The deputy mayor says they are like small chemical bombs that are bad for nature
The town of Mont-Tremblant in the Laurentians is getting ready to ban all fireworks on its land, which would make it one of the first places in Quebec to do so.Union des municipalités du Québec.
On Monday, a motion to ban all fireworks was brought before the city council. This would make the current law, which requires people to get a permit before setting off fireworks, even stricter. Dominique Laverdure, who is the deputy mayor of Mont-Tremblant, says that the motion is likely to be passed on April 10 and put into effect two weeks later.
The municipal council already decided in February that the city wouldn’t use fireworks for this year’s Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day celebrations, but this month, in order to protect the environment, they decided to go a step further and ban fireworks completely.
Laverdure says that letting off fireworks is like setting off a small chemical bomb in the environment. “Everything comes together. It could start forest fires, it goes back into our lakes, and it goes back into the ground. Our animals are scared by it.”
Vincent Causse, the director for environment and sustainable development in the city, is also worried about all of these things.
“They have a number of chemical products in them, most notably perchlorate,” he says, adding that these can hurt the air quality.
The Association québécoise de la lutte contre la pollution atmosphérique,An organization that works to clean up the air has praised the move. The president of the group, André Bélisle, hopes that other places will do the same.
“Sulfur particles are released, which can be bothersome to people, especially children, the elderly, and those with lung or heart problems,” he says about what happens after a firework goes off.
If the motion is passed, people who set off fireworks in the town of Mont-Tremblant would have to pay a fine. The amount of the fine has not yet been decided.
Reinventing the part
The rule would make it hard to celebrate Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day and Canada Day, since fireworks are usually set off in the night sky on those days. But Laverdure says that fireworks don’t do much besides make a party more fun, and there are other ways to celebrate that are better for the environment.
She says, “We’re going to change the party.” “We can have a beautiful light show in the sky, but it doesn’t have to come at the cost of our nature.”
This year, residents of Mont-Tremblant will not be able to watch fireworks at midnight, but instead will be able to watch a music and light show. Laverdure says she’s sure it will be just as amazing, and she thinks that people will be proud to go home knowing that they celebrated without hurting the environment.
Laverdure says, “We hope to show other cities how to do it.” “I think it’s a small thing that can make a big difference.”