Wildfires in the Prairies affecting air quality across Canada
The Canadian Press | Posted: June 7, 2025 11:15 PM | Last
Updated: 12 hours ago
Environment Canada says the situation is expected to improve
over the weekend
Media | Respirologist Dr. Shawn Aaron on the wide-ranging
health impact of wildfire smoke
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Poor air quality fuelled by wildfires burning across the
Prairies left a large swath of the country enveloped in a haze
again on Saturday, but Environment Canada said the situation is
expected to improve over the weekend.
Parts of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba,
Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland and Labrador
were experiencing poor air quality and reduced visibility due
to the wildfires, a situation expected to continue through
Sunday.
Environment Canada meteorologist Jean-Philippe Bégin said
there's some good news: A low-pressure system passing through
the Prairies — currently in northern Saskatchewan and expected
to move into Manitoba and northwestern Ontario by Monday — is
expected to bring precipitation for areas hit by out-of-control
forest fires.
That system is not expected to bring much relief in northern
Alberta, however, where there is little rain in the forecast.
On Saturday, the agency's air quality index listed some cities
like Toronto and Montreal as having a moderate to high risk.
The index, which measures air quality in relation to quality of
health, rates it between one and 10.
Image | wildfire smoke toronto
Caption: Toronto's skyline is blanketed by smoke on Friday
stemming from wildfires in the Prairies. (Patrick Morrell/CBC)
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Much of Ontario remained under special air quality statements
or warnings on Saturday. Southern Ontario, which had been under
an air quality statement on Thursday and Friday, saw that
lifted early Saturday morning.
For Quebec, a weak cold front should help matters in eastern
Quebec, including the province's North Shore. The situation
should improve into Sunday in Montreal and in southern Quebec.
* Is poor air quality impacting your health? Here’s what to
look for
A high concentration of fine particles in the air can be
harmful to health and the air quality situation is far worse in
areas where fires are burning, Bégin said.
"In no region of Quebec do we have concentrations above 100
micrograms per cubic metre," he said.
Image | Prairies-Wildfires 20250606
Caption: Thip Sourinh fishes on the St. Lawrence River in
Montreal on Friday, as wildfire smoke shrouds the Montreal
skyline. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press)
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"Near the fires in northwestern Ontario, northern Manitoba,
northern Saskatchewan, northern Alberta, we have in some
places, definitely more than 100 micrograms per cubic metre,
and we have up to 600 micrograms per cubic metre, so the air
quality is quite dangerous there."
In Montreal, public health officials were advising residents to
keep windows closed, reduce outdoor activities and limit
non-essential travel.
While the entire population is affected by air quality, the
most vulnerable include children under the age of five,
pregnant women, the elderly and anyone suffering from heart or
respiratory issues.
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