After having a conversation with some colleagues, I was reminded of what this city is truly missing.
Twenty years ago, my parents moved my family into a new development. It was a lovely little neighbourhood with tons of young families, and lots of kids for my sister and I to get to know.
It was an awesome place to grow up.
Everybody knew everybody. Even the retirees living around the corner knew all the children by name.
At the end of the summer, we’d have a huge block party where the dads would pull their barbeques into the cul-d-sac and we’d party late into the night.
On Canada Day and Halloween we would canvass the neighbourhood, collecting money for fireworks that adults set off in the cul-d-sac.
The kids would all sit out on the front lawns of the houses adjacent, and one of the houses would usually open their garage and serve cookies, hot chocolate and coffee.
This was the way we did things then. It was magical. As a child, there is seldom anything that captures the imagination quite like a beautiful fireworks display.
When our city decided to ban fireworks, our little neighbourhood lost something.
Our city took away a connection – a celebration.
It angers me that because of one person’s experience with fireworks out on Halloween night, we as a city have to suffer.
I am still sad that in order to see fireworks we either have to sit through our city’s pathetic display (it is getting better every year) or we have to drive to another city where we can see it.
This defeats the whole purpose of community and togetherness that our and I am sure many other neighbourhoods seek to maintain.
The atmosphere in our subdivision has not been the same since.
It really was a special thing for us.
I miss it, and I wish that city council would revisit this issue, and find another way for our community to celebrate this fun time of the year.
Aynsley Livingstone