Fireworks at City Hall — A looming fireworks ban in Mississauga, prompted by rising noise complaints, has been postponed yet again — this time by two weeks.
That didn’t quiet things down at City Hall on Wednesday.
Thunderous applause, cheers and some heckles erupted in the council chamber, as roughly 100 community members showed up to oppose the ban. With Diwali less than a month out, the proposal has many Hindu residents fuming — but they'll have to wait: Council won’t take a vote until Oct. 15.
“It’s a disservice to everyone here,” said Councillor Dipika Damerla, the loudest council critic of the proposed ban.
Councillors said Carolyn Parrish had moved earlier in the week to defer the long-awaited vote. At the start of Wednesday’s meeting, she explained that Deputy Mayor Matt Mahoney was mid-flight from a city business trip in Japan and couldn’t be there. According to Parrish, Mahoney wanted the deputations to go ahead but the final vote delayed until he was back.
Not all are buying it. The Hindu Canadian Foundation, whose representative opposed the “blanket ban” at the meeting, called the decision to defer a “a weak excuse,” motivated by a lack of supporting votes. (A spokesperson for Parrish, who the group is nicknaming the “Fireworks Queen” on X, declined to comment or elaborate on her decision.)
Damerla cast the sole dissenting vote on the deferral motion, and she didn’t mince her words on the ban. In her view, for the city to end a cultural practice without clear support from the community would be nothing short of “authoritarian.”
Later, Damerla told The Report that a ban, just as Diwali approaches, would amount to “cultural erasure” for the city’s large Hindu population.
A blanket ban — Current by-laws, last reviewed in May, restrict consumer use of fireworks to five designated holidays, including Diwali and the Lunar New Year, between designated hours. After residents complained that fireworks rules were being ignored, Parrish asked staff to come back with fixes.
“This is not about eliminating celebrations — it’s about creating safer practices,” said Georgios Fthenos, the Director of Enforcement, as he presented a recommendation for “a full prohibition on the sale, distribution, possession, and use of consumer fireworks,” as Brampton and Caledon have implemented.
Parrish, throughout the meeting, reiterated that she “failed to see how this was targeting a specific group,” and touted her past efforts to “bring back fireworks” to the city, organizing pyrotechnic shows at Celebration Square on Canada Day, for example.
Councillor Brad Butt, who opposes the ban, told The Report that noise complaints he receives coming from other sources are “way more” than those related to fireworks.
He supports continued enforcement of the restrictions in place, and educating the community on their proper use, rather than a full prohibition.
Aleem Kanji, representing the Canadian National Fireworks Association (CNFA), called the proposal a “reactionary measure not supported by public policy and empirical evidence.” In his deputation, he said the fireworks ban would be “akin to banning automated speed enforcement cameras and expecting safer roads.” (Recall: Kanji volunteered on Damerla’s last mayoral bid.)
Down to the wire — The ban could be sealed — or sunk — by only a few votes.
Councillor Joe Horneck told The Report that he “doesn’t see the groundswell of support” in the community for pursuing the ban, nor any full-throated endorsement for it at City Hall.
Erindale, his ward of around 78,000 residents, received 10 fireworks-related complaints in 2024, and 11 from January to September of this year, according to data he provided.
That’s less than one percent of all noise complaints in Horneck’s ward. It’s a metric that other councillors, more skeptical of the ban, shared in the meeting.
For his part, Horneck questioned whether the current restrictions, introduced in October 2023, could yield visible results now given staff’s years-long timeline.
Keep in mind: From May, the last time council considered changes to the fireworks by-law, new enforcement and community outreach plans were yet to be tested.
“If our staff say it will take several years for new policies to take effect, why are we talking about it after only four months?” Horneck asked.
— On Monday, Caledon hosted a Town Open House to discuss the Site Alteration by-law and answer questions from the community.
According to the town: “This by-law aims to regulate the placing/removal of fill, topsoil and grade alterations on land to protect drainage patterns, the environment and public safety. It outlines requirements for permits, public notice, enforcement and soil quality compliance under provincial laws.”
For the People: A proposal for a community advisory group on site alterations was welcomed by staff.
And: Some residents active in the Swan Lake saga tell The Report they were contacted by police ahead of the meeting. Three plainclothes officers were on standby. (The Mayor did not respond to a request for comment).
Meanwhile, coming up this weekend:
— Saturday at 10 a.m.: Brad Butt will be cutting the ribbon at a Credit Meadows Park expansion ceremony.
— Sunday at 1 p.m.: Alvin Tedjo will be at the Rattray Marsh Conservation Area 50th Anniversary.
— On Tuesday, all commemorated National Truth and Reconciliation Day.
— Patrick Brown hosted a flag-raising ceremony at Brampton City Hall with other councillors. On Wednesday, he swapped orange for green to celebrate Nigerian Independence Day with community members.
— Carolyn Parrish, in an orange blazer, spoke about Mississauga’s plans to honour Indigenous culture and history. On Wednesday, she praised Felo Kalada, a student who constructed a $60 replica of the Marilyn Monroe Towers.
— Annette Groves had Caledon’s Town Hall lit orange and held a flag-raising ceremony.
— Brown and Parrish have co-signed a letter “urging Premier Doug Ford not to implement a total ban on automated speed enforcement (ASE) cameras, proposing a compromise to keep them in school zones.” More here.
— Premier Doug Ford is distancing himself from the new conservative group, Project Ontario. “I’m not in favour of the radical left and the radical right,” he said.
— Meanwhile, ex-Ford aide-turned-MP Jamil Jivani endorsed the group, blasting Ford for turning the provincial Tories into “something hollow, unprincipled, something that doesn’t solve problems.”
— On Monday, the Indian ‘Bishnoi gang’ was declared a terrorist group. Patrick Brown approved of the crackdown. “[Local] law enforcement has been pleading for this help,” he told CBC.
— On Wednesday, Annette Groves announced that Caledon received nearly 380 acres of donated Greenbelt land from private landowners, to use for “parks, trails, and recreational purposes.”
— In Scarborough, Neethan Shan won the Rouge Park by-election with just under 27 per cent of the votes.
— “I don’t think you can call it public education if we don’t get a say.” Parents are speaking out after the Toronto District School Board canceled consultations on lottery-based admissions to special programs.
— New research is flagging “several flaws” in the online voting system for some municipal elections in 2022, leaving them “highly exposed to attack.”
— The Pointer tried to find out how St. Catherine’s mayor spends taxpayer dollars.
— They also ask Brampton when the long-awaited Peel Memorial Hospital will finally be unveiled.
— Amazon < Amazon rainforest: At a downtown Toronto protest last weekend, David Suzuki called on Prime Minister Mark Carney to set a new climate-friendly agenda.
— The Ford government wants to pass over judges when passing Bill 9, which seeks to outline how to remove elected officials for misconduct.
— The Star outlined Ford’s long-history with speed-camera legislation, from flirting to flipping on photo radars.
Got a sighting, a move or a promotion worth noting? Is your birthday coming up? Reach out.
— HBD to Carolyn Parrish, who is turning 79 today.
— Alvin Tedjo hosted a fundraising gala for Gaza with ISNA Canada on Monday night.
Seen: Tedjo, Mohamad Fakih, Natalie Hart, Sue McFadden, Joe Horneck, Charles Sousa, Fares Al Soud and more. Pictures.
— On Thursday, Stephen Dasko was at a groundbreaking ceremony for a Port Credit Active Transportation Bridge.
— The renovated Lisgar Fields Tennis Courts were unveiled at an event with Tennis Canada and National Bank.
— Natalie Hart hosted a Community Safety Town Hall with Peel Police at Frank McKechnie Community Centre.
— Mississauga has opened applications for the new Santa Claus Parade. Apply by October 15.
Editor's note: A previous version of this story stated that Kanji "worked" on Dipika Damerla's mayoral campaign. It was a volunteer position.
Thank you for reading The Peel Report. What do you think about the fireworks ban? I want to hear from you, and I’ll keep you anonymous. We’re back in your inbox on Monday.
Today’s newsletter was edited by Ahmad Elbayoumi. Have feedback? Send us an email.
Fireworks at City Hall — A looming fireworks ban in Mississauga, prompted by rising noise complaints, has been postponed yet again — this time by two weeks.
That didn’t quiet things down at City Hall on Wednesday.
Thunderous applause, cheers and some heckles erupted in the council chamber, as roughly 100 community members showed up to oppose the ban. With Diwali less than a month out, the proposal has many Hindu residents fuming — but they'll have to wait: Council won’t take a vote until Oct. 15.
“It’s a disservice to everyone here,” said Councillor Dipika Damerla, the loudest council critic of the proposed ban.
Councillors said Carolyn Parrish had moved earlier in the week to defer the long-awaited vote. At the start of Wednesday’s meeting, she explained that Deputy Mayor Matt Mahoney was mid-flight from a city business trip in Japan and couldn’t be there. According to Parrish, Mahoney wanted the deputations to go ahead but the final vote delayed until he was back.
