Barrhaven Canada Day organizer promising safety at future events
Posted Jul 3, 2018 07:12:00 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The organizer of Canada Day festivities in Barrhaven says a fireworks fiasco on the grounds of their celebrations won't keep them from hosting another party next year.
Darrell Bartraw told The Rick Gibbons Show on 1310 NEWS, with hundreds of teens involved in throwing firecrackers and fireworks at Clarke Fields Park Sunday night, police and security on site were overwhelmed.
“[Help] did eventually come. We had a lot of police officers that did eventually show up,” he said. “But it's not something you could have predicted. It's never happened before, in 38 years, so you don't expect this. You expect people to show up and have a good time.”
The incident led to a 15-year-old being tasered and arrested by police. Bartraw said other kids were struck by fireworks as well — one person even got hit in the eye.
He added that what happened was unfortunate, but it will not put an end to the annual party.
“I can guarantee you, I have a passion for this, I live for this event, I do it 365 days of the year, and these kids aren't going to beat me. This event will go on, it will be safe, and people are going to come out and have the great time that they've been having for 38 years of this event.”
There has not been any word from the Ottawa Police Service in terms of possible charges laid in relation to the incidents in Barrhaven.
Listen to the full interview with Darrell Bartraw:
