Latest news with #AirQualityHealthIndex
National Observer
13 hours ago
- Health
- National Observer
Smoke season is not normal. Stop pretending it is.
As another plume of wildfire smoke blanketed Calgary a week after writing this column, the Air Quality Health Index climbed into the 'very high risk' category. Government advisories told us to stay indoors, avoid strenuous activity and check on vulnerable loved ones. For many, it's a now familiar drill. Just another day in Canada's new climate rhythm: check the air quality index like the weather, cancel soccer practice if the air is thick, shrug and say, 'I guess this is summer now.' But this normalization terrifies me. I'm a physician, a father of two young children and someone who used to love biking to work. When I woke up recently and saw the haze, I hesitated. I'd biked the day before and enjoyed the exercise, the fresh(ish) air, the chance to feel like I was doing something positive. But biking through wildfire smoke just didn't feel worth it. I drove instead. When I arrived, I saw two of my colleagues — both climate-conscious, clean-energy champions — rolling in on their road bikes, smiling, sweaty, unbothered. I joked that they were 'brave.' But inside, I felt something closer to heartbreak. It wasn't jealousy. It wasn't about individual decisions. What unsettled me was what their cycling symbolized: how quickly we're adapting to disaster. How even those who understand the science — the urgency, the injustice — are adjusting to this as if it's just part of life. This isn't a callout of them. We all make trade-offs. I've made my own imperfect choices — some far less healthy or sustainable than biking in the smoke. For me, living through wildfire smoke with young children — knowing it was preventable — feels like a kind of slow-motion moral injury, writes Andrew Szava‑Kovats But I'm haunted by how easily we move on. We treat smoke like weather. We build apps to manage it. We compare it to last year's average. We forget that just a decade ago, this level of smoke wasn't 'summer.' What we're experiencing is a shifting baseline — a gradual recalibration of what counts as 'normal.' And in that shift, we risk something more than comfort: we risk forgetting who's responsible. Because this was not inevitable. Fossil fuel companies knew as early as the 1970s that their products would destabilize the climate. Instead of changing course, they buried the evidence, seeded doubt and lobbied against clean alternatives. They weren't just complicit — they were deliberate. To normalize the smoke season is to absolve them. To say this is 'just the way things are,' is to let decades of deception and greed fade into the rearview mirror. And I'm not ready to do that. Nor should we. There's a term in mental health called 'moral injury'— the psychic toll of witnessing or participating in actions that violate one's sense of right and wrong. For me, living through wildfire smoke with young children — knowing it was preventable — feels like a kind of slow-motion moral injury. We're expected to just carry on. But I can't shake the grief. And I'm not sure that I want to. Grief, after all, is a form of remembering. And remembering is resistance. So what do we do with this grief? We speak it. We refuse to let the smoke become background noise. We push governments to hold polluters accountable — not just through carbon pricing and net-zero timelines, but by naming the historical role of deception. We challenge the narrative that everything is under control because we have apps and filters and advisories. Those are bandages. We need transformation. We raise our kids with both honesty and hope — not pretending things are fine, but showing them what courage looks like in an age of collapse: community, accountability and clarity. And maybe we allow ourselves the pause. The decision not to bike when the air burns. The permission to grieve. Because pretending we're okay when we're not isn't resilience — it's resignation.
