Residents, advocates call for cancellation of 144 nights of fireworks at Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls Tourism is planning an extensive program of nightly fireworks displays starting Victoria Day weekend through to Thanksgiving Day, which is raising numerous concerns among residents and advocates.

After a break from fireworks shows for two years due to the pandemic, the tourism department is hosting the longest consecutive fireworks series in the country that will last 144 days, spanning the entire summer. Shows are set to take place at 10 p.m. every night, starting on May 20 and ending October 10, weather permitting.

Too close for comfort

Residents living close to the falls say it’s going to be a very disruptive four months.

Nicholas Cupolo owns Evergreen Thrift Store on Ferry Street and lives above the shop that is about a 20-minute walk from the falls.

He recalls the fireworks series on the weekends from previous years and says it was not a pleasant experience.

“It’s just a nightly barrage of sounds,” he tells CityNews. “It’s the sound of gunshots outside … at least you know when it’s 10 p.m. every night, but other than that there’s no good that comes from it from my point of view.”

Julia Mackenzie is a private daycare provider who lives a 10-minute walk away from the falls and says she is not looking forward to the nightly noise.

“Although I’m very excited that tourism is coming back to the city, I do not like the idea of every night fireworks as a resident. It is so intrusive,” she says. “If the wind blows in a certain direction, we can hear the falls like we’re standing right there. So imagine on a night when the wind is blowing that way — it’s going to sound like we’re under attack.”

Carlee McTavish, a high school and special needs teacher, lives about 15 minutes away from Clifton Hill, the main tourist strip at the falls. She says the 10 p.m. start time is very concerning to her.

“I’m in bed by nine. I know a lot of the people in that area are from a lower socioeconomic status and I’m sure that many of them are working multiple jobs and wouldn’t want to be woken up as I have been in the past by the fireworks,” she says.

Mackenzie adds that the late hours could also be troublesome for visiting families with children.

“If you’re a family here on vacation with kids, [who] are one of the primary markets for fireworks, 10 o’clock at night is quite late for them. And do they want be here from a Wednesday to a Sunday and hear that every night? … That’s going to wake them up, that’s going to be very loud.”

McTavish also feels that the needs of local residents are being entirely ignored.

“I think most people in the region understand that we rely very heavily on tourism for the local economy. I get that. But I feel like it’s just another example of prioritizing the tourists over the local residents,” she says.

Cupolo echoes that it is an unfair imposition on residents’ lives.

“To give the burden of the noise to the entire community — it doesn’t seem justifiable that everyone has to put up with it for the benefit of the tourists and the hoteliers and the tourism establishments. It just doesn’t seem equitable,” he says.

Worries for welfare of animals and environment

Animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) points out that fireworks are nothing short of traumatic for animals and a nightly show for four months will lead to an extended period of anxiety.

“While humans might find loud noises and flashing lights festive, dogs, cats, and other animals whose hearing is much more sensitive than ours perceive the noise as life threatening. They panic. If they are able to run, they will run. And animal shelters see a huge increase in dogs and cats that they take in after firework shows,” says Rachel Bellis, associate director of local affairs at PETA.

Mackenzie says her dogs are going to have a tough time coping with the explosions.

“My one little dog – she is very susceptible. If there’s a thunderstorm, we have to hold her the entire time. She’s a rescue and to have that happen every night now – I don’t know what the poor little thing is going to do,” she says.

The group says fireworks displays can also be terrifying for local wildlife.

“At night birds are not regularly going to fly. When they hear those loud noises, they start to fly, they can’t see as well – so they run into billboards, they run into cars,” explains Bellis. “Waterfowl have been reported to fly en masse at very high altitude for extended periods of time, where they become exhausted and vulnerable.”

Mackenzie adds that after two years of relative quiet, the sudden explosions will likely be extremely turbulent for wild animals.

“Wildlife that has gotten used to [fireworks] not going on, all of a sudden they’re gonna have boom-boom-boom, every night of the week. It’s a horrible idea,” she says.

Bellis says that there are also concerns for and those who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as well as environmental concerns surrounding such an extensive fireworks schedule.

“These gases that are released [by fireworks], they can be toxic. They have so many chemicals in them. They go into our water supplies, they go into the air, they affect wildlife and companion animals and us in that way,” she says.

Calls to consider alternatives

PETA is urging Niagara Falls Tourism to reconsider the program.

“It really is a little out of control to do so many nights of fireworks,” says Bellis. “Drop this traumatizing bombardment and switch to more cutting edge, visually dazzling, laser or drone shows that allow everyone to enjoy a quieter, cleaner, more stress-free summer.”

Cupolo says he feels the falls don’t need any further enhancement to attract people.

“I think it’s kind of unnecessary. We have Niagara falls, we have this great lighting system that we shine on the falls every night. To me it should be like a peaceful place — the falls are the attraction. Why do we need the fireworks?” he asks.

“I’d like to think that most people are coming to see that giant waterfall that we have, and not just a bunch of gun powder explosions in the sky that they could see anywhere else,” echoes McTavish. “We have beautiful hiking trails and beautiful parks. Why can’t we focus on those things?”

Mackenzie agrees saying Niagara Falls has always been about experiencing a natural phenomenon.

“The message has always been that it’s a green experience,” she says. “I think that there are other ways that we could be looking at building tourism in Niagara Falls. It seems like we’re always looking for the quick fix when we could be doing more to bring people in … I don’t think that nightly fireworks for a third of the year is the solution.”

CityNews reached out to Niagara Falls Tourism regarding the concerns brought up by PETA and local residents, but did not receive a response by publishing time.

The Niagara Parks Commission said in a statement that they strive to strike a balance between supporting tourism and environmental stewardship.

“Niagara Parks’ role in the Niagara Falls Fireworks Series is to act as a responsible venue host. All contracted fireworks vendors operating on Niagara Parks property are regulated by Natural Resources Canada,” said CEO David Adames. “Niagara Parks continues to collaborate with its destination partners, including Niagara Falls Tourism, to explore new programming opportunities, including the potential for alternative outdoor night activations, for visitors in the future.”