Minto exploring options to deal with problem fireworks

MINTO – Last week Minto councillor Ron Elliott sprang out of bed in the early morning hours.

“What the hell was that?” he said aloud. “It just cracked.”

On weeknights, often between midnight and 1am in Palmerston, fireworks are being set off from the walk-over bridge in Palmerston Lions Heritage Park, and sometimes over the waterfall.

Elliott said two weeks ago fireworks were set off at the edge of the Palmerston Lake Campground.

Residents, woken from sleep and with dogs barking, have been imploring the councillor to do something about the nuisance.

“This year has been the worst,” Elliott told the Community News.

On occasions such as Light up the Park and Fire and Ice, fireworks are set off by the town. But Elliott said residents are given advance notice to prepare.

When fireworks are set off wantonly, it becomes a problem, Elliott said.

“It’s really affecting dogs and animals; it scares the hell out of them,” he said.

Elliott raised the issue at a May 5 council meeting, asking what the town could do.

“Our citizens are very concerned and [I’m] getting calls about this; it’s all over the internet,” he told council.

Elliott said the police can respond, but by the time officers arrive, whoever is doing it – he suspects teens – is gone.

“How do you expect the police, or a bylaw enforcement officer, to catch somebody on top of the bridge in Palmerston or in downtown Harrison?” Elliott said by phone.

Mayor David Turton said he’s also hearing complaints from residents and spoke with town CAO Gregg Furtney.

“I think it’s crazy,” Turton said at the meeting. “If there’s something that we can do, we will.”

“Our hands are tied when you don’t have a policy or bylaw,” Turton later said by phone.

Furtney could not be reached for comment. Elliot said Furtney is exploring the town’s options.

The councillor suggested a bylaw regulating fireworks with a fine might be an enforceable option to curtail the disruptions.