Setting off fireworks on Labour Day could cost you up to $100,000 in Brampton

The City of Brampton is reminding residents to celebrate without loud and dangerous pyrotechnics.

Brampton brought in a wide-ranging ban on fireworks last fall following a record number of complaints. And with this upcoming weekend marking the first Labour Day since the ban, the city is urging residents to follow the new rules or face hefty fines.

​All fireworks are prohibited in Brampton – that includes 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 also been increased to a minimum of $500. Selling fireworks comes with a $1,000 fine and penalties under the new bylaw reach up to $100,000.

Property owners are also being cautioned not to let anyone else use fireworks on their property as it is the owner who may face charges and fines.

A record number of complaints during Diwali celebrations in October spurred the ban as council clamped down on personal pyrotechnics. Brampton bylaw officers also issued thousands of dollars in tickets on New Year’s Eve under the ban as part of an enforcement blitz.

The city had previously banned “long-range” fireworks in 2016, but staff said that ban resulted in “no decrease” in fireworks usage in Brampton.

There were some $38,500 in fireworks fines issued in the city last year, 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.