Time of India
15 hours ago
- Health
- Time of India
Toronto suffers world's worst air quality as Canada's second-worst wildfire season chokes nation
Toronto is bracing for another summer of dangerous air quality as wildfires continue to rage across northern Ontario, the Prairies, and Western Canada, with doctors warning that the health effects of wildfire smoke are more serious and more widespread than many realize. The worst air quality Toronto recorded the worst air quality in the world in early June, according to global air tracker IQAir, as smoke from more than 183 active wildfires in Ontario drifted south into the city. It's a dramatic increase from the 100 wildfires recorded in the province at this time last year, and experts say it's a troubling sign of what lies ahead. 'We're already seeing much higher than our 10-year average,' said Dr. Samir Gupta, a respirologist and associate professor at the University of Toronto. 'It does look like we are in for a tough season.' Canada's second-worst fire According to federal data, the 2025 wildfire season has already burned 3.7 million hectares of land, an area six times larger than Prince Edward Island, making it Canada's second-worst fire year on record, behind only 2023. Live Events The resulting smoke has triggered air quality alerts in five provinces and one territory, and it's not staying contained within Canadian borders. Smoke from Canadian fires drifted over parts of the continental US in early June, from Kansas City to Minneapolis. High chances of health risks Though Toronto residents are far from the flames, Dr. Gupta says the health risks are very real. 'We see increased emergency room visits for things like asthma, COPD flare-ups, and even heart attacks and strokes,' he explained. 'These particles are so small they enter the bloodstream through the lungs and start affecting the heart and other organs.' Even short-term exposure to wildfire smoke can cause headaches, coughing, eye irritation, dizziness, and in severe cases, chest pain or difficulty breathing. Gupta added that vulnerable populations, including seniors, pregnant individuals, people with chronic illness, and children, are at the greatest risk. However, even healthy individuals should be cautious. 'When I see an AQHI [Air Quality Health Index] over 7, I won't go for a run outside. I'll exercise indoors,' Gupta said. 'When you're running, you breathe in twice as much pollution. It really can take a toll.' On smoky days, experts advise staying indoors, using HEPA air purifiers, and if you must go outside, wearing a fitted N95 mask to filter out fine particulate matter. This summer's conditions are expected to worsen, with The Weather Network forecasting a hotter and drier climate around the Ontario–Manitoba border, resulting in more wildfire outbreaks and smoke movement. 'The effects aren't always visible, but they're happening,' Dr. Gupta said. 'You may not feel it, but the smoke is doing the damage.'
Winnipeg Free Press
7 days ago
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Wildfire smoke changing outdoor sports landscape
Air quality concerns due to wildfire smoke are changing the landscape of sporting events in Winnipeg. From community centre-run programs to professional leagues, outdoor sports have been impacted by smoke delays, cancellations and playing in less than ideal conditions, leading some to rethink how summer outdoor seasons should be planned going forward. Krista Fraser-Kruck, general manager of Riverview Community Centre in South Osborne, which offers baseball, soccer, softball, ultimate (frisbee) and summer day camps, says wildfire smoke has forced cancellations and caused rescheduling challenges, especially difficult in a short summer season. 'The priority is keeping kids safe,' said Fraser-Kruck. 'For our community, we just want to keep our kids safe, and so doing what's in the best interest of their health is our priority.' For their youth soccer games, Riverview Community Centre follows the Winnipeg Youth Soccer Association's policy, which calls for citywide cancellations if Environment Canada's Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) reaches seven or higher. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. With increasing concerns of wildfire smoke, Fraser-Kruck says that if poor air quality becomes more of a regular occurrence, they might need to reduce the number of scheduled games to better accommodate makeups, especially for soccer, where matches are rarely cancelled. 'For soccer, they play through pretty much anything except for lightning, right?' said Fraser-Kruck. 'So it's kind of crazy for them to be straight-up cancelling because of air quality, that's unprecedented.' When it comes to baseball games, cancellations due to weather-related issues like rain have always been part of the summer season, but smoke is a newer challenge. Jason Miller, executive director of Baseball Manitoba, says the organization had been working on an air quality policy for some time, but the recent wildfires pushed them to speed up the process. On June 5, Baseball Manitoba released its official policy outlining what actions teams should take during smoky conditions. Based on Environment Canada data, when the AQHI reads between four and six — a moderate health risk — Baseball Manitoba recommends that teams monitor at-risk athletes and consider reducing the physical exertion levels and the amount of time those athletes spend outside. When levels are between seven and 10, teams should apply those considerations to all athletes. If the AQHI rises above 10, they recommend cancelling or rescheduling outdoor activity and significantly reducing physical exertion and time spent outdoors for everyone. (imageTagFull Miller says they've only had a few days of games and practices impacted so far, and that last year, a few evenings were cancelled by coaches out of caution. 