Skip to content

Complaints in Masset about fireworks

Fireworks have been going off at all hours in Masset lately, generating several complaints from residents, councillor Buck Grosse said at Monday night's council meeting (Aug. 16)."It's getting to be a problem, it's all day and all night," Mr. Grosse said. "I've had a couple of people talk to me about it."The increasing number of fireworks incidents is also creating a headache for the RCMP, who have received calls to respond to gunshots that turn out to be fireworks exploding."We've been getting the calls at all times of day," said Sgt. Grant MacDonald at the Masset detachment. "It causes some concern for us just in terms of responding to those calls."Sgt. MacDonald said he has seen small fireworks going off in the middle of the day in downtown Masset. It's not against the law, he said, but he is concerned seniors could be startled by the noise, or tourists scared off.Masset council members said they had the impression that fireworks sales had been previously restricted to certain times of year, and that seems to have changed."You never used to be able to buy them until it was a special occasion," Mr. Grosse said. "Now you can just buy them."The fireworks concern is not restricted to Masset. At the music festival in Tlell earlier this month, a firework was thrown on stage during a performance, and residents complained that fireworks were being set off at the beach.Council members asked administrator Trevor Jarvis to research the issue and find out what kind of provincial legislation applies to fireworks. There is a possibility that the village could create a bylaw restricting the sale and setting off of fireworks to certain times like Halloween, he said.