Not all are buying it. The Hindu Canadian Foundation, whose representative opposed the “blanket ban” at the meeting, called the decision to defer a “a weak excuse,” motivated by a lack of supporting votes. (A spokesperson for Parrish, who the group is nicknaming the “Fireworks Queen” on X, declined to comment or elaborate on her decision.)
Damerla cast the sole dissenting vote on the deferral motion, and she didn’t mince her words on the ban. In her view, for the city to end a cultural practice without clear support from the community would be nothing short of “authoritarian.”
Later, Damerla told The Report that a ban, just as Diwali approaches, would amount to “cultural erasure” for the city’s large Hindu population.
A blanket ban — Current by-laws, last reviewed in May, restrict consumer use of fireworks to five designated holidays, including Diwali and the Lunar New Year, between designated hours. After residents complained that fireworks rules were being ignored, Parrish asked staff to come back with fixes.
“This is not about eliminating celebrations — it’s about creating safer practices,” said Georgios Fthenos, the Director of Enforcement, as he presented a recommendation for “a full prohibition on the sale, distribution, possession, and use of consumer fireworks,” as Brampton and Caledon have implemented.
Parrish, throughout the meeting, reiterated that she “failed to see how this was targeting a specific group,” and touted her past efforts to “bring back fireworks” to the city, organizing pyrotechnic shows at Celebration Square on Canada Day, for example.
Councillor Brad Butt, who opposes the ban, told The Report that noise complaints he receives coming from other sources are “way more” than those related to fireworks.
He supports continued enforcement of the restrictions in place, and educating the community on their proper use, rather than a full prohibition.
Aleem Kanji, representing the Canadian National Fireworks Association (CNFA), called the proposal a “reactionary measure not supported by public policy and empirical evidence.” In his deputation, he said the fireworks ban would be “akin to banning automated speed enforcement cameras and expecting safer roads.” (Recall: Kanji volunteered on Damerla’s last mayoral bid.)
Down to the wire — The ban could be sealed — or sunk — by only a few votes.
Councillor Joe Horneck told The Report that he “doesn’t see the groundswell of support” in the community for pursuing the ban, nor any full-throated endorsement for it at City Hall.
Erindale, his ward of around 78,000 residents, received 10 fireworks-related complaints in 2024, and 11 from January to September of this year, according to data he provided.
That’s less than one percent of all noise complaints in Horneck’s ward. It’s a metric that other councillors, more skeptical of the ban, shared in the meeting.
For his part, Horneck questioned whether the current restrictions, introduced in October 2023, could yield visible results now given staff’s years-long timeline.
Keep in mind: From May, the last time council considered changes to the fireworks by-law, new enforcement and community outreach plans were yet to be tested.
“If our staff say it will take several years for new policies to take effect, why are we talking about it after only four months?” Horneck asked.
— On Monday, Caledon hosted a Town Open House to discuss the Site Alteration by-law and answer questions from the community.
According to the town: “This by-law aims to regulate the placing/removal of fill, topsoil and grade alterations on land to protect drainage patterns, the environment and public safety. It outlines requirements for permits, public notice, enforcement and soil quality compliance under provincial laws.”
For the People: A proposal for a community advisory group on site alterations was welcomed by staff.
And: Some residents active in the Swan Lake saga tell The Report they were contacted by police ahead of the meeting. Three plainclothes officers were on standby. (The Mayor did not respond to a request for comment).
Meanwhile, coming up this weekend:
— Saturday at 10 a.m.: Brad Butt will be cutting the ribbon at a Credit Meadows Park expansion ceremony.
— Sunday at 1 p.m.: Alvin Tedjo will be at the Rattray Marsh Conservation Area 50th Anniversary.
— On Tuesday, all commemorated National Truth and Reconciliation Day.
— Patrick Brown hosted a flag-raising ceremony at Brampton City Hall with other councillors. On Wednesday, he swapped orange for green to celebrate Nigerian Independence Day with community members.
— Carolyn Parrish, in an orange blazer, spoke about Mississauga’s plans to honour Indigenous culture and history. On Wednesday, she praised Felo Kalada, a student who constructed a $60 replica of the Marilyn Monroe Towers.
— Annette Groves had Caledon’s Town Hall lit orange and held a flag-raising ceremony.
— Brown and Parrish have co-signed a letter “urging Premier Doug Ford not to implement a total ban on automated speed enforcement (ASE) cameras, proposing a compromise to keep them in school zones.” More here.
— Premier Doug Ford is distancing himself from the new conservative group, Project Ontario. “I’m not in favour of the radical left and the radical right,” he said.
— Meanwhile, ex-Ford aide-turned-MP Jamil Jivani endorsed the group, blasting Ford for turning the provincial Tories into “something hollow, unprincipled, something that doesn’t solve problems.”
— On Monday, the Indian ‘Bishnoi gang’ was declared a terrorist group. Patrick Brown approved of the crackdown. “[Local] law enforcement has been pleading for this help,” he told CBC.
— On Wednesday, Annette Groves announced that Caledon received nearly 380 acres of donated Greenbelt land from private landowners, to use for “parks, trails, and recreational purposes.”
— In Scarborough, Neethan Shan won the Rouge Park by-election with just under 27 per cent of the votes.
— “I don’t think you can call it public education if we don’t get a say.” Parents are speaking out after the Toronto District School Board canceled consultations on lottery-based admissions to special programs.
— New research is flagging “several flaws” in the online voting system for some municipal elections in 2022, leaving them “highly exposed to attack.”
— The Pointer tried to find out how St. Catherine’s mayor spends taxpayer dollars.
— They also ask Brampton when the long-awaited Peel Memorial Hospital will finally be unveiled.
— Amazon < Amazon rainforest: At a downtown Toronto protest last weekend, David Suzuki called on Prime Minister Mark Carney to set a new climate-friendly agenda.
— The Ford government wants to pass over judges when passing Bill 9, which seeks to outline how to remove elected officials for misconduct.
— The Star outlined Ford’s long-history with speed-camera legislation, from flirting to flipping on photo radars.
Got a sighting, a move or a promotion worth noting? Is your birthday coming up? Reach out.
— HBD to Carolyn Parrish, who is turning 79 today.
— Alvin Tedjo hosted a fundraising gala for Gaza with ISNA Canada on Monday night.
Seen: Tedjo, Mohamad Fakih, Natalie Hart, Sue McFadden, Joe Horneck, Charles Sousa, Fares Al Soud and more. Pictures.
— On Thursday, Stephen Dasko was at a groundbreaking ceremony for a Port Credit Active Transportation Bridge.
— The renovated Lisgar Fields Tennis Courts were unveiled at an event with Tennis Canada and National Bank.
— Natalie Hart hosted a Community Safety Town Hall with Peel Police at Frank McKechnie Community Centre.
— Mississauga has opened applications for the new Santa Claus Parade. Apply by October 15.
Editor's note: A previous version of this story stated that Kanji "worked" on Dipika Damerla's mayoral campaign. It was a volunteer position.
Thank you for reading The Peel Report. What do you think about the fireworks ban? I want to hear from you, and I’ll keep you anonymous. We’re back in your inbox on Monday.
Today’s newsletter was edited by Ahmad Elbayoumi. Have feedback? Send us an email.
Fireworks at City Hall — A looming fireworks ban in Mississauga, prompted by rising noise complaints, has been postponed yet again — this time by two weeks.
That didn’t quiet things down at City Hall on Wednesday.
Thunderous applause, cheers and some heckles erupted in the council chamber, as roughly 100 community members showed up to oppose the ban. With Diwali less than a month out, the proposal has many Hindu residents fuming — but they'll have to wait: Council won’t take a vote until Oct. 15.
“It’s a disservice to everyone here,” said Councillor Dipika Damerla, the loudest council critic of the proposed ban.
Councillors said Carolyn Parrish had moved earlier in the week to defer the long-awaited vote. At the start of Wednesday’s meeting, she explained that Deputy Mayor Matt Mahoney was mid-flight from a city business trip in Japan and couldn’t be there. According to Parrish, Mahoney wanted the deputations to go ahead but the final vote delayed until he was back.
Not all are buying it. The Hindu Canadian Foundation, whose representative opposed the “blanket ban” at the meeting, called the decision to defer a “a weak excuse,” motivated by a lack of supporting votes. (A spokesperson for Parrish, who the group is nicknaming the “Fireworks Queen” on X, declined to comment or elaborate on her decision.)
Damerla cast the sole dissenting vote on the deferral motion, and she didn’t mince her words on the ban. In her view, for the city to end a cultural practice without clear support from the community would be nothing short of “authoritarian.”
Later, Damerla told The Report that a ban, just as Diwali approaches, would amount to “cultural erasure” for the city’s large Hindu population.
A blanket ban — Current by-laws, last reviewed in May, restrict consumer use of fireworks to five designated holidays, including Diwali and the Lunar New Year, between designated hours. After residents complained that fireworks rules were being ignored, Parrish asked staff to come back with fixes.
“This is not about eliminating celebrations — it’s about creating safer practices,” said Georgios Fthenos, the Director of Enforcement, as he presented a recommendation for “a full prohibition on the sale, distribution, possession, and use of consumer fireworks,” as Brampton and Caledon have implemented.
