Environment Canada issued special air-quality warnings for Southern Ontario – including Toronto – along with Quebec and much of Manitoba.Chris Young/The Canadian Press
Heavy smoke and thick fumes have triggered air-quality alerts in vast swaths of the country, as some areas in Western and Central Canada are experiencing one of the most destructive wildfire seasons in recent decades.
With winds pushing plumes from Prairie wildfires toward Ontario and Quebec, causing reduced visibility in multiple regions, Environment and Climate Change Canada is now warning people to be prepared for smoke exposure thousands of kilometres away from fire zones. Residents have been advised to keep windows and doors closed, limit their time outside, and reschedule or cancel summer sports, events and activities.
In Manitoba – which has borne the brunt of the damage from wildfires and declared a rare second provincewide state of emergency this year – the smoke is also affecting firefighting efforts. At least 12,600 people in the province have been forced from their homes this week because of what officials have described as the worst fire season on record in more than 30 years.
Tourists take a selfie on Mount Royal lookout in Montreal on Monday.Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press
Across Canada, more than 560 wildfires are actively burning, with at least 155 of them deemed out of control.
Several provinces have faced a more severe and earlier start to the wildfire season than previous years, while researchers from Environment Canada have said that dryness, lower precipitation and warmer temperatures are anticipated to create ripe conditions for more fires later this summer.
On Monday, the federal agency issued special air-quality alerts for several large cities – such as Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa – and for much of Manitoba.
Meteorologists said that visibility and air quality will tend to fluctuate hour to hour because of the smoke this week. Any exposure from the fumes, they cautioned, could cause irritation to the eyes, nose and throat, with headaches, cough and, in more serious cases, chest pains and wheezing.
Where in Canada are there wildfire smoke warnings? Our map tracks air quality across the country
“The smoke is drifting and wafting really far away. But it’s not just about that,” said Grand Chief Alex McDougall of Anisininew Okimawin, whose northern Manitoba council represents four First Nations in the Island Lake area. Three of them are being threatened by wildfires: Garden Hill, St. Theresa Point and Wasagamack.
“It’s also about the fact that helicopters and even military planes struggle to land for evacuees with all this heavy smoke. That it fills our lungs for months. And that firefighters have to stop their work because of it,” he told The Globe and Mail. “You can’t do anything when there’s smoke everywhere the wind blows.”
Kristin Hayward, assistant deputy minister for both the Manitoba Wildfire Service and the Conservation Officer Service, said recent rainfall has been helpful for crews, but smoke remains a risk.
“Resources have been assigned and have been making some progress,” she said in a briefing at the Manitoba Legislature, as the province contended with at least 122 wildfires Monday. “Though it has been a bit challenging, just due to smoke conditions and some pretty intense fire activity.”
How to protect yourself from bad air quality and wildfire smoke
Manitoba is not completely advising against all non-essential travel, as it did during its first 30-day state of emergency that expired last month, when it needed more lodging for wildfire evacuees. But Christine Stevens of the Manitoba Emergency Management Organization still urged awareness for those looking to stay in hotels.
“We are asking folks who are travelling here and travelling within the province to be really mindful of where they’re going, and where they’re staying,” she said at the provincial briefing.
Around half of Manitoba’s evacuees – at least 6,000 people – are staying in hotels across the province, while at least 1,300 others have been sent to hotels in Ontario, Ms. Stevens said. The others are being housed at the University of Winnipeg or a large soccer field in the city that has been converted into a makeshift shelter with cots.
She added that several more sites – indoor arenas, curling clubs and convention centres, capable of hosting thousands of people – are being prepared in Winnipeg and Portage la Prairie, in case more evacuation spaces are needed.
Part of the planning is around the possibility that 13,000 people could be evacuated from Thompson, the most populous municipality in Northern Manitoba. The city, which has been under a pre-evacuation notice since last week because of a large nearby fire, is warning residents to remain prepared to leave within a 12-hour period.
“At this time, they’re just sort of in a holding pattern,” Ms. Stevens said about the 16,370-hectare fire that on Monday was just 14 kilometres out of Thompson.
In an interview, Thompson Mayor Colleen Smook said at least 11,000 people have already registered with the government, so that officials are ready to help them escape in case the flames encroach the city.
“It’s a mindset shift for us here,” Ms. Smook said. “We’ve actually been the hub for a lot of evacuees from fires in the northern region. And now, we’re being prepared ourselves to have to flee, even while we’re still hosting some people who left their own homes not too long ago.”
With wildfire season well underway, Environment Canada suggests people check the Air Quality Health Index daily to determine how much time to spend outside. Here's how to interpret the index.
The Canadian Press
In a fire-status bulletin, Manitoba officials said: “Human activity, including arson, is contributing significantly to current wildfire conditions. As a result, critical firefighting resources are being diverted to respond to deliberately set fires, often in or near communities.”
In neighbouring Saskatchewan, which had also declared a state of emergency until last month, 52 wildfires were active Monday, with at least 12 of them unable to be contained.
Federal officials from Parks Canada have issued an advisory alert near Prince Albert National Park, about 235 kilometres from Saskatoon, where a large wildfire has spread, causing lower air quality and reduced visibility because of smoke. In the northern region, the village of Beauval has also been evacuated, as a massive fire has destroyed sheds, cabins and community canteens.
In Alberta, more than 1,500 firefighters have been called in for at least 54 wildfires, with evacuations ordered for a few smaller communities.
Wildfire service officials in British Columbia said Monday that the province is expecting its first outflow pattern of the season, meaning air will flow from mountains toward the water, developing conditions for significant fire activity. The BC Wildfire Service is facing at least 70 smaller fires.
Crews in Northwestern Ontario, meanwhile, are monitoring 52 wildfires after five new conflagrations were confirmed in the region Sunday evening, with the highest hazards for fires along the Manitoba border.
What do you want to know about air quality?
Hundreds of wildfires have sent smoke across Canada and beyond this country's borders this summer, and now smoke blanketing Toronto and the GTA is posing a "very high risk" to health. Are you constantly checking your weather apps, or just trying to figure out what the different alerts mean? Our health and science teams are trying to answer your pressing questions about air quality and how you can protect yourself, and we want to know what you want to know. Submit your questions using the form below or e-mail us at audience@globeandmail.com with "Wildfire smoke" in the subject line.