Ahead of anticipated fireworks in Surrey this week, Surrey RCMP are urging residents not to call 911 to report the sounds keeping them awake.
According to the Mounties, fireworks-related concerns should be reported to Surrey Bylaws; however, the phone line won’t be operated all night long on Halloween night.
“If you have concerns regarding the misuse of fireworks in your neighbourhood, contact Surrey Bylaws at 604-591-4370 (operating until 1 am, November 1, 2024). Please do not use 911 for fireworks-related concerns, 911 is reserved for emergencies only,” Surrey RCMP said this week in a news release.
They added that the Surrey RCMP non-emergency line is open after midnight.
While Halloween is an obviously rough night for fireworks calls, it won’t be the only reason residents might notice a particularly noisy evening. This year, two holidays are falling on the same night: Halloween and Diwali.
Diwali is a Hindu religious festival also known as the celebration of lights. Traditional celebrations include fireworks, food, and other ways to symbolize a triumph over darkness. Surrey’s population is made up of some 30,000 people who follow Hinduism, the fourth-largest religion in the city, according to Statistics Canada.
Last year, Diwali fell within the second week of November. This year, Diwali begins on October 29, but the fireworks will most likely happen on the 31, as Laxmi Pujan falls in the early hours of that day. Diwali ends on November 3.
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Surrey is among several cities in Metro Vancouver that don’t allow unlicensed fireworks shows on Halloween or Diwali. The list is long, with the most recent being Port Moody.
Some cities, like Mississauga, allow a temporary allowance for Diwali celebrations for families to set off fireworks without a permit as long as it’s on their personal property and one night only.
But while the Ontario city is making an exception, it will be far from sanctioned in Surrey.
A sky-high increase is in place for fines for those caught setting off or selling fireworks due to what Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke said was a significant surge in complaints leading up to Halloween and Diwali last year.
City of Surrey/Facebook
“The illegal use of fireworks poses severe risks, including potential injuries, property damage, and distress to animals. Council has taken this step to significantly increase fines in order to deter the illegal use of fireworks and to ensure the safety of our residents,” Locke said. The fines could be anywhere from $400 to $50,000, and kids caught with fireworks could see additional fines.
City of Surrey – Corporate Services told Daily Hive that enforcement calls last year kept them very busy.
“In 2023, bylaw staff received 640 complaints related to fireworks and attended 500 locations, resulting in 150 fines being issued. Through a joint effort between bylaws and the police, a total value of $345,000 worth of fireworks were also seized,” they told Daily Hive.
That’s less than a quarter of the complaints resulting in fines in 2023.
Sgt. Tammy Lobb with the Surrey RCMP Media Relations Unit told Daily Hive that “fireworks complaints fall under [Surrey bylaw’s] mandate.” Adding that last year, there were no notable or significant events throughout the evening.
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Some residents shared on Reddit that while they had set off fireworks illegally in the past, enforcement has seemed to be quite relaxed.
“Bigger fines mean absolutely nothing when nobody has ever been charged,” one person shared.
Another assumed that police officers would be out all night this year.
“I’m sure with the fines going up, enforcement is going to be going up also. There would be no point of increasing fines, without increasing the enforcement,” they said.
One person said it should be allowed but within reason.
“I’m fine with fireworks on Diwali. Every culture should be allowed to celebrate their traditions and holidays. What I am not fine with is fireworks still going off late at night. They should stop at some reasonable time (let’s say 10 pm), and after that, the City needs to start writing tickets for noise bylaw violations. If laws are not enforced they may as well not exist,” they said.
Others shared that times have changed.
“Cops took our mighty mites away after school one time. [A] friend kept lighting them in the back trails on the walk home about a week or so before Halloween after school. Cop got called, told us to be smarter about it and took them,” they said. “Didn’t feel like a big deal. Was also 16 years ago, times were a bit different.”
Another person was also nostalgic for the past.
“Bans don’t work. Fireworks need to be allowed again with proper licensing and designated areas. People are still going to set them off, better to know who is doing it and where it’s happening,” they said.