Parrish, throughout the meeting, reiterated that she “failed to see how this was targeting a specific group,” and touted her past efforts to “bring back fireworks” to the city, organizing pyrotechnic shows at Celebration Square on Canada Day, for example.
Councillor Brad Butt, who opposes the ban, told The Report that noise complaints he receives coming from other sources are “way more” than those related to fireworks.
He supports continued enforcement of the restrictions in place, and educating the community on their proper use, rather than a full prohibition.
Aleem Kanji, representing the Canadian National Fireworks Association (CNFA), called the proposal a “reactionary measure not supported by public policy and empirical evidence.” In his deputation, he said the fireworks ban would be “akin to banning automated speed enforcement cameras and expecting safer roads.” (Recall: Kanji volunteered on Damerla’s last mayoral bid.)
Down to the wire — The ban could be sealed — or sunk — by only a few votes.
Councillor Joe Horneck told The Report that he “doesn’t see the groundswell of support” in the community for pursuing the ban, nor any full-throated endorsement for it at City Hall.
Erindale, his ward of around 78,000 residents, received 10 fireworks-related complaints in 2024, and 11 from January to September of this year, according to data he provided.
That’s less than one percent of all noise complaints in Horneck’s ward. It’s a metric that other councillors, more skeptical of the ban, shared in the meeting.
For his part, Horneck questioned whether the current restrictions, introduced in October 2023, could yield visible results now given staff’s years-long timeline.
Keep in mind: From May, the last time council considered changes to the fireworks by-law, new enforcement and community outreach plans were yet to be tested.
“If our staff say it will take several years for new policies to take effect, why are we talking about it after only four months?” Horneck asked.
— On Monday, Caledon hosted a Town Open House to discuss the Site Alteration by-law and answer questions from the community.
According to the town: “This by-law aims to regulate the placing/removal of fill, topsoil and grade alterations on land to protect drainage patterns, the environment and public safety. It outlines requirements for permits, public notice, enforcement and soil quality compliance under provincial laws.”
For the People: A proposal for a community advisory group on site alterations was welcomed by staff.
And: Some residents active in the Swan Lake saga tell The Report they were contacted by police ahead of the meeting. Three plainclothes officers were on standby. (The Mayor did not respond to a request for comment).
Meanwhile, coming up this weekend:
— Saturday at 10 a.m.: Brad Butt will be cutting the ribbon at a Credit Meadows Park expansion ceremony.
— Sunday at 1 p.m.: Alvin Tedjo will be at the Rattray Marsh Conservation Area 50th Anniversary.
— On Tuesday, all commemorated National Truth and Reconciliation Day.
— Patrick Brown hosted a flag-raising ceremony at Brampton City Hall with other councillors. On Wednesday, he swapped orange for green to celebrate Nigerian Independence Day with community members.
— Carolyn Parrish, in an orange blazer, spoke about Mississauga’s plans to honour Indigenous culture and history. On Wednesday, she praised Felo Kalada, a student who constructed a $60 replica of the Marilyn Monroe Towers.
— Annette Groves had Caledon’s Town Hall lit orange and held a flag-raising ceremony.
— Brown and Parrish have co-signed a letter “urging Premier Doug Ford not to implement a total ban on automated speed enforcement (ASE) cameras, proposing a compromise to keep them in school zones.” More here.
— Premier Doug Ford is distancing himself from the new conservative group, Project Ontario. “I’m not in favour of the radical left and the radical right,” he said.
— Meanwhile, ex-Ford aide-turned-MP Jamil Jivani endorsed the group, blasting Ford for turning the provincial Tories into “something hollow, unprincipled, something that doesn’t solve problems.”
— On Monday, the Indian ‘Bishnoi gang’ was declared a terrorist group. Patrick Brown approved of the crackdown. “[Local] law enforcement has been pleading for this help,” he told CBC.
— On Wednesday, Annette Groves announced that Caledon received nearly 380 acres of donated Greenbelt land from private landowners, to use for “parks, trails, and recreational purposes.”
— In Scarborough, Neethan Shan won the Rouge Park by-election with just under 27 per cent of the votes.
— “I don’t think you can call it public education if we don’t get a say.” Parents are speaking out after the Toronto District School Board canceled consultations on lottery-based admissions to special programs.
— New research is flagging “several flaws” in the online voting system for some municipal elections in 2022, leaving them “highly exposed to attack.”
— The Pointer tried to find out how St. Catherine’s mayor spends taxpayer dollars.
— They also ask Brampton when the long-awaited Peel Memorial Hospital will finally be unveiled.
— Amazon < Amazon rainforest: At a downtown Toronto protest last weekend, David Suzuki called on Prime Minister Mark Carney to set a new climate-friendly agenda.
— The Ford government wants to pass over judges when passing Bill 9, which seeks to outline how to remove elected officials for misconduct.
— The Star outlined Ford’s long-history with speed-camera legislation, from flirting to flipping on photo radars.
Got a sighting, a move or a promotion worth noting? Is your birthday coming up? Reach out.
— HBD to Carolyn Parrish, who is turning 79 today.
— Alvin Tedjo hosted a fundraising gala for Gaza with ISNA Canada on Monday night.
Seen: Tedjo, Mohamad Fakih, Natalie Hart, Sue McFadden, Joe Horneck, Charles Sousa, Fares Al Soud and more. Pictures.
— On Thursday, Stephen Dasko was at a groundbreaking ceremony for a Port Credit Active Transportation Bridge.
— The renovated Lisgar Fields Tennis Courts were unveiled at an event with Tennis Canada and National Bank.
— Natalie Hart hosted a Community Safety Town Hall with Peel Police at Frank McKechnie Community Centre.
— Mississauga has opened applications for the new Santa Claus Parade. Apply by October 15.
Editor's note: A previous version of this story stated that Kanji "worked" on Dipika Damerla's mayoral campaign. It was a volunteer position.
Thank you for reading The Peel Report. What do you think about the fireworks ban? I want to hear from you, and I’ll keep you anonymous. We’re back in your inbox on Monday.
Today’s newsletter was edited by Ahmad Elbayoumi. Have feedback? Send us an email.
Fireworks at City Hall — A looming fireworks ban in Mississauga, prompted by rising noise complaints, has been postponed yet again — this time by two weeks.
That didn’t quiet things down at City Hall on Wednesday.
Thunderous applause, cheers and some heckles erupted in the council chamber, as roughly 100 community members showed up to oppose the ban. With Diwali less than a month out, the proposal has many Hindu residents fuming — but they'll have to wait: Council won’t take a vote until Oct. 15.
“It’s a disservice to everyone here,” said Councillor Dipika Damerla, the loudest council critic of the proposed ban.
Councillors said Carolyn Parrish had moved earlier in the week to defer the long-awaited vote. At the start of Wednesday’s meeting, she explained that Deputy Mayor Matt Mahoney was mid-flight from a city business trip in Japan and couldn’t be there. According to Parrish, Mahoney wanted the deputations to go ahead but the final vote delayed until he was back.
Not all are buying it. The Hindu Canadian Foundation, whose representative opposed the “blanket ban” at the meeting, called the decision to defer a “a weak excuse,” motivated by a lack of supporting votes. (A spokesperson for Parrish, who the group is nicknaming the “Fireworks Queen” on X, declined to comment or elaborate on her decision.)
Damerla cast the sole dissenting vote on the deferral motion, and she didn’t mince her words on the ban. In her view, for the city to end a cultural practice without clear support from the community would be nothing short of “authoritarian.”
Later, Damerla told The Report that a ban, just as Diwali approaches, would amount to “cultural erasure” for the city’s large Hindu population.
A blanket ban — Current by-laws, last reviewed in May, restrict consumer use of fireworks to five designated holidays, including Diwali and the Lunar New Year, between designated hours. After residents complained that fireworks rules were being ignored, Parrish asked staff to come back with fixes.
“This is not about eliminating celebrations — it’s about creating safer practices,” said Georgios Fthenos, the Director of Enforcement, as he presented a recommendation for “a full prohibition on the sale, distribution, possession, and use of consumer fireworks,” as Brampton and Caledon have implemented.
Parrish, throughout the meeting, reiterated that she “failed to see how this was targeting a specific group,” and touted her past efforts to “bring back fireworks” to the city, organizing pyrotechnic shows at Celebration Square on Canada Day, for example.
Councillor Brad Butt, who opposes the ban, told The Report that noise complaints he receives coming from other sources are “way more” than those related to fireworks.
He supports continued enforcement of the restrictions in place, and educating the community on their proper use, rather than a full prohibition.
Aleem Kanji, representing the Canadian National Fireworks Association (CNFA), called the proposal a “reactionary measure not supported by public policy and empirical evidence.” In his deputation, he said the fireworks ban would be “akin to banning automated speed enforcement cameras and expecting safer roads.” (Recall: Kanji volunteered on Damerla’s last mayoral bid.)
Down to the wire — The ban could be sealed — or sunk — by only a few votes.
Councillor Joe Horneck told The Report that he “doesn’t see the groundswell of support” in the community for pursuing the ban, nor any full-throated endorsement for it at City Hall.
