---
title: "Surrey fireworks complaints rose 30 per cent over Halloween and Diwali weekend"
description: "Surrey Fire Chief Jason Cairney reported to council that more than 900 complaints came in on Sunday night alone, with 71 bylaw tickets issued and a U-Haul truck full of fireworks seized."
canonical_url: "https://voche.me/bc/surrey-2026/news/surrey-fireworks-complaints-halloween-november-2026"
last_updated: "2026-11-10T16:52:06.174Z"
---

Surrey fireworks complaints rose 30 per cent over the Halloween and Diwali weekend compared with the previous year, Fire Chief Jason Cairney told City Council at the November 9 meeting, the Surrey Now-Leader reported. On Sunday night alone, the Surrey Fire Service and Surrey Police Service ran a joint enforcement operation that handled more than 900 complaints.

[Councillor Doug Elford](/bc/surrey-2026/candidates/doug-elford) described the enforcement response as impressive but said the city can do better in future years. "I guess we can do better next time," the Surrey Now-Leader quoted him as saying.

## What happened overnight

Cairney told council that 17 bylaw officers ran 200 patrols between 6 p.m. and 2 a.m. on Sunday night and had more than 1,000 direct interactions with the public. Officers issued 71 bylaw tickets during that period.

Surrey Police Service led seizures of multiple fireworks during the operation. Cairney described one seizure as a U-Haul truck that was full of fireworks.

## What the City can fine

Surrey bylaws restrict when and where fireworks can be set off. Fines for violations can reach $50,000, as the City made clear before Halloween and Diwali in a bylaw reminder. The joint operation between Surrey Fire Service and Surrey Police Service is intended to enforce those rules on the nights when fireworks use is highest.

The 30 per cent increase reported by Fire Chief Cairney follows an enforcement pattern the City has run for several years. With both Halloween and Diwali falling close together in 2026, demand for fireworks was high, and the overnight operation brought in more complaints than any previous year by that measure.

Cairney presented the enforcement results as a corporate report at the first regular meeting of the new council, which took office on November 2. The same meeting also saw council approve $12.7 million in public works contracts and $17.5 million for the SFU Stephens Family School of Medicine excavation.

## What residents can do

Surrey residents can report fireworks violations to Surrey Bylaw Services or to Surrey Police Service. The Surrey Police Board, which now includes Councillor Elford following his appointment at the November 9 meeting, oversees the Surrey Police Service. Mayor [Doug McCallum](/bc/surrey-2026/candidates/doug-mccallum)'s commitments, including those related to public safety, are tracked at [/bc/surrey-2026/tracker](/bc/surrey-2026/tracker).

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