Second London Canada Day event cancels its fireworks, but one advocate says it’s overdue

Second London Canada Day event cancels its fireworks, but one advocate says it’s overdue

East London and Byron Canada Day celebrations both announced changes in May

East London residents can expect a quieter Canada Day this year after organizers of the annual event announced that the fireworks show will be cancelled this year. But one advocate says the end of this and other fireworks celebrations is long overdue.

The Optimist Club of East London and Argyle Business Improvement Association (BIA), which co-host East London Canada Day, announced Tuesday that the rising costs of fireworks shows combined with limited funding has made it impossible to run the 20-year tradition.

“I think it’s just really unfortunate and a little disheartening for community members,” said Argyle BIA event coordinator and creative director Leah Thomas.

The announcement comes just weeks after the Optimist Club of Byron announced it was cancelling its fireworks show, also citing budget constraints.

“I have a lot of people who I’m close with who live in Byron and a lot of people here, and this is very much a tradition and something that people grew up coming to,” Thomas said. “We did really exhaust every possible avenue to make the fireworks happen."

At the time of Byron’s announcement, Optimist Club of East London president LaVonne Haynes told CBC News that the east end fireworks show would go forward, but said things have since changed.

"Funding has been dwindling over the years, but this year was a hard almost-half cut of what we normally receive,” Hayes explained.

It would have cost $10,000 to put on an eight-minute fireworks show, organizers said, which is notably shorter than in recent years. With only about $14,000 in funding from government grants, sponsorships and internal funds, they decided that the money would be better spent elsewhere.

Not everybody is disappointed by the change. In fact, London human rights and environmental advocate Deanna Ronson says the cancellation is welcome.

“While a lot of people are, of course, lamenting the loss of this decades-old tradition … I think there are real public benefits to cancelling fireworks,” she said.

In 2021, Ronson co-founded Londoners for Quiet Fireworks, a group that advocated for the city to enact a bylaw restricting consumer fireworks, and eventually all traditional firework shows. The group was unsuccessful at the time, and has not brought the matter forward again since.

They brought several concerns about fireworks to council, many of which Ronson said still ring true today.

Fireworks pollution lasts long after the show is over

“It’s environmental and it’s the impact on wildlife, especially when we’re talking about Canada Day. There’s a lot of nesting birds and new wildlife that has been born, and fireworks can spook birds out of nests and can separate young animals from their parents,” she said.

Ronson said the blasts can also agitate pets, harm people with chronic lung conditions and impact people with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Hayes said that while she understands not everyone supports the fireworks, she’s heard from a large number of East Londoners who want them in the neighbourhood

“You can’t please everybody. We’re never going to please everybody,” said Hayes. “I think for the people who are going to be happy with us not having a fireworks show, that’s great. And for people who are disappointed, I understand it because we’re disappointed too.”

Ronson said the cancellation of fireworks in East London and Byron are an opportunity for organizers to consider more accessible activities, including outdoor movies, concerts and Indigenous-led programming.

“This is a chance to ask whether we can do other community celebrations that are more inclusive,” she said. “The goal isn’t to take away joy from people. It’s to stop confusing joy with explosions.”

East Londoners can still gather on Canada Day this year with a family-friendly daytime event at the East Lions Community Centre. Hayes and Thomas said many of the activities, including live music, free swimming and food trucks, were already in the works.

“Daytime activities are, comparatively, pennies to the fireworks,” Thomas said. “As beloved as fireworks are, we had to make the very hard decision of whether to cut seven hours of the community getting together and having fun for free, or potentially 10 minutes of fireworks.”

Organizers said that without a nighttime gathering, they’re putting extra effort into finding daytime activities that will interest teenagers, including a dunk tank that will feature Mayor Josh Morgan and a live wrestling show.

Londoners can still watch fireworks at White Oaks Park as part of South London Canada Day on July 1, or celebrate early with the Summerside Community Club’s fireworks at Meadowgate Park on June 28.

The City of London also confirmed it will be hosting its annual Canada Day fireworks event at Harris Park on July 1.

Thomas said she expects East London’s fireworks back in action sooner, rather than later.

“We already have our eyes on next year,” she said.

Kendra Seguin is a reporter/editor with CBC London. She is interested in writing about music, culture and communities. You can probably find her at a local show or you can email her at kendra.seguin@cbc.ca.