Fireworks complaints drop 84% on Diwali after ban introduced in Brampton

Brampton’s ban on personal pyrotechnics appears to be having the desired effect as the number of complaints on Diwali saw a more than 80 per cent drop from before the crackdown.

The ban was introduced in 2022 following a particularly explosive Diwali celebrations the previous year where the City of Brampton recorded some 1,004 complaints in one day.

Fireworks complaints have been trending down since the ban, but this year’s Diwali celebrations saw the most drastic drop with just 161 complaints coming into Brampton 311 on Oct. 31 – a drop of roughly 84 per cent from 2022.

“As a result of Enforcement Officers responding to these service requests, 12 penalty notices have been issued under the fireworks by-law,” the city confirmed to INsauga.com.

Peel Regional Police said they only received a single call related to fireworks on Diwali.

Brampton’s fireworks ban introduced fines for setting off fireworks at $500 climbing up to $1,000 for anyone selling fireworks. Property owners who allow fireworks to be set off on their property can also be fined.

The maximum fireworks penalty the city can charge is $100,000.

Sparklers – small hand-held fireworks that burn slowly and give off sparks – are the only personal fireworks exempt from the ban. That change was introduced ahead of Diwali last year at the request of residents.

On New Year’s Eve there was a slight drop in complaints with 24 filed on Dec. 31 and Jan. 1, down from 25 complaints from the previous year and 28 complaints in 2022.

Only two penalty notices were issued by bylaw officers on New Year’s Eve this year, a drop from five tickets handed out in 2023.

In 2022, the sheer number of fireworks set off on Diwali contributed to an alert about “deteriorating air quality” from Environment Canada. The agency later removed reference to Diwali after 60 formal complaints were filed.

To report fireworks being set off in Brampton you can call 311 or visit www.311brampton.ca.