'It's nice just to create a policy and give people some guidelines and give them the tools they need to cancel effectively when they should,' he said. But Fraser-Kruck says following Baseball Manitoba's air quality policy can be a bit more complicated than how the MYSA handles smoke cancellations, as the decision to play or not is left up to coaches and umpires. 'This year is very different, it's been so dry,' said Fraser-Kruck. 'But then having to cancel for air quality, yeah, it's really different. And not everybody agrees on it. I would say it's mildly controversial from community to community.' Miller says the reason games and practices are not widely cancelled is because air quality readings can vary between areas, making a blanket cancellation less practical. 'The wind can change things so dramatically and so quickly that all of a sudden it can become smoky, or all of a sudden the smoking dissipates and allows you to play,' said Miller. 'So we have left it in the hands of the coaches and umpires at game time with our policy, which clearly states the numbers and the readings and the apps in which they should be looking at to determine if it should be cancelled or not.' Fraser-Kruck says that while they want to play as much baseball as possible in the summer, deciding whether to cancel or not can be challenging. 'There can be a discrepancy between the two teams, which I feel can be very awkward, especially for the people having to handle it, right?' said Fraser-Kruck. 'I know our team manager felt very uncomfortable with the reply they got to reschedule — their proposal to reschedule the game wasn't well received.' 'Soccer coaches aren't fighting over it because WYSA cancels everything for the night. And so that makes it a lot easier,' she said. Miller says that for now, there are no plans to change their approach to the air quality policy looking forward. 'I think that we've been treating smoke a lot like rain, we can either play or we can't play, and the people on the field have to decide that at the time of the game, and that's the approach we're going to take,' said Miller. However, smoke concerns haven't been treated like rain by all baseball organizations in the city. The Winnipeg Goldeyes and the American Association of Professional Baseball currently do not have an air quality policy and have played games when Environment Canada's AQHI index was 10 or higher. BROOK JONES / FREE PRESS The Manitoba Marathon currently has no specific air quality protocols laid out regarding what systems or Air Quality Health Index levels would trigger a race cancellation on Sunday. BROOK JONES / FREE PRESS The Manitoba Marathon currently has no specific air quality protocols laid out regarding what systems or Air Quality Health Index levels would trigger a race cancellation on Sunday. This contrasts with other outdoor professional leagues in Winnipeg that play during the summer, such as the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Valour FC, both of which have taken precautions on poor air quality days. Valour postponed two games earlier in June in accordance with the CPL's air quality policy, while the Bombers held a practice indoors and delayed a pre-season game in Regina due to the CFL's policy, which suspends outdoor activities when the AQHI reaches eight or higher. Horse racing at Assiniboia Downs has also been affected this summer, with three mornings of training lost due to air quality challenges. Although no races have been cancelled this year, Assiniboia Downs CEO Darren Dunn says it's an issue they have dealt with every year for the past four years. 'It's going to be an area of concern throughout the race season for sure,' said Dunn. 'We monitor it closely, and if we have to cancel and reschedule and adjust, we'll do that.' RUTH BONNEVILLE / FREE PRESS The Winnipeg Blue Bombers finished a practice indoors earlier this month. The CFL's policy suspends play if the Air Quality Health Index reaches eight or higher. RUTH BONNEVILLE / FREE PRESS The Winnipeg Blue Bombers finished a practice indoors earlier this month. The CFL's policy suspends play if the Air Quality Health Index reaches eight or higher. Assiniboia Downs follows protocols set by their regulator, the Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Authority, which automatically cancels races if the AQHI reaches seven. 'The time of an average race is about one minute, but it is at a high speed and a high velocity of air for both the jockey and the horse,' said Dunn. 'So it's a sensitivity thing. We're always going to err on the side of caution with the safety of the horses and the jockeys at the forefront.' For on-foot race events coming up in Winnipeg, like the Manitoba Marathon, there are currently no specific air quality protocols laid out regarding what systems or AQHI levels would trigger a race cancellation. The Manitoba High School Athletic Association Provincial Track and Field Championships, which were recently cancelled on June 6 due to poor air quality, followed Environment Canada health guidelines which pauses competition when the AQHI reaches eight or higher. The Manitoba Marathon Team and Medical Committee have been monitoring weather and air quality daily. Starting June 9, course updates have been posted on social media and emailed. The race is currently set to start at 7:00 a.m. on Sunday as planned. JASON HALSTEAD / FREE PRESS Although no races have been cancelled this year, three mornings of training have been lost at Assiniboia Downs due to air quality. Racing is automatically cancelled if the Air Quality Health Index reaches seven.
