Sky lanterns or flying lanterns, as they are also commonly called, are expected to be the subject of discussion at Huntsville’s Operations and Protective Services Committee.
The issue was raised by Councillor Tim Withey at Huntsville Council’s August 26, 2019 meeting held in Port Sydney. Withey said he’d been approached by a Port Sydney resident a couple of times regarding the danger posed by the lanterns.
“He’s contacted me because people are lighting off those lanterns, those floating lanterns that actually have fire underneath them and they float away,” said Withey. “I mean he’s actually had them landing on his roof. So they’re quite dangerous, like really dangerous, they can light the forest on fire.”
The lanterns have been banned in places like Kawartha Lakes, Windsor, and Ottawa. Could Huntsville be next?
The issue was forwarded to the committee for further discussion.
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Bette Roberts
We have purchased these for our granddaughter, but we tied the lantern to a fishing pole so you can control where the lantern goes and when done you can reel the residue back and get rid of the garbage properly and doesn’t have to be on someone else’s property. Really doesn’t take much to respect other people !
Barb
If you are who I think you are. Give me a phone call. You will know how to do this.
I know it all sounds like James Bond but give it a try some evening.
Well said, Brian. And great suggestion to confine their use to the winter months at the very least. Too dangerous in the summer and fall.
These things are an accident waiting to happen and, unlike a lot of fireworks that are more traditional and can actually be used quite safely, these things cannot. (unless you live in a dessert where nothing can burn!)
For most of Canada, these things should simply be outlawed and eliminated.
I think most of them are imported so we should put the good old Border Security folks to work and just not allow them into the country in the first place.
No need to ban the more traditional fireworks, just set them off with a bit of common sense.
Maybe we need a better holiday for fireworks. They actually look better in winter when they can reflect off the snow and the danger rating drops to near zero at this time of year.