Niagara Falls’ nightly fireworks plan is no blast

Niagara Falls is undoubtedly one of the most popular tourist attractions in Canada. Its beauty and wonder, along with other attractions in the area, help pad the local economy with over $2 billion in revenue each year. The region, though, is also home to a variety of people, pets and wildlife, populations that Niagara Falls Tourism seem to be forgetting about as it prioritizes visitors over locals.

Starting Sunday, the organization plans to engulf the sky with fireworks, disturbing residents, terrorizing animals and polluting the environment, at 10 every night until Oct. 10. While the event is meant to be mere fun and entertainment for those allimportant visitors, calls to cancel the 144 Days of Fireworks are now growing louder.

In a recent City News report, some Niagara residents expressed concerns about the months of nightly fireworks, including one daycare operator and a teacher of children with special needs. Fireworks are known to cause fear and panic among certain people, including newcomers from war-torn countries, individuals with autism spectrum disorder and other sensitivities, veterans and others with PTSD, and neonatal babies.

Animal advocates are also worried. In a letter to Niagara Falls Tourism, advocacy group PETA called for the event to be cancelled. The group states fireworks displays often result in dogs climbing or digging their way out of yards “as they frantically try to escape the chaos, resulting in increased stray-animal intakes at shelters, which further strains community resources.”

On its website, the Toronto Humane Society describes fireworks as “The ‘F word’ of the pet world.” For companion animals, it states, “who have no idea what’s going on or what to expect — fireworks are sudden shocks of terrifying volume. They can send an animal into a panic lasting hours after the show has ended.”

The explosions can also be detrimental to wildlife. “Wild animals can become disoriented, confused and panicked,” says Lesley Fox, executive director of wildlife advocacy organization the Fur Bearers. “Loud booms and crackles disrupt and change animals’ behaviour. Animals may flee from their dens or nests, causing them to run into traffic or fly into buildings. Fireworks can also separate families as parents may need to abandon their young to find safety.”

Trapped farmed animals can also injure themselves attempting to flee stables, barns or fencing, due to panic caused by fireworks.

Though awe-inspiring, fireworks are ultimately exploding garbage, causing even further damage by spewing harmful toxins into the air and littering local ecosystems with bits of metal and plastic. Imagine the Falls and surrounding area full of 144 days’ worth of fireworks debris. Is that really what our environment needs now?

Though we all want a little fun after the two years we’ve had, sacrificing vulnerable people, animals and ecosystems is not the way to do it. “The bottom line,” adds Fox, “is we need to rethink how we entertain ourselves, and at what cost.”

There are other ways to light up the sky and amuse tourists without all that trauma, including popular drone displays and laser shows. Niagara Falls Tourism needs a new plan.