Hamilton Spectator
12-06-2025
- Climate
- Hamilton Spectator
Health Unit offers tips on how to stay healthy during poor air quality events
Wildfire smoke from fires in Northern Ontario has been drifting into the region, resulting in poor air quality. For the first time this year, Environment and Climate Change Canada issued a special air quality statement. Breathing in wildfire smoke can cause immediate symptoms and may also increase long-term health risks. Some people are more at risk, including babies and young children, older adults, pregnant women, people living with chronic health conditions or existing illnesses, people who smoke, and people who work or exercise outdoors. You can take steps to protect your health and reduce exposure to poor air quality. Check the Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) alerts to help you make informed decisions. Air quality conditions can change quickly, so check the AQHI frequently. Monitor yourself and those around you for symptoms and health effects of air pollution and know when to seek medical attention. You should reduce your exposure to air pollution. Consider reducing or rescheduling outdoor activities during poor air quality events. Protect your indoor air quality and create cleaner indoor air spaces in your home by keeping windows and doors closed during times of high air pollution. Visit places with cleaner, cooler indoor air, like libraries and shopping malls. Take care and listen to your body. Drink lots of water as this helps your body cope with air pollution. Stop or reduce activity levels if you are experiencing symptoms such as difficulty breathing or feeling unwell. Poor air quality events can overlap with hot temperatures and humid air. Extreme heat is usually more dangerous than short-term exposure to poor air quality – even wildfire smoke. If you have to choose, prioritize staying cool. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Time of India
12-06-2025
- Climate
- Time of India
Heatwaves and wildfires: Canada's summer forecast reads like a climate horror story
Canada is bracing for a hotter-than-average summer, particularly in Ontario and the Maritimes, with potential for major heatwaves and increased wildfire risk due to dry conditions. Wildfire activity is already surging, with significant hectares burned and widespread evacuations. Residents are adapting by monitoring air quality and preparing for heat waves, emphasizing the need for proactive wildfire management. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads For families and communities Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads What does NASA say? What Canadians can do: Track regional weather and air-quality alerts via the WeatherCAN app. Prepare for possible heat waves, especially in Atlantic, Quebec, and Ontario. Stay fire-smart: Droughts can ignite fires from simple sparks. Canada is set to endure a hotter-than-average summer, with nearly every region, especially Ontario and the Maritimes, bracing for warmer-than-normal conditions, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada 's June 10 seasonal outlook.'Expect temperatures hovering well above seasonal norms,' warned meteorologist Jennifer Smith, noting certain regions face 'major heatwaves,' while others may see persistent mild warmth that cumulatively 'nudges the stats.'Only a few coastal spots in BC and the Northwest Territories might enjoy slightly cooler means long spells of sunny, sweat-soaked afternoons and, for many, the return of smoky skies. Scientists confirm that from 1948 to 2016, average summer temperatures in Canada have climbed nearly 1.8 °C, about double the global average, and climate change is the main Merryfield, a research scientist with Environment Canada , cautions that the combination of dry winters, diminished spring rains, and hotter weather could fuel severe wildfires as early as July and intensify in activity is already surging: as of June 11, nearly 1,900 wildfires have burned roughly 3.5 million hectares, prompting at least 32,000 evacuations and claiming two data from NASA estimates four times more 'hot spots' were detected this June than average, making it the second-worst fire season start since 2012, only behind 2023. The smoky impacts are widespread: air quality alerts have been issued in Ontario, Quebec, and even parts of the US, with orange-tinted sunsets visible as far east as the ground, families, farmers, and fire crews are learning to Alberta's wildfire-affected communities, residents speak of alternating pride in their resilience and growing anxiety. And in urban centers, people monitor the Air Quality Health Index more closely, opting to stay indoors or wear local firefighting efforts and advocate for proactive wildfire management.
