As Edmontonians gear up for Canada Day celebrations, so are the officials who help the day run smoothly and safely.
The fireworks display is expected to draw thousands to different viewing areas around the river valley Monday evening, something the Edmonton Police Service is ramping up patrols for.
On top of regular operations, the service will be adding more staff to support events across the city, including spots at the Alberta Legislature, Whyte Avenue as well as the James MacDonald Bridge.
Police are also urging people to grab spots early and to practice patience while leaving.
“We want people to arrive early and be patient, very patient when you are leaving the area after the fireworks there will be thousands trying to get back to public transportation or their own vehicles,” said Inspector Keith Johnson.
When it comes to cannabis and alcohol consumption as part of the celebrations, Johnson added it’s best to leave it at home.
“As far as alcohol and cannabis goes we would deal with that as we would today, we just want people to behave responsibly and everyone has a fun event.”
Edmonton Fire Rescue Services will also be in attendance to ensure the event runs without a hitch, but will also be on the lookout for private fireworks shows.
“If anyone has fireworks they are going to set off in their own yard, that they have a minimum of 10 meters of clearance, so 320 meters of cleared space or whatever it says on the fireworks they are going to shoot off. And at the end of the day we want everyone to have fun and have a safe day,” said Dwayne Pringle, Assistant Fire Marshal for Edmonton Fire Rescue Services.
Pringle added that anyone firing off fireworks illegally will be fined as well as those who do have a permit but aren’t following safety procedures.
The fireworks celebrations themselves are one of the largest traditional firework shows in all of Canada and are set to go on rain or shine, but winds could be an issue.
“The legal limit is 40 kilometres an hour but that's not a hard line,” said Brad Dezotell of Fireworks Spectacular.” And it's not the wind speed they advertise online because that could be at the international airport, it's what the wind speed is locally onsite.”
No matter the weather, Dezotell hopes the show won’t disappoint.
“I hope everyone will come down and enjoy it.”
With files from Joey Slattery