Erindale, his ward of around 78,000 residents, received 10 fireworks-related complaints in 2024, and 11 from January to September of this year, according to data he provided.
That’s less than one percent of all noise complaints in Horneck’s ward. It’s a metric that other councillors, more skeptical of the ban, shared in the meeting.
For his part, Horneck questioned whether the current restrictions, introduced in October 2023, could yield visible results now given staff’s years-long timeline.
Keep in mind: From May, the last time council considered changes to the fireworks by-law, new enforcement and community outreach plans were yet to be tested.
“If our staff say it will take several years for new policies to take effect, why are we talking about it after only four months?” Horneck asked.
— On Monday, Caledon hosted a Town Open House to discuss the Site Alteration by-law and answer questions from the community.
According to the town: “This by-law aims to regulate the placing/removal of fill, topsoil and grade alterations on land to protect drainage patterns, the environment and public safety. It outlines requirements for permits, public notice, enforcement and soil quality compliance under provincial laws.”
For the People: A proposal for a community advisory group on site alterations was welcomed by staff.
And: Some residents active in the Swan Lake saga tell The Report they were contacted by police ahead of the meeting. Three plainclothes officers were on standby. (The Mayor did not respond to a request for comment).
Meanwhile, coming up this weekend:
— Saturday at 10 a.m.: Brad Butt will be cutting the ribbon at a Credit Meadows Park expansion ceremony.
— Sunday at 1 p.m.: Alvin Tedjo will be at the Rattray Marsh Conservation Area 50th Anniversary.
— On Tuesday, all commemorated National Truth and Reconciliation Day.
— Patrick Brown hosted a flag-raising ceremony at Brampton City Hall with other councillors. On Wednesday, he swapped orange for green to celebrate Nigerian Independence Day with community members.
— Carolyn Parrish, in an orange blazer, spoke about Mississauga’s plans to honour Indigenous culture and history. On Wednesday, she praised Felo Kalada, a student who constructed a $60 replica of the Marilyn Monroe Towers.
— Annette Groves had Caledon’s Town Hall lit orange and held a flag-raising ceremony.
— Brown and Parrish have co-signed a letter “urging Premier Doug Ford not to implement a total ban on automated speed enforcement (ASE) cameras, proposing a compromise to keep them in school zones.” More here.
— Premier Doug Ford is distancing himself from the new conservative group, Project Ontario. “I’m not in favour of the radical left and the radical right,” he said.
— Meanwhile, ex-Ford aide-turned-MP Jamil Jivani endorsed the group, blasting Ford for turning the provincial Tories into “something hollow, unprincipled, something that doesn’t solve problems.”
— On Monday, the Indian ‘Bishnoi gang’ was declared a terrorist group. Patrick Brown approved of the crackdown. “[Local] law enforcement has been pleading for this help,” he told CBC.
— On Wednesday, Annette Groves announced that Caledon received nearly 380 acres of donated Greenbelt land from private landowners, to use for “parks, trails, and recreational purposes.”
— In Scarborough, Neethan Shan won the Rouge Park by-election with just under 27 per cent of the votes.
— “I don’t think you can call it public education if we don’t get a say.” Parents are speaking out after the Toronto District School Board canceled consultations on lottery-based admissions to special programs.
— New research is flagging “several flaws” in the online voting system for some municipal elections in 2022, leaving them “highly exposed to attack.”
— The Pointer tried to find out how St. Catherine’s mayor spends taxpayer dollars.
— They also ask Brampton when the long-awaited Peel Memorial Hospital will finally be unveiled.
— Amazon < Amazon rainforest: At a downtown Toronto protest last weekend, David Suzuki called on Prime Minister Mark Carney to set a new climate-friendly agenda.
— The Ford government wants to pass over judges when passing Bill 9, which seeks to outline how to remove elected officials for misconduct.
— The Star outlined Ford’s long-history with speed-camera legislation, from flirting to flipping on photo radars.
Got a sighting, a move or a promotion worth noting? Is your birthday coming up? Reach out.
— HBD to Carolyn Parrish, who is turning 79 today.
— Alvin Tedjo hosted a fundraising gala for Gaza with ISNA Canada on Monday night.
Seen: Tedjo, Mohamad Fakih, Natalie Hart, Sue McFadden, Joe Horneck, Charles Sousa, Fares Al Soud and more. Pictures.
— On Thursday, Stephen Dasko was at a groundbreaking ceremony for a Port Credit Active Transportation Bridge.
— The renovated Lisgar Fields Tennis Courts were unveiled at an event with Tennis Canada and National Bank.
— Natalie Hart hosted a Community Safety Town Hall with Peel Police at Frank McKechnie Community Centre.
— Mississauga has opened applications for the new Santa Claus Parade. Apply by October 15.
Editor's note: A previous version of this story stated that Kanji "worked" on Dipika Damerla's mayoral campaign. It was a volunteer position.
Thank you for reading The Peel Report. What do you think about the fireworks ban? I want to hear from you, and I’ll keep you anonymous. We’re back in your inbox on Monday.
Today’s newsletter was edited by Ahmad Elbayoumi. Have feedback? Send us an email.
Fireworks at City Hall — A looming fireworks ban in Mississauga, prompted by rising noise complaints, has been postponed yet again — this time by two weeks.
That didn’t quiet things down at City Hall on Wednesday.
Thunderous applause, cheers and some heckles erupted in the council chamber, as roughly 100 community members showed up to oppose the ban. With Diwali less than a month out, the proposal has many Hindu residents fuming — but they'll have to wait: Council won’t take a vote until Oct. 15.
“It’s a disservice to everyone here,” said Councillor Dipika Damerla, the loudest council critic of the proposed ban.
Councillors said Carolyn Parrish had moved earlier in the week to defer the long-awaited vote. At the start of Wednesday’s meeting, she explained that Deputy Mayor Matt Mahoney was mid-flight from a city business trip in Japan and couldn’t be there. According to Parrish, Mahoney wanted the deputations to go ahead but the final vote delayed until he was back.
Not all are buying it. The Hindu Canadian Foundation, whose representative opposed the “blanket ban” at the meeting, called the decision to defer a “a weak excuse,” motivated by a lack of supporting votes. (A spokesperson for Parrish, who the group is nicknaming the “Fireworks Queen” on X, declined to comment or elaborate on her decision.)
Damerla cast the sole dissenting vote on the deferral motion, and she didn’t mince her words on the ban. In her view, for the city to end a cultural practice without clear support from the community would be nothing short of “authoritarian.”
Later, Damerla told The Report that a ban, just as Diwali approaches, would amount to “cultural erasure” for the city’s large Hindu population.
A blanket ban — Current by-laws, last reviewed in May, restrict consumer use of fireworks to five designated holidays, including Diwali and the Lunar New Year, between designated hours. After residents complained that fireworks rules were being ignored, Parrish asked staff to come back with fixes.
“This is not about eliminating celebrations — it’s about creating safer practices,” said Georgios Fthenos, the Director of Enforcement, as he presented a recommendation for “a full prohibition on the sale, distribution, possession, and use of consumer fireworks,” as Brampton and Caledon have implemented.
Parrish, throughout the meeting, reiterated that she “failed to see how this was targeting a specific group,” and touted her past efforts to “bring back fireworks” to the city, organizing pyrotechnic shows at Celebration Square on Canada Day, for example.
Councillor Brad Butt, who opposes the ban, told The Report that noise complaints he receives coming from other sources are “way more” than those related to fireworks.
He supports continued enforcement of the restrictions in place, and educating the community on their proper use, rather than a full prohibition.
Aleem Kanji, representing the Canadian National Fireworks Association (CNFA), called the proposal a “reactionary measure not supported by public policy and empirical evidence.” In his deputation, he said the fireworks ban would be “akin to banning automated speed enforcement cameras and expecting safer roads.” (Recall: Kanji volunteered on Damerla’s last mayoral bid.)
Down to the wire — The ban could be sealed — or sunk — by only a few votes.
Councillor Joe Horneck told The Report that he “doesn’t see the groundswell of support” in the community for pursuing the ban, nor any full-throated endorsement for it at City Hall.
Erindale, his ward of around 78,000 residents, received 10 fireworks-related complaints in 2024, and 11 from January to September of this year, according to data he provided.
That’s less than one percent of all noise complaints in Horneck’s ward. It’s a metric that other councillors, more skeptical of the ban, shared in the meeting.
For his part, Horneck questioned whether the current restrictions, introduced in October 2023, could yield visible results now given staff’s years-long timeline.
Keep in mind: From May, the last time council considered changes to the fireworks by-law, new enforcement and community outreach plans were yet to be tested.
“If our staff say it will take several years for new policies to take effect, why are we talking about it after only four months?” Horneck asked.
— On Monday, Caledon hosted a Town Open House to discuss the Site Alteration by-law and answer questions from the community.
According to the town: “This by-law aims to regulate the placing/removal of fill, topsoil and grade alterations on land to protect drainage patterns, the environment and public safety. It outlines requirements for permits, public notice, enforcement and soil quality compliance under provincial laws.”
For the People: A proposal for a community advisory group on site alterations was welcomed by staff.
