BURST
Fireworks will erupt over English Bay again this summer, after Vancouver council voted on Wednesday to spend up to $2 million for a one-day fireworks event .
Fireworks erupted in council as well, as opposition councillors questioned spending so much money while the city is slashing its workforce.
Mayor Ken Sim and his ABC majority defended the fireworks as a cherished annual festival, and one of the biggest cultural events in the province.
ABC councillor Sarah Kirby-Yung said people should know the city is fighting for some “of our beloved Vancouver traditions ” and “not quietly letting them slip away.”
The decision comes less than three months after Vancouver’s annual Honda Celebration of Light fireworks festival fizzled out due to rising costs and dwindling government and private funding.
Sim introduced the motion for a one-day fireworks display, announcing it on social media the day before it came before council. He hopes it will lead to a resurrection of the Celebration of Light next year.
Sim said the loss of the fireworks was a “deeply personal” issue, noting his family had “struggled financially” when he was young and had really looked forward to free events like the fireworks .
Councillor Peter Meiszner talked about how he would take the ferry from Vancouver Island as a kid to watch the fireworks with his family.
Green councillor Pete Fry acknowledged that while it’s been a beloved event for three decades, times have changed.
“The reality is that it was a business model that was not sustainable,” said Fry, who recently announced he’s running for mayor this fall.
“They couldn’t make it work, for a variety of reasons, including the lack of federal funding. We need to recognize that we are in this austerity budget. … We’re talking about the allocation of $2 million at a time when this city has talked about a zero means zero austerity budget.”
Fry added that due to the city’s austerity budget, it is “letting go hundreds of city staff, the people who help make this place a great place to live, work and play.” He said “there are other events in this city that are struggling and could use that funding support.”
He also questioned why there were few details in Sim’s fireworks proposal.
“There is no business plan here,” said Fry.
Michael McKnight of the Vancouver Fireworks Festival Society released a statement about the possible resurrection of the fireworks, but it was also scant on details.
“The Vancouver Fireworks Festival Society is watching with interest as the City of Vancouver moves forward with plans for a one-night fireworks celebration this August,” said McKnight.
“Fireworks have long played an important role in Vancouver’s cultural life and summer events calendar — and we welcome any opportunity for dialogue and the sharing of expertise, as planning advances toward a safe, successful, and memorable community celebration.”
After the council meeting Sim was asked why the city didn’t announce it would step in to stage the fireworks when the Celebration of Light folded in November.
“We’ve been in conversations going way back,” Sim replied. “I can’t disclose what happened in those conversations, (but) there’s always a lot of back and forth (as to) what makes the most sense.”
Sim said the city had “never pulled our support” from the fireworks, and had “already committed $1.4 million to the event” before it went to council Wednesday. So to Sim, the increase in the fireworks budget was $600,000, not $2 million.
The last Honda Celebration of Light in 2025 had a $3 million budget for three nights in July. The event started off as the Symphony of Fire in 1992.