Funny you should mention fires and fireworks, because I have a funny story about that:

For years and years, every Victoria Day weekend we would meet up with other families on the beach sands north of 6th street to have our own little fireworks celebration. With the cost of the stuff, one family couldn't put on much of a show for the kiddies, but when you have five or six pitching in their little bit together, it would get to be quite a nice show.

and we did it for years, year after year, never any more problem then maybe a rocket falling over or going P-TOOM on the sands and leaving a black mark and some frightened teenagers. Man it was fun, we looked forward to it, and the kids looked forward to it.

Then, just a few years ago, maybe three years now, we were out there as usual and who should saunter up but our By-Law Officer. "I'm sorry, you can't do this here."

Oh why pray tell? "Because it is not safe"

Ok, let's forget the part about the years and years above and just look at the reality of the situation here: We have six families worth of parents, aunts and uncles, grandparents and older more-responsible teens, we are standing on a giant hotel lobby ashtray (sorry eco-folks, but that's what it is, the tourists all know that) and we're a mere hop and skip from a bucket of water so big you can see it clearly from the surface of the nearest other planet, and he's wanting us to believe this is a high risk location for consumer-grade fireworks?

Apparently so.

Ok, fair 'nuff. So, sez I, quite innocently, So I sez to him, where then do tell would be a safe place acceptable to the By-Law?

"Any private property." I kid you not. Any private property. Aye, there's the rub as they say, you see, the 'safety' is not in the vernacular of "public safety" or even "property safety" but rather this is a more esoteric use of the term, a use that implies a safe distance from any possible litigation, ie, fireworks are fine and jim dandy just so long as the town cannot be construed as being to blame for any unforseen consequences of the action!

Indeed, a very different kettle of fish, that.

So ... what did we do? Well, we asked him first, and got an approving nod, so we went ahead and did it, we set up in one of those hedge-fenced backyards bordering Lakeshore and, from the tinderbox of that twig-littered lawn, we launched our joyous surprises upward, through the hydro wires, up, out and arcing over the heads of the passing Lakeshore traffic and it was truly awesome to behold.

but we considered ourselves lucky, and never did it again.

Any resemblance to real incidents or situations or to persons living or dead in the above story is purely coincidental.

The fireworks bylay is on the Town of South Bruce Peninsula website. Go to "residents" then "public notices".

Firecrackers are banned, fireworks are permitted May 24, July 1 and 4 as well as the day before each date.

June 28th evening was very noisy with firecrackers and fireworks in every direction. Our bylaw enforcement was absent. I guess the concept of staggered shifts is complicated. There was a 3/4 hour display on the beach at 5th street that was pretty obvious.

Like Gary I used to participate in one annual event on the beach but they have morphed into weekly or even nightly events that were causing a problem. It interferes with the rights of residents to enjoy their property without disturbances. Merchant sales all summer complicate the problem. Also stories of the mess left in the dunes and on the beach abound. The 2 day window provided in the bylaw is sufficient although it is a mystery as to why July 4 is included. We are Canadian eh?

Many municipalities have had to bring in fireworks bylaws due to lack of consideration and fire hazard. Watching flame balls come down in your cedars is not my idea of fun. Last summer a boat on a trailer was a total loss in Oliphant due to fireworks on private property. The fire department was called out and of course we all pay for that. I figured it was a matter of time before someone lost a dwelling and you might never know who did it.

The bylaw is a good compromise. It should be prominently displayed at point of sale and heavily enforced. If there is a problem with it get it fixed.