And: Some residents active in the Swan Lake saga tell The Report they were contacted by police ahead of the meeting. Three plainclothes officers were on standby. (The Mayor did not respond to a request for comment).
Meanwhile, coming up this weekend:
— Saturday at 10 a.m.: Brad Butt will be cutting the ribbon at a Credit Meadows Park expansion ceremony.
— Sunday at 1 p.m.: Alvin Tedjo will be at the Rattray Marsh Conservation Area 50th Anniversary.
— On Tuesday, all commemorated National Truth and Reconciliation Day.
— Patrick Brown hosted a flag-raising ceremony at Brampton City Hall with other councillors. On Wednesday, he swapped orange for green to celebrate Nigerian Independence Day with community members.
— Carolyn Parrish, in an orange blazer, spoke about Mississauga’s plans to honour Indigenous culture and history. On Wednesday, she praised Felo Kalada, a student who constructed a $60 replica of the Marilyn Monroe Towers.
— Annette Groves had Caledon’s Town Hall lit orange and held a flag-raising ceremony.
— Brown and Parrish have co-signed a letter “urging Premier Doug Ford not to implement a total ban on automated speed enforcement (ASE) cameras, proposing a compromise to keep them in school zones.” More here.
— Premier Doug Ford is distancing himself from the new conservative group, Project Ontario. “I’m not in favour of the radical left and the radical right,” he said.
— Meanwhile, ex-Ford aide-turned-MP Jamil Jivani endorsed the group, blasting Ford for turning the provincial Tories into “something hollow, unprincipled, something that doesn’t solve problems.”
— On Monday, the Indian ‘Bishnoi gang’ was declared a terrorist group. Patrick Brown approved of the crackdown. “[Local] law enforcement has been pleading for this help,” he told CBC.
— On Wednesday, Annette Groves announced that Caledon received nearly 380 acres of donated Greenbelt land from private landowners, to use for “parks, trails, and recreational purposes.”
— In Scarborough, Neethan Shan won the Rouge Park by-election with just under 27 per cent of the votes.
— “I don’t think you can call it public education if we don’t get a say.” Parents are speaking out after the Toronto District School Board canceled consultations on lottery-based admissions to special programs.
— New research is flagging “several flaws” in the online voting system for some municipal elections in 2022, leaving them “highly exposed to attack.”
— The Pointer tried to find out how St. Catherine’s mayor spends taxpayer dollars.
— They also ask Brampton when the long-awaited Peel Memorial Hospital will finally be unveiled.
— Amazon < Amazon rainforest: At a downtown Toronto protest last weekend, David Suzuki called on Prime Minister Mark Carney to set a new climate-friendly agenda.
— The Ford government wants to pass over judges when passing Bill 9, which seeks to outline how to remove elected officials for misconduct.
— The Star outlined Ford’s long-history with speed-camera legislation, from flirting to flipping on photo radars.
Got a sighting, a move or a promotion worth noting? Is your birthday coming up? Reach out.
— HBD to Carolyn Parrish, who is turning 79 today.
— Alvin Tedjo hosted a fundraising gala for Gaza with ISNA Canada on Monday night.
Seen: Tedjo, Mohamad Fakih, Natalie Hart, Sue McFadden, Joe Horneck, Charles Sousa, Fares Al Soud and more. Pictures.
— On Thursday, Stephen Dasko was at a groundbreaking ceremony for a Port Credit Active Transportation Bridge.
— The renovated Lisgar Fields Tennis Courts were unveiled at an event with Tennis Canada and National Bank.
— Natalie Hart hosted a Community Safety Town Hall with Peel Police at Frank McKechnie Community Centre.
— Mississauga has opened applications for the new Santa Claus Parade. Apply by October 15.
Editor's note: A previous version of this story stated that Kanji "worked" on Dipika Damerla's mayoral campaign. It was a volunteer position.
Thank you for reading The Peel Report. What do you think about the fireworks ban? I want to hear from you, and I’ll keep you anonymous. We’re back in your inbox on Monday.
Today’s newsletter was edited by Ahmad Elbayoumi. Have feedback? Send us an email.
Fireworks at City Hall — A looming fireworks ban in Mississauga, prompted by rising noise complaints, has been postponed yet again — this time by two weeks.
That didn’t quiet things down at City Hall on Wednesday.
Thunderous applause, cheers and some heckles erupted in the council chamber, as roughly 100 community members showed up to oppose the ban. With Diwali less than a month out, the proposal has many Hindu residents fuming — but they'll have to wait: Council won’t take a vote until Oct. 15.
“It’s a disservice to everyone here,” said Councillor Dipika Damerla, the loudest council critic of the proposed ban.
Councillors said Carolyn Parrish had moved earlier in the week to defer the long-awaited vote. At the start of Wednesday’s meeting, she explained that Deputy Mayor Matt Mahoney was mid-flight from a city business trip in Japan and couldn’t be there. According to Parrish, Mahoney wanted the deputations to go ahead but the final vote delayed until he was back.
Not all are buying it. The Hindu Canadian Foundation, whose representative opposed the “blanket ban” at the meeting, called the decision to defer a “a weak excuse,” motivated by a lack of supporting votes. (A spokesperson for Parrish, who the group is nicknaming the “Fireworks Queen” on X, declined to comment or elaborate on her decision.)
Damerla cast the sole dissenting vote on the deferral motion, and she didn’t mince her words on the ban. In her view, for the city to end a cultural practice without clear support from the community would be nothing short of “authoritarian.”
Later, Damerla told The Report that a ban, just as Diwali approaches, would amount to “cultural erasure” for the city’s large Hindu population.
A blanket ban — Current by-laws, last reviewed in May, restrict consumer use of fireworks to five designated holidays, including Diwali and the Lunar New Year, between designated hours. After residents complained that fireworks rules were being ignored, Parrish asked staff to come back with fixes.
“This is not about eliminating celebrations — it’s about creating safer practices,” said Georgios Fthenos, the Director of Enforcement, as he presented a recommendation for “a full prohibition on the sale, distribution, possession, and use of consumer fireworks,” as Brampton and Caledon have implemented.
Parrish, throughout the meeting, reiterated that she “failed to see how this was targeting a specific group,” and touted her past efforts to “bring back fireworks” to the city, organizing pyrotechnic shows at Celebration Square on Canada Day, for example.
Councillor Brad Butt, who opposes the ban, told The Report that noise complaints he receives coming from other sources are “way more” than those related to fireworks.
He supports continued enforcement of the restrictions in place, and educating the community on their proper use, rather than a full prohibition.
Aleem Kanji, representing the Canadian National Fireworks Association (CNFA), called the proposal a “reactionary measure not supported by public policy and empirical evidence.” In his deputation, he said the fireworks ban would be “akin to banning automated speed enforcement cameras and expecting safer roads.” (Recall: Kanji volunteered on Damerla’s last mayoral bid.)
Down to the wire — The ban could be sealed — or sunk — by only a few votes.
Councillor Joe Horneck told The Report that he “doesn’t see the groundswell of support” in the community for pursuing the ban, nor any full-throated endorsement for it at City Hall.
Erindale, his ward of around 78,000 residents, received 10 fireworks-related complaints in 2024, and 11 from January to September of this year, according to data he provided.
That’s less than one percent of all noise complaints in Horneck’s ward. It’s a metric that other councillors, more skeptical of the ban, shared in the meeting.
For his part, Horneck questioned whether the current restrictions, introduced in October 2023, could yield visible results now given staff’s years-long timeline.
Keep in mind: From May, the last time council considered changes to the fireworks by-law, new enforcement and community outreach plans were yet to be tested.
“If our staff say it will take several years for new policies to take effect, why are we talking about it after only four months?” Horneck asked.
— On Monday, Caledon hosted a Town Open House to discuss the Site Alteration by-law and answer questions from the community.
According to the town: “This by-law aims to regulate the placing/removal of fill, topsoil and grade alterations on land to protect drainage patterns, the environment and public safety. It outlines requirements for permits, public notice, enforcement and soil quality compliance under provincial laws.”
For the People: A proposal for a community advisory group on site alterations was welcomed by staff.
And: Some residents active in the Swan Lake saga tell The Report they were contacted by police ahead of the meeting. Three plainclothes officers were on standby. (The Mayor did not respond to a request for comment).
Meanwhile, coming up this weekend:
— Saturday at 10 a.m.: Brad Butt will be cutting the ribbon at a Credit Meadows Park expansion ceremony.
— Sunday at 1 p.m.: Alvin Tedjo will be at the Rattray Marsh Conservation Area 50th Anniversary.
— On Tuesday, all commemorated National Truth and Reconciliation Day.
— Patrick Brown hosted a flag-raising ceremony at Brampton City Hall with other councillors. On Wednesday, he swapped orange for green to celebrate Nigerian Independence Day with community members.
— Carolyn Parrish, in an orange blazer, spoke about Mississauga’s plans to honour Indigenous culture and history. On Wednesday, she praised Felo Kalada, a student who constructed a $60 replica of the Marilyn Monroe Towers.
— Annette Groves had Caledon’s Town Hall lit orange and held a flag-raising ceremony.
