Little being done to stop loud fireworks noise 'five to seven days a week', says Windsor resident

Despite the City of Windsor prohibiting the use of fireworks on most days of the year, Walkerville resident Jordan Whelan says his family has been disturbed by the sounds of loud pops multiple times a day for the past six months.

"I have children and a wife who is hard of hearing. So it's more disturbing for us than typical people," said Whelan, adding the constant sound of fireworks makes it difficult to communicate with his wife.

City bylaws currently prohibit the use of fireworks, except on Canada Day, Victoria Day (and the 10 days before it), New Year's Eve (and the seven days before it) and the Fourth of July.

But according to Whelan, that sound of fireworks going off has become an "every night thing" since his family moved to their current apartment about six months ago.

"We deal with it all the time. Two, three, four in the morning. It doesn't matter what time it is. It happens all the time," the 27-year-old said. "Young people don't usually complain about these things."

Whelan is among a growing number of people calling for greater enforcement and restrictions on the sale of fireworks for personal use. 

"It's a nuisance, not just for people, young and old — but animals. People with anxiety, high levels of anxiety. It's actually a trigger for a lot of people," he said. "We literally have to move our son to a different room to get away from the noise. This happens about five to seven days a week."

But according to Windsor police constable Bianca Jackson, enforcement of fireworks-related complaints can come with challenges. For starters, these types of calls are prioritized lower than more serious incidents.

It also doesn't help that many people who are reporting fireworks-related bylaw violations want to stay anonymous, she said.

"It is important that to give a charge, we need a complainant. We need a name of some sort," Jackson said, adding she understands some complainants want to stay anonymous to, "keep the peace" with their neighbours.

Windsor police said it could not provide an exact number of fireworks-related calls it has received in 2022, as they are grouped with approximately 900 overall noise complaints that have come through since 2020.

"If you're calling just for us to go to a residence and ask them to keep it down, respect the noise level or give a warning, then an anonymous call is fine," Jackson said. 

But according to Whelan, he's walked around his apartment to narrow down an exact source of the noise and report his findings to police on four separate occasions. However, officers have showed up one time, he said.

"It seems nobody takes it seriously," he said.

“I definitely would like to see bylaw enforcement come and do something about this, either regulations or — and I don’t know if this is too far — banning the sale of them for unregulated events.”