The City of Maple Ridge reports that bylaws officers conducted enforcement of its fireworks ban on Halloween night, however, no fines were levied.
Some people complained about the noise to bylaws, but more complained in social media.
“The RCMP, Bylaw and Community Safety, Parks & Recreation and the Maple Ridge Fire Department coordinated their response on Tuesday Oct. 31 to address public safety for Halloween,” said Michelle Adams, director of bylaws, licensing and community safety in a statement.
“All the agencies deployed staff in the community to address calls for service and do proactive patrols.”
She noted that prior to Halloween, the city had put out messaging to educate the public about the prohibition on the sale and use of fireworks. The fines range from $500 to $1000 for violations.
Park caretakers were on site at selected schools and recreational facilities, based on past observations and information, to ensure the safety of citizens and public assets. They were in contact with the city bylaws staff by radio to address any gatherings.
“This approach was successful, in that bylaw officers supported by police and fire personnel, were able to disperse 10 large gatherings of people who intended to set off fireworks,” said Adams. “The staff estimate that a total of more than 150 people were dispersed in these interdictions.”
“In addition to these larger incidents, bylaws fielded an additional 12 complaints from residential areas, and with the assistance from the RCMP, managed to gain compliance through dialogue and education,” she added.
“We are pleased to report that people were compliant when approached, and no tickets were issued by bylaw officers or the community safety officers.”
There were no significant fires or injuries reported on Halloween, which was the objective of the coordinated enforcement program.
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Online, in Facebook neighbourhood forums, there were hundreds of comments about fireworks, with many against them, and expressing concern for frightened pets, and others defending the Halloween traditions.
“My poor dog is horrified right now,” said Mike Vengeance.
“The authorities don’t care, they do nothing about people breaking the fireworks law, it’s so sad for pets and the wildlife in the area,” said Judy Binge.
“It’s pure horror for the farm animals,” said Ryan McEachern. “I think it just comes down to whether or not you have spent hours going around calming and comforting quaking and shaking animals or not. It’s not something that can be explained to the ignorant, you have to actually experience it firsthand to understand.”
“It will all be over tomorrow, fireworks and Halloween have always been a thing… people are celebrating and having fun, making memories, this happens every year… cuddle your dogs turn the TV up,” said Sarah Irene.
“The fireworks I saw on my drive home were beautiful to watch. My nine-year-old daughter and my dog were in my car. We stopped and pulled over to watch them. Whoever was putting on the show in the big field by Jackson roundabout, my family says thank you!” said Tasha Marie Blignault.
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