuck in the harbor since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed four weeks ago, halting most maritime traffic through the city's port.
First in Canada procedure performed at London, Ont. hospital
A London man has become the first person in Canada to receive a robotic assisted surgery on his spine. Dave Myeh suffered from debilitating, chronic back pain that led to sciatica in his right now and extreme pain in his lower back.
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.