Burlington Council Approves Piloting the Addition of Drones to 2024 Canada Day Fireworks Show

At our March 19 meeting, Burlington Council approved directing recreation staff to pilot adding a drone display to planned fireworks for the 2024 Canada Day Festival in our city.See the approved full motion from Council, My Take, and the associated staff report and supporting documents below — as well as additional background information further down this post.APPROVED MOTION:

• Direct the Director of Recreation, Community, and Culture to pilot the supplement the 2024 Canada Day Festival's Firework display with a drone display of $15,000 to be funded from Tax Rate Stabilization Reserve Fund or Cultural Initiatives Reserve Fund and report back on community feedback (SD-05-24); and
• Direct the Director of Recreation, Community and Culture to proceed with the same decision making process regarding air quality and fireworks as decided in 2023 and outlined in recreation, community and culture report RCC-02-24 in consultation with internal and external stakeholders for Canada Day Celebrations in 2024.

MY TAKE:Many members of our community enjoy a fireworks display as an elevated form of celebration. We are also aware and understand the concerns raised by community members over fireworks, including environmental concerns. I certainly support this move by Council to supplement our fireworks display for Canada Day this year with drones as a pilot and to hear back from the community on their experience with the show in its entirety. The use of drones allows us to have a fallback in the event we experience another serious air quality event that prevents us from using fireworks on Canada Day. We're trying to balance the diverse community interests and I believe this move does just that.

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To read the staff report and related supporting documents, please click/tap the links below:

• Staff report: RCC-02-24 Fireworks, Drones for Festivals and Events - Canada Day.pdf
• Information item: RCC-02-24 Correspondence from Ward 2 Councillor's summer 2023 interns related to fireworks and drones for festivals and events - Canada Day.pdf

BACKGROUND:Currently, the City of Burlington has an existing three-year agreement with Blue Star Pyro to provide a twelve-minute fireworks show for Canada Day, with the last year of the agreement being 2024, and the possibility of a two-year extension until 2026. With growing airquality and climate concerns, staff are proactively bringing forward this report before Committee to consider alternate options to the fireworks display.Fireworks have been used for many decades and by many cultures to celebrate important events throughout history. Many nations use fireworks displays to bring people together to mark important dates to their countries, Canada Day being one of them. As fireworks symbolize celebration and joy, it has been a significant component to the City of Burlington’s Canada Day event for many years. As years have progressed, Canada Day fireworks have varied in length and intensity, however, have remained consistent in entertainment and budget over the past few years.In 2023, discussions were had among City of Burlington staff to determine if the Canada Day fireworks were going to move forward, as there was significantly poor air quality due to the wildfires in the surrounding area. The decision was made that if the air qualityhealth index reached, or was anticipated to reach 10+ (very-high risk) for an extended period, around the time of the scheduled fireworks, the Canada Day fireworks would be reduced or cancelled to protect the health and safety of staff, residents, volunteers, vendors and entertainers. The air quality health index improved as the event approached, and the fireworks were able to continue.As outlined through this report, there are benefits and risks to both firework and drone displays on Canada Day. Staff are looking to Committee and the community to help guide the decision making on what changes or options are preferred for the event moving forward that align with Burlington’s strategic direction.