— Brown and Parrish have co-signed a letter “urging Premier Doug Ford not to implement a total ban on automated speed enforcement (ASE) cameras, proposing a compromise to keep them in school zones.” More here.
— Premier Doug Ford is distancing himself from the new conservative group, Project Ontario. “I’m not in favour of the radical left and the radical right,” he said.
— Meanwhile, ex-Ford aide-turned-MP Jamil Jivani endorsed the group, blasting Ford for turning the provincial Tories into “something hollow, unprincipled, something that doesn’t solve problems.”
— On Monday, the Indian ‘Bishnoi gang’ was declared a terrorist group. Patrick Brown approved of the crackdown. “[Local] law enforcement has been pleading for this help,” he told CBC.
— On Wednesday, Annette Groves announced that Caledon received nearly 380 acres of donated Greenbelt land from private landowners, to use for “parks, trails, and recreational purposes.”
— In Scarborough, Neethan Shan won the Rouge Park by-election with just under 27 per cent of the votes.
— “I don’t think you can call it public education if we don’t get a say.” Parents are speaking out after the Toronto District School Board canceled consultations on lottery-based admissions to special programs.
— New research is flagging “several flaws” in the online voting system for some municipal elections in 2022, leaving them “highly exposed to attack.”
— The Pointer tried to find out how St. Catherine’s mayor spends taxpayer dollars.
— They also ask Brampton when the long-awaited Peel Memorial Hospital will finally be unveiled.
— Amazon < Amazon rainforest: At a downtown Toronto protest last weekend, David Suzuki called on Prime Minister Mark Carney to set a new climate-friendly agenda.
— The Ford government wants to pass over judges when passing Bill 9, which seeks to outline how to remove elected officials for misconduct.
— The Star outlined Ford’s long-history with speed-camera legislation, from flirting to flipping on photo radars.
Got a sighting, a move or a promotion worth noting? Is your birthday coming up? Reach out.
— HBD to Carolyn Parrish, who is turning 79 today.
— Alvin Tedjo hosted a fundraising gala for Gaza with ISNA Canada on Monday night.
Seen: Tedjo, Mohamad Fakih, Natalie Hart, Sue McFadden, Joe Horneck, Charles Sousa, Fares Al Soud and more. Pictures.
— On Thursday, Stephen Dasko was at a groundbreaking ceremony for a Port Credit Active Transportation Bridge.
— The renovated Lisgar Fields Tennis Courts were unveiled at an event with Tennis Canada and National Bank.
— Natalie Hart hosted a Community Safety Town Hall with Peel Police at Frank McKechnie Community Centre.
— Mississauga has opened applications for the new Santa Claus Parade. Apply by October 15.
Editor's note: A previous version of this story stated that Kanji "worked" on Dipika Damerla's mayoral campaign. It was a volunteer position.
Thank you for reading The Peel Report. What do you think about the fireworks ban? I want to hear from you, and I’ll keep you anonymous. We’re back in your inbox on Monday.
Today’s newsletter was edited by Ahmad Elbayoumi. Have feedback? Send us an email.
Fireworks at City Hall — A looming fireworks ban in Mississauga, prompted by rising noise complaints, has been postponed yet again — this time by two weeks.
That didn’t quiet things down at City Hall on Wednesday.
Thunderous applause, cheers and some heckles erupted in the council chamber, as roughly 100 community members showed up to oppose the ban. With Diwali less than a month out, the proposal has many Hindu residents fuming — but they'll have to wait: Council won’t take a vote until Oct. 15.
“It’s a disservice to everyone here,” said Councillor Dipika Damerla, the loudest council critic of the proposed ban.
Councillors said Carolyn Parrish had moved earlier in the week to defer the long-awaited vote. At the start of Wednesday’s meeting, she explained that Deputy Mayor Matt Mahoney was mid-flight from a city business trip in Japan and couldn’t be there. According to Parrish, Mahoney wanted the deputations to go ahead but the final vote delayed until he was back.
Not all are buying it. The Hindu Canadian Foundation, whose representative opposed the “blanket ban” at the meeting, called the decision to defer a “a weak excuse,” motivated by a lack of supporting votes. (A spokesperson for Parrish, who the group is nicknaming the “Fireworks Queen” on X, declined to comment or elaborate on her decision.)
Damerla cast the sole dissenting vote on the deferral motion, and she didn’t mince her words on the ban. In her view, for the city to end a cultural practice without clear support from the community would be nothing short of “authoritarian.”
Later, Damerla told The Report that a ban, just as Diwali approaches, would amount to “cultural erasure” for the city’s large Hindu population.
A blanket ban — Current by-laws, last reviewed in May, restrict consumer use of fireworks to five designated holidays, including Diwali and the Lunar New Year, between designated hours. After residents complained that fireworks rules were being ignored, Parrish asked staff to come back with fixes.
“This is not about eliminating celebrations — it’s about creating safer practices,” said Georgios Fthenos, the Director of Enforcement, as he presented a recommendation for “a full prohibition on the sale, distribution, possession, and use of consumer fireworks,” as Brampton and Caledon have implemented.
Parrish, throughout the meeting, reiterated that she “failed to see how this was targeting a specific group,” and touted her past efforts to “bring back fireworks” to the city, organizing pyrotechnic shows at Celebration Square on Canada Day, for example.
Councillor Brad Butt, who opposes the ban, told The Report that noise complaints he receives coming from other sources are “way more” than those related to fireworks.
He supports continued enforcement of the restrictions in place, and educating the community on their proper use, rather than a full prohibition.
Aleem Kanji, representing the Canadian National Fireworks Association (CNFA), called the proposal a “reactionary measure not supported by public policy and empirical evidence.” In his deputation, he said the fireworks ban would be “akin to banning automated speed enforcement cameras and expecting safer roads.” (Recall: Kanji volunteered on Damerla’s last mayoral bid.)
Down to the wire — The ban could be sealed — or sunk — by only a few votes.
Councillor Joe Horneck told The Report that he “doesn’t see the groundswell of support” in the community for pursuing the ban, nor any full-throated endorsement for it at City Hall.
Erindale, his ward of around 78,000 residents, received 10 fireworks-related complaints in 2024, and 11 from January to September of this year, according to data he provided.
That’s less than one percent of all noise complaints in Horneck’s ward. It’s a metric that other councillors, more skeptical of the ban, shared in the meeting.
For his part, Horneck questioned whether the current restrictions, introduced in October 2023, could yield visible results now given staff’s years-long timeline.
Keep in mind: From May, the last time council considered changes to the fireworks by-law, new enforcement and community outreach plans were yet to be tested.
“If our staff say it will take several years for new policies to take effect, why are we talking about it after only four months?” Horneck asked.
— On Monday, Caledon hosted a Town Open House to discuss the Site Alteration by-law and answer questions from the community.
According to the town: “This by-law aims to regulate the placing/removal of fill, topsoil and grade alterations on land to protect drainage patterns, the environment and public safety. It outlines requirements for permits, public notice, enforcement and soil quality compliance under provincial laws.”
For the People: A proposal for a community advisory group on site alterations was welcomed by staff.
And: Some residents active in the Swan Lake saga tell The Report they were contacted by police ahead of the meeting. Three plainclothes officers were on standby. (The Mayor did not respond to a request for comment).
Meanwhile, coming up this weekend:
— Saturday at 10 a.m.: Brad Butt will be cutting the ribbon at a Credit Meadows Park expansion ceremony.
— Sunday at 1 p.m.: Alvin Tedjo will be at the Rattray Marsh Conservation Area 50th Anniversary.
— On Tuesday, all commemorated National Truth and Reconciliation Day.
— Patrick Brown hosted a flag-raising ceremony at Brampton City Hall with other councillors. On Wednesday, he swapped orange for green to celebrate Nigerian Independence Day with community members.
— Carolyn Parrish, in an orange blazer, spoke about Mississauga’s plans to honour Indigenous culture and history. On Wednesday, she praised Felo Kalada, a student who constructed a $60 replica of the Marilyn Monroe Towers.
— Annette Groves had Caledon’s Town Hall lit orange and held a flag-raising ceremony.
— Brown and Parrish have co-signed a letter “urging Premier Doug Ford not to implement a total ban on automated speed enforcement (ASE) cameras, proposing a compromise to keep them in school zones.” More here.
— Premier Doug Ford is distancing himself from the new conservative group, Project Ontario. “I’m not in favour of the radical left and the radical right,” he said.
— Meanwhile, ex-Ford aide-turned-MP Jamil Jivani endorsed the group, blasting Ford for turning the provincial Tories into “something hollow, unprincipled, something that doesn’t solve problems.”
— On Monday, the Indian ‘Bishnoi gang’ was declared a terrorist group. Patrick Brown approved of the crackdown. “[Local] law enforcement has been pleading for this help,” he told CBC.
— On Wednesday, Annette Groves announced that Caledon received nearly 380 acres of donated Greenbelt land from private landowners, to use for “parks, trails, and recreational purposes.”
— In Scarborough, Neethan Shan won the Rouge Park by-election with just under 27 per cent of the votes.
