Over 400 active wildfires are currently burning across Canada. This exacerbates a wildfire season that has led to tens of thousands of evacuations, anxiety, and air quality alerts across the country. The danger of wildfires has stretched from British Columbia in the west to Nova Scotia in the east, almost 2,900 miles away. On Tuesday, a thick haze hung over Parliament Hill and the building that houses Canada’s Parliament in Ottawa, due to smoke from the fires.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated early this week that hundreds of soldiers were deployed throughout the country to help with firefighting efforts, as this is a scary time for many Canadians. Bill Blair, the Emergency Preparedness Minister, tweeted last week that about 6.7 million acres of forest had been scorched across eight provinces and territories in Canada so far this year. Scientific research suggests that heat and drought caused by climate change are primary reasons for the increase in more intense fires in the country.
The out-of-control wildfires have stoked unease throughout a country known for its picturesque landscapes and orderliness. Tuesday underscored some of the perils of global warming. Smoke from the hundreds of wildfires in eastern Canada has polluted air quality from Minnesota to Massachusetts. Toronto, Montreal, and Ottawa, where the majority of the country’s people live, had been largely immune from wildfires in distant provinces. However, this changed on Tuesday, when Ottawa had the highest health risk from poor air quality, according to local authorities.
The fires are now affecting businesses, with many mining companies suspending operations in Quebec. The plumes of smoke from Quebec have worsened air quality and visibility across southern Ontario and may potentially move over the Greater Toronto Area on Thursday, according to experts. The smoke can cause various symptoms ranging from sore and watery eyes to chest pains and heart palpitations.
British Columbia and Alberta have already been hit hard by the wildfires. Calgary, its largest city, experienced pungent smoke leaking in from under people’s front doors. In Halifax, Nova Scotia, a wildfire late last month led to the evacuation of over 16,000 people. Smoke hovering over the major cities could foster renewed debate on the risks of climate change. Michael Mehta, an environmental social scientist, said the smoke could expose many on the east coast to health risks caused by air pollution from the wildfires that have affected the western provinces in recent years.
