It’s been one week since Canada Day was once again marked with reckless fireworks in and around Kitchener’s Victoria Park, and the local police chief is calling the behaviour unlawful, disappointing and dangerous.
Chief Mark Crowell with the Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS) said a small group of youths were illegally discharging fireworks on July 1, and Victoria Park had to be closed.
“Our response has been considerable, we have to create operational plans where we have dozens of officers deployed throughout the downtown Kitchener area, specifically Victoria Park,” Crowell said while on The Mike Farwell Show. “There’s a lot of cost and work that goes into creating those plans.”
That’s something the City of Kitchener is echoing. A spokesperson confirms the city spent an additional $20,000 or so on bylaw staffing for Canada Day.
Crowell said police laid a number of charges resulting from the disruptions.
“We’re disappointed with some of the behaviour, we had a very firm and fair approach to enforcement,” said Crowell. “We don’t want this trend to continue.”
Kitchener council has already passed several measures to try and curb the fireworks misuse issue, like boosting fines and limiting when fireworks can be set off.
Next year, a sales ban will take effect in Kitchener & Waterloo.