— “I don’t think you can call it public education if we don’t get a say.” Parents are speaking out after the Toronto District School Board canceled consultations on lottery-based admissions to special programs.
— New research is flagging “several flaws” in the online voting system for some municipal elections in 2022, leaving them “highly exposed to attack.”
— The Pointer tried to find out how St. Catherine’s mayor spends taxpayer dollars.
— They also ask Brampton when the long-awaited Peel Memorial Hospital will finally be unveiled.
— Amazon < Amazon rainforest: At a downtown Toronto protest last weekend, David Suzuki called on Prime Minister Mark Carney to set a new climate-friendly agenda.
— The Ford government wants to pass over judges when passing Bill 9, which seeks to outline how to remove elected officials for misconduct.
— The Star outlined Ford’s long-history with speed-camera legislation, from flirting to flipping on photo radars.
Got a sighting, a move or a promotion worth noting? Is your birthday coming up? Reach out.
— HBD to Carolyn Parrish, who is turning 79 today.
— Alvin Tedjo hosted a fundraising gala for Gaza with ISNA Canada on Monday night.
Seen: Tedjo, Mohamad Fakih, Natalie Hart, Sue McFadden, Joe Horneck, Charles Sousa, Fares Al Soud and more. Pictures.
— On Thursday, Stephen Dasko was at a groundbreaking ceremony for a Port Credit Active Transportation Bridge.
— The renovated Lisgar Fields Tennis Courts were unveiled at an event with Tennis Canada and National Bank.
— Natalie Hart hosted a Community Safety Town Hall with Peel Police at Frank McKechnie Community Centre.
— Mississauga has opened applications for the new Santa Claus Parade. Apply by October 15.
Editor's note: A previous version of this story stated that Kanji "worked" on Dipika Damerla's mayoral campaign. It was a volunteer position.
Thank you for reading The Peel Report. What do you think about the fireworks ban? I want to hear from you, and I’ll keep you anonymous. We’re back in your inbox on Monday.
Today’s newsletter was edited by Ahmad Elbayoumi. Have feedback? Send us an email.
Fireworks at City Hall — A looming fireworks ban in Mississauga, prompted by rising noise complaints, has been postponed yet again — this time by two weeks.
That didn’t quiet things down at City Hall on Wednesday.
Thunderous applause, cheers and some heckles erupted in the council chamber, as roughly 100 community members showed up to oppose the ban. With Diwali less than a month out, the proposal has many Hindu residents fuming — but they'll have to wait: Council won’t take a vote until Oct. 15.
“It’s a disservice to everyone here,” said Councillor Dipika Damerla, the loudest council critic of the proposed ban.
Councillors said Carolyn Parrish had moved earlier in the week to defer the long-awaited vote. At the start of Wednesday’s meeting, she explained that Deputy Mayor Matt Mahoney was mid-flight from a city business trip in Japan and couldn’t be there. According to Parrish, Mahoney wanted the deputations to go ahead but the final vote delayed until he was back.
Not all are buying it. The Hindu Canadian Foundation, whose representative opposed the “blanket ban” at the meeting, called the decision to defer a “a weak excuse,” motivated by a lack of supporting votes. (A spokesperson for Parrish, who the group is nicknaming the “Fireworks Queen” on X, declined to comment or elaborate on her decision.)
Damerla cast the sole dissenting vote on the deferral motion, and she didn’t mince her words on the ban. In her view, for the city to end a cultural practice without clear support from the community would be nothing short of “authoritarian.”
Later, Damerla told The Report that a ban, just as Diwali approaches, would amount to “cultural erasure” for the city’s large Hindu population.
A blanket ban — Current by-laws, last reviewed in May, restrict consumer use of fireworks to five designated holidays, including Diwali and the Lunar New Year, between designated hours. After residents complained that fireworks rules were being ignored, Parrish asked staff to come back with fixes.
“This is not about eliminating celebrations — it’s about creating safer practices,” said Georgios Fthenos, the Director of Enforcement, as he presented a recommendation for “a full prohibition on the sale, distribution, possession, and use of consumer fireworks,” as Brampton and Caledon have implemented.
Parrish, throughout the meeting, reiterated that she “failed to see how this was targeting a specific group,” and touted her past efforts to “bring back fireworks” to the city, organizing pyrotechnic shows at Celebration Square on Canada Day, for example.
Councillor Brad Butt, who opposes the ban, told The Report that noise complaints he receives coming from other sources are “way more” than those related to fireworks.
He supports continued enforcement of the restrictions in place, and educating the community on their proper use, rather than a full prohibition.
Aleem Kanji, representing the Canadian National Fireworks Association (CNFA), called the proposal a “reactionary measure not supported by public policy and empirical evidence.” In his deputation, he said the fireworks ban would be “akin to banning automated speed enforcement cameras and expecting safer roads.” (Recall: Kanji volunteered on Damerla’s last mayoral bid.)
Down to the wire — The ban could be sealed — or sunk — by only a few votes.
Councillor Joe Horneck told The Report that he “doesn’t see the groundswell of support” in the community for pursuing the ban, nor any full-throated endorsement for it at City Hall.
Erindale, his ward of around 78,000 residents, received 10 fireworks-related complaints in 2024, and 11 from January to September of this year, according to data he provided.
That’s less than one percent of all noise complaints in Horneck’s ward. It’s a metric that other councillors, more skeptical of the ban, shared in the meeting.
For his part, Horneck questioned whether the current restrictions, introduced in October 2023, could yield visible results now given staff’s years-long timeline.
Keep in mind: From May, the last time council considered changes to the fireworks by-law, new enforcement and community outreach plans were yet to be tested.
“If our staff say it will take several years for new policies to take effect, why are we talking about it after only four months?” Horneck asked.
— On Monday, Caledon hosted a Town Open House to discuss the Site Alteration by-law and answer questions from the community.
According to the town: “This by-law aims to regulate the placing/removal of fill, topsoil and grade alterations on land to protect drainage patterns, the environment and public safety. It outlines requirements for permits, public notice, enforcement and soil quality compliance under provincial laws.”
For the People: A proposal for a community advisory group on site alterations was welcomed by staff.
And: Some residents active in the Swan Lake saga tell The Report they were contacted by police ahead of the meeting. Three plainclothes officers were on standby. (The Mayor did not respond to a request for comment).
Meanwhile, coming up this weekend:
— Saturday at 10 a.m.: Brad Butt will be cutting the ribbon at a Credit Meadows Park expansion ceremony.
— Sunday at 1 p.m.: Alvin Tedjo will be at the Rattray Marsh Conservation Area 50th Anniversary.
— On Tuesday, all commemorated National Truth and Reconciliation Day.
— Patrick Brown hosted a flag-raising ceremony at Brampton City Hall with other councillors. On Wednesday, he swapped orange for green to celebrate Nigerian Independence Day with community members.
— Carolyn Parrish, in an orange blazer, spoke about Mississauga’s plans to honour Indigenous culture and history. On Wednesday, she praised Felo Kalada, a student who constructed a $60 replica of the Marilyn Monroe Towers.
— Annette Groves had Caledon’s Town Hall lit orange and held a flag-raising ceremony.
— Brown and Parrish have co-signed a letter “urging Premier Doug Ford not to implement a total ban on automated speed enforcement (ASE) cameras, proposing a compromise to keep them in school zones.” More here.
— Premier Doug Ford is distancing himself from the new conservative group, Project Ontario. “I’m not in favour of the radical left and the radical right,” he said.
— Meanwhile, ex-Ford aide-turned-MP Jamil Jivani endorsed the group, blasting Ford for turning the provincial Tories into “something hollow, unprincipled, something that doesn’t solve problems.”
— On Monday, the Indian ‘Bishnoi gang’ was declared a terrorist group. Patrick Brown approved of the crackdown. “[Local] law enforcement has been pleading for this help,” he told CBC.
— On Wednesday, Annette Groves announced that Caledon received nearly 380 acres of donated Greenbelt land from private landowners, to use for “parks, trails, and recreational purposes.”
— In Scarborough, Neethan Shan won the Rouge Park by-election with just under 27 per cent of the votes.
— “I don’t think you can call it public education if we don’t get a say.” Parents are speaking out after the Toronto District School Board canceled consultations on lottery-based admissions to special programs.
— New research is flagging “several flaws” in the online voting system for some municipal elections in 2022, leaving them “highly exposed to attack.”
— The Pointer tried to find out how St. Catherine’s mayor spends taxpayer dollars.
— They also ask Brampton when the long-awaited Peel Memorial Hospital will finally be unveiled.
— Amazon < Amazon rainforest: At a downtown Toronto protest last weekend, David Suzuki called on Prime Minister Mark Carney to set a new climate-friendly agenda.
— The Ford government wants to pass over judges when passing Bill 9, which seeks to outline how to remove elected officials for misconduct.
— The Star outlined Ford’s long-history with speed-camera legislation, from flirting to flipping on photo radars.
Got a sighting, a move or a promotion worth noting? Is your birthday coming up? Reach out.
— HBD to Carolyn Parrish, who is turning 79 today.
