You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account.

Sometimes it feels like Winnipeg City Hall exists to create problems rather than solve them. The latest example is Councillor Janice Lukes’ motion calling on the public service to review fireworks regulations across Canada, a project that will take time, money, and resources for no clear reason.

Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.

Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.

Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.

Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.

We already have a bylaw that works. We already have processes in place. And as fireworks industry expert Matt Bialeik, owner of Blast Off Fireworks, explained in our recent conversation, Winnipeg’s current bylaw is among the best-written and most comprehensive in the country. The problem isn’t regulation, it’s enforcement. Yet instead of addressing that, we’re preparing to spend time and public money studying something that doesn’t appear to be broken.

When I interviewed Bialeik, he described the motion as “an attempt to gain even more control over an industry that already operates safely,” pointing out that “there’s no data showing a problem.” He’s right. There are no recorded incidents of fireworks-related injuries or property damage in Winnipeg that justify a new review. Still, Council is once again chasing a problem that doesn’t exist.

Get the latest headlines, breaking news and columns.

By signing up........

© Winnipeg Sun