{"id":13619,"date":"2026-01-15T14:09:20","date_gmt":"2026-01-15T22:09:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nationalfireworks.ca\/?p=13619"},"modified":"2026-01-19T13:30:52","modified_gmt":"2026-01-19T21:30:52","slug":"on-the-air-aleem-kanji-breaks-down-waterloos-confusing-fireworks-bylaw","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nationalfireworks.ca\/pa\/on-the-air-aleem-kanji-breaks-down-waterloos-confusing-fireworks-bylaw\/","title":{"rendered":"On the Air: Aleem Kanji Breaks Down Waterloo\u2019s Confusing Fireworks Bylaw"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t buy fireworks\u2026 but you can still buy fireworks.\u201d<\/span><\/h2>\n

That single sentence pretty much sums up the confusion surrounding Waterloo\u2019s updated fireworks bylaw, and it\u2019s exactly why Canadian National Fireworks Association Chief Advocacy Officer Aleem Kanji joined The Mike Farwell Show on 570 NewsRadio to talk it through.<\/span><\/p>\n

In a lively, no-nonsense conversation, Aleem explains how the City of Waterloo has prohibited the <\/span>local sale<\/b> of fireworks by local retailers, while still allowing residents to legally purchase fireworks online or in neighbouring municipalities, and then bring them back and use them within city limits. Yes, really.<\/span><\/p>\n

The result? A bylaw that manages to shut out local businesses in a time when \u201cbuy local\u201d is a national talking point, without actually stopping fireworks from being sold.<\/span><\/p>\n

During the interview, Aleem walks listeners through why this kind of sales-only ban creates more questions than answers, from public confusion and enforcement headaches to the loss of on-the-ground safety education that happens at local points of sale. He also touches on the unintended ripple effects, including pushing purchases out of the community and opening the door to unregulated or underground sellers.<\/span><\/p>\n

The conversation zooms out to the bigger picture too. Over 95% Ontario municipalities continue to allow the regulated sale and use of fireworks, recognizing that clear rules, education, and common-sense enforcement tend to work better than policies that look tough on paper but fall apart in practice.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve heard people say \u201cfireworks are banned in Waterloo\u201d and wondered why that doesn\u2019t quite line up with reality, this interview is worth your time.<\/span><\/p>\n

A preview of Cambridge’s forthcoming by-law, coming forward later in the first quarter of 2026, was also provided in the interview.<\/p>\n

Listen to the full conversation on 570 NewsRadio and hear Aleem unpack one of the most confusing bylaw changes you\u2019ll hear this year.<\/b><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cYou can\u2019t buy fireworks\u2026 but you can still buy fireworks.\u201d That single sentence pretty much sums up the confusion surrounding Waterloo\u2019s updated fireworks bylaw, and it\u2019s exactly why Canadian National Fireworks Association Chief Advocacy Officer Aleem Kanji joined The Mike Farwell Show on 570 NewsRadio to talk it through. In a lively, no-nonsense conversation, Aleem […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4216,"featured_media":13621,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"link","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[77],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13619","post","type-post","status-publish","format-link","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-in-the-news","post_format-post-format-link"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nationalfireworks.ca\/pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13619","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nationalfireworks.ca\/pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nationalfireworks.ca\/pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nationalfireworks.ca\/pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4216"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nationalfireworks.ca\/pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13619"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nationalfireworks.ca\/pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13619\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nationalfireworks.ca\/pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13621"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nationalfireworks.ca\/pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13619"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nationalfireworks.ca\/pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13619"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nationalfireworks.ca\/pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13619"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}