— Alvin Tedjo hosted a fundraising gala for Gaza with ISNA Canada on Monday night.
Seen: Tedjo, Mohamad Fakih, Natalie Hart, Sue McFadden, Joe Horneck, Charles Sousa, Fares Al Soud and more. Pictures.
— On Thursday, Stephen Dasko was at a groundbreaking ceremony for a Port Credit Active Transportation Bridge.
— The renovated Lisgar Fields Tennis Courts were unveiled at an event with Tennis Canada and National Bank.
— Natalie Hart hosted a Community Safety Town Hall with Peel Police at Frank McKechnie Community Centre.
— Mississauga has opened applications for the new Santa Claus Parade. Apply by October 15.
Editor's note: A previous version of this story stated that Kanji "worked" on Dipika Damerla's mayoral campaign. It was a volunteer position.
Thank you for reading The Peel Report. What do you think about the fireworks ban? I want to hear from you, and I’ll keep you anonymous. We’re back in your inbox on Monday.
Today’s newsletter was edited by Ahmad Elbayoumi. Have feedback? Send us an email.
Fireworks at City Hall — A looming fireworks ban in Mississauga, prompted by rising noise complaints, has been postponed yet again — this time by two weeks.
That didn’t quiet things down at City Hall on Wednesday.
Thunderous applause, cheers and some heckles erupted in the council chamber, as roughly 100 community members showed up to oppose the ban. With Diwali less than a month out, the proposal has many Hindu residents fuming — but they'll have to wait: Council won’t take a vote until Oct. 15.
“It’s a disservice to everyone here,” said Councillor Dipika Damerla, the loudest council critic of the proposed ban.
Councillors said Carolyn Parrish had moved earlier in the week to defer the long-awaited vote. At the start of Wednesday’s meeting, she explained that Deputy Mayor Matt Mahoney was mid-flight from a city business trip in Japan and couldn’t be there. According to Parrish, Mahoney wanted the deputations to go ahead but the final vote delayed until he was back.
Not all are buying it. The Hindu Canadian Foundation, whose representative opposed the “blanket ban” at the meeting, called the decision to defer a “a weak excuse,” motivated by a lack of supporting votes. (A spokesperson for Parrish, who the group is nicknaming the “Fireworks Queen” on X, declined to comment or elaborate on her decision.)
Damerla cast the sole dissenting vote on the deferral motion, and she didn’t mince her words on the ban. In her view, for the city to end a cultural practice without clear support from the community would be nothing short of “authoritarian.”
Later, Damerla told The Report that a ban, just as Diwali approaches, would amount to “cultural erasure” for the city’s large Hindu population.
A blanket ban — Current by-laws, last reviewed in May, restrict consumer use of fireworks to five designated holidays, including Diwali and the Lunar New Year, between designated hours. After residents complained that fireworks rules were being ignored, Parrish asked staff to come back with fixes.
“This is not about eliminating celebrations — it’s about creating safer practices,” said Georgios Fthenos, the Director of Enforcement, as he presented a recommendation for “a full prohibition on the sale, distribution, possession, and use of consumer fireworks,” as Brampton and Caledon have implemented.
Parrish, throughout the meeting, reiterated that she “failed to see how this was targeting a specific group,” and touted her past efforts to “bring back fireworks” to the city, organizing pyrotechnic shows at Celebration Square on Canada Day, for example.
Councillor Brad Butt, who opposes the ban, told The Report that noise complaints he receives coming from other sources are “way more” than those related to fireworks.
He supports continued enforcement of the restrictions in place, and educating the community on their proper use, rather than a full prohibition.
Aleem Kanji, representing the Canadian National Fireworks Association (CNFA), called the proposal a “reactionary measure not supported by public policy and empirical evidence.” In his deputation, he said the fireworks ban would be “akin to banning automated speed enforcement cameras and expecting safer roads.” (Recall: Kanji volunteered on Damerla’s last mayoral bid.)
Down to the wire — The ban could be sealed — or sunk — by only a few votes.
Councillor Joe Horneck told The Report that he “doesn’t see the groundswell of support” in the community for pursuing the ban, nor any full-throated endorsement for it at City Hall.
Erindale, his ward of around 78,000 residents, received 10 fireworks-related complaints in 2024, and 11 from January to September of this year, according to data he provided.
That’s less than one percent of all noise complaints in Horneck’s ward. It’s a metric that other councillors, more skeptical of the ban, shared in the meeting.
For his part, Horneck questioned whether the current restrictions, introduced in October 2023, could yield visible results now given staff’s years-long timeline.
Keep in mind: From May, the last time council considered changes to the fireworks by-law, new enforcement and community outreach plans were yet to be tested.
“If our staff say it will take several years for new policies to take effect, why are we talking about it after only four months?” Horneck asked.
— On Monday, Caledon hosted a Town Open House to discuss the Site Alteration by-law and answer questions from the community.
According to the town: “This by-law aims to regulate the placing/removal of fill, topsoil and grade alterations on land to protect drainage patterns, the environment and public safety. It outlines requirements for permits, public notice, enforcement and soil quality compliance under provincial laws.”
For the People: A proposal for a community advisory group on site alterations was welcomed by staff.
And: Some residents active in the Swan Lake saga tell The Report they were contacted by police ahead of the meeting. Three plainclothes officers were on standby. (The Mayor did not respond to a request for comment).
Meanwhile, coming up this weekend:
— Saturday at 10 a.m.: Brad Butt will be cutting the ribbon at a Credit Meadows Park expansion ceremony.
— Sunday at 1 p.m.: Alvin Tedjo will be at the Rattray Marsh Conservation Area 50th Anniversary.
— On Tuesday, all commemorated National Truth and Reconciliation Day.
— Patrick Brown hosted a flag-raising ceremony at Brampton City Hall with other councillors. On Wednesday, he swapped orange for green to celebrate Nigerian Independence Day with community members.
— Carolyn Parrish, in an orange blazer, spoke about Mississauga’s plans to honour Indigenous culture and history. On Wednesday, she praised Felo Kalada, a student who constructed a $60 replica of the Marilyn Monroe Towers.
— Annette Groves had Caledon’s Town Hall lit orange and held a flag-raising ceremony.
— Brown and Parrish have co-signed a letter “urging Premier Doug Ford not to implement a total ban on automated speed enforcement (ASE) cameras, proposing a compromise to keep them in school zones.” More here.
— Premier Doug Ford is distancing himself from the new conservative group, Project Ontario. “I’m not in favour of the radical left and the radical right,” he said.
— Meanwhile, ex-Ford aide-turned-MP Jamil Jivani endorsed the group, blasting Ford for turning the provincial Tories into “something hollow, unprincipled, something that doesn’t solve problems.”
— On Monday, the Indian ‘Bishnoi gang’ was declared a terrorist group. Patrick Brown approved of the crackdown. “[Local] law enforcement has been pleading for this help,” he told CBC.
— On Wednesday, Annette Groves announced that Caledon received nearly 380 acres of donated Greenbelt land from private landowners, to use for “parks, trails, and recreational purposes.”
— In Scarborough, Neethan Shan won the Rouge Park by-election with just under 27 per cent of the votes.
— “I don’t think you can call it public education if we don’t get a say.” Parents are speaking out after the Toronto District School Board canceled consultations on lottery-based admissions to special programs.
— New research is flagging “several flaws” in the online voting system for some municipal elections in 2022, leaving them “highly exposed to attack.”
— The Pointer tried to find out how St. Catherine’s mayor spends taxpayer dollars.
— They also ask Brampton when the long-awaited Peel Memorial Hospital will finally be unveiled.
— Amazon < Amazon rainforest: At a downtown Toronto protest last weekend, David Suzuki called on Prime Minister Mark Carney to set a new climate-friendly agenda.
— The Ford government wants to pass over judges when passing Bill 9, which seeks to outline how to remove elected officials for misconduct.
— The Star outlined Ford’s long-history with speed-camera legislation, from flirting to flipping on photo radars.
Got a sighting, a move or a promotion worth noting? Is your birthday coming up? Reach out.
— HBD to Carolyn Parrish, who is turning 79 today.
— Alvin Tedjo hosted a fundraising gala for Gaza with ISNA Canada on Monday night.
Seen: Tedjo, Mohamad Fakih, Natalie Hart, Sue McFadden, Joe Horneck, Charles Sousa, Fares Al Soud and more. Pictures.
— On Thursday, Stephen Dasko was at a groundbreaking ceremony for a Port Credit Active Transportation Bridge.
— The renovated Lisgar Fields Tennis Courts were unveiled at an event with Tennis Canada and National Bank.
— Natalie Hart hosted a Community Safety Town Hall with Peel Police at Frank McKechnie Community Centre.
— Mississauga has opened applications for the new Santa Claus Parade. Apply by October 15.
Editor's note: A previous version of this story stated that Kanji "worked" on Dipika Damerla's mayoral campaign. It was a volunteer position.
Thank you for reading The Peel Report. What do you think about the fireworks ban? I want to hear from you, and I’ll keep you anonymous. We’re back in your inbox on Monday.
Today’s newsletter was edited by Ahmad Elbayoumi. Have feedback? Send us an email.