Using fireworks on Labour Day could come with $100,000 ticket in Brampton

The Labour Day long weekend is here but the city wants residents to remember to celebrate without the use of fireworks or risk fines up to $100,000.

Labour Day used to be one of a handful of holidays in Brampton where using fireworks was allowed without a permit from the city. But following a record number of complaints in 2022, the city cracked down on the use of personal pyrotechnics across Brampton and introduced stiff penalties.

This year marks the second Labour Day since the fireworks ban was brought to Brampton and INsauga.com has all the details on what not to do if you want to avoid fireworks fines.

All fireworks are prohibited in Brampton, including the use, sale, display, purchase, distribution and possession of any fireworks or explosives within city limits.

The penalties for discharging fireworks anywhere in the city have been increased to a minimum of $500. Selling fireworks comes with a $1,000 fine with penalties under the new bylaw reaching up to $100,000.

Sparklers are the only type of fireworks not covered by the Brampton ban.

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The City banned long range fireworks in 2016, but staff said that change saw “no decrease” in fireworks usage in Brampton, leading to a full-on ban across the city.

Firework complaints have been on the decline since the ban was introduced following nearly  1,500 fireworks complaints in 2022, with more than 1,000 of those calls coming during Diwali celebrations and Brampton bylaw officers issuing thousands of dollars in tickets on New Year’s Eve as part of an enforcement blitz.

The city is also hiring dozens of new bylaw enforcement officers and two support positions to respond to service requests, and help with a lengthy backlog of bylaw complaints in Brampton.

There were some $38,500 in fireworks fines issued in the city in 2022 with Brampton Fire and Emergency Services officials saying firefighters responded to 20 fireworks-related blazes that cost taxpayers approximately $20,000.

For more information on Brampton’s fireworks ban and fines visit www.Brampton.ca.