Paula Ferreira frequently turns her eyes skywards these days.
Paula, who moved to Bradford in 2011 to get away from the congestion in Vaughan, decided more recently to look for a way to supplement her income. She landed on pyrotechnics, an unusual line of work on its own that includes a very shallow pool of women.
She went back to school and earned her fireworks display operator licence as well as one to sell fireworks. It didn’t take long to fill up her free time.
“I spend most of the weekends in my car, smelling of gunpowder,” she says. “I’ve had some amazing opportunities and I got a chance to see parts of Ontario I wouldn’t otherwise see.”
She loves going to gender reveal parties where she’ll blow pink or blue powder to make the big reveal.
In March she participated in Bradford’s Holi Hungama, an Indian festival of colours for the Ekal Foundation of Canada. Using her pyrotechnic experience and equipment, she opened the day’s festivities with a colourful Holi powder burst which was launched over the crowd and dance floor, symbolizing unity and diversity within the community.
She’s looking forward the Summerlyn Retro Street Party Aug. 24 in Bradford’s Ward 4, where she’ll have a booth to give away glow-in-the-dark bracelets. She’ll also do the pyrotechnics for the stage performance by Canadian club artist Joée.
There are shop openings, other special events as well as celebrations.
She’s also connected with other Ontario women involved in pyrotechnics, sometimes collaborating on demonstrations, drawing upon each other when they need an extra hand or two.
And while the goal was to grow her income, Paula has found yet another way to give back to the community.
Through her work with York Region, Paula has long been involved with United Way Greater Toronto organizing baseball tournaments, craft sales and other employee-based events and fundraising efforts.
“My amazing sister has an enormous heart and works harder than anyone I know,” says her sister, Michelle Ferreira, who has seen Paula regularly stock the Bradford community fridge and feed people who she figures could use help to get a leg up.
She’s also coached soccer and has volunteered with Special Olympics events.
Twice a year, Paula sets up a pod in Bradford where she sells fireworks, often interacting with the more vulnerable members of the community.
She recently connected with a migrant farm worker and became impressed with his artwork. The two worked together to design her booth for Bradford’s annual Carrot Fest.
“A lot of people walked past my booth,” Paula says. “They ask me if have something to eat. It really opened my eyes.”
And often she does have something, reaching into a cooler which she keeps stocked with water and snacks for those who pass by and are thirsty or hungry, says her sister. One day, while visiting her sales pod, Michelle said she found her sister in bare feet. Someone else, Paula explained to her, needed her shoes more than she did.
Says Paula: “Bradford is a great town, there’s a lot to do still … any way we can be impactful, I think is important."
