Councillor with safety concerns wants review of fireworks rules in other jurisdictions
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City council could soon be mulling changes to Winnipeg’s fireworks regulations, including different fines or possible bans.
Waverley West Coun. Janice Lukes wants the city’s public service to compile a report on how fireworks are regulated in other jurisdictions.
Lukes said she brought the motion to Friday’s Assiniboia Community Committee meeting because there are residents in her ward who set off fireworks — illegally — year-round.

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Waverley West Coun. Janice Lukes wants the city’s public service to compile a report on how fireworks are regulated in other jurisdictions.
“In urban environments, fireworks can be disruptive and dangerous,” she said after the meeting.
“They can be, and I know that across Canada, many cities have reviewed their fireworks policy, and they’ve updated some rules and guidelines and things like that, and I think that the City of Winnipeg needs to do the same.”
Winnipeg residents require a free permit to set off fireworks. Holders must set off fireworks in a space with a 30.5-metre (100-foot) clearance away from buildings and trees.
Failing to abide by the city bylaw can result in a $500 fine.
Many homeowners’ yards in Winnipeg don’t meet that clearance requirement, Lukes said.
Committee chair Coun. Evan Duncan, while voting in favour of the motion, expressed concern about outcomes that could lead to a ban.
“I’m open to the spirit of this, to find out more information. I’m not open to banning fireworks in the city of Winnipeg,” said Duncan (Charleswood-Tuxedo-Westwood).
The motion would require approval from the community services committee to move forward. If it does, the public service would be required to report back with its findings in 120 days.
When customers walk into Archangel Fireworks’ Pembina Highway store, staff will explain the bylaw and walk customers through the permit rules.
Owner Kelly Guille said he doesn’t see the value in adding new costs or restrictions when current rules aren’t being fully enforced by the city’s bylaw officers.
“It’s never enforceable if we don’t have police on the streets or bylaw officers,” he said.
It’s a tough time for the fireworks business in Winnipeg, and over-regulating the vast majority of users in an attempt to deter the small minority using them unsafely won’t help, said Matthew Bialek, the co-owner of Red Bomb Fireworks and Blast-Off Fireworks.
“We’re seeing government intervention encroach on areas that really were doing fine without intervention in the past, that red tape is creeping in from every angle,” he said.
“I think my concerns go beyond the fireworks restrictions. It just seems like the incentive for any small business, let alone one selling fireworks, is being sucked out of the room.”
Both business owners said they’d like to see the city focus on public education on rules and safe practices, instead.
The motion comes just before Diwali, a Hindu festival often marked with fireworks, which takes place on Oct. 20 this year.
Lukes said she plans to hold a community Diwali celebration with fireworks in her ward to encourage people not to do so at home, and show it can be done legally in the city.
The rules and restrictions for fireworks use in Canada vary from city to city.
In Mississauga, Ont., for example, city council is currently considering a ban on consumer fireworks, allowing them only for public community events conducted by a professional approved by the city’s fire and emergency services.
malak.abas@freepress.mb.ca

Malak Abas is a city reporter at the Free Press. Born and raised in Winnipeg’s North End, she led the campus paper at the University of Manitoba before joining the Free Press in 2020. Read more about Malak.
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Updated on Friday, October 3, 2025 5:36 PM CDT: Adds missing word