High-risk air quality levels prompt health concerns in Calgary
Calgarians woke up to a thick blanket of smoke Sunday morning as wildfires from B.C. as well as the U.S. continue to waft in and descend throughout the city.
Environment Canada’s special air quality statement for Calgary rated the risk at a level 10, which is just shy of the ‘very high-risk’ category or 10+.
Health officials like Alberta Health Services public education officer Helene Hamilton are urging caution, especially for those with respiratory conditions, the very young or very elderly, and for pregnant women.
“If you do have an underlying health condition like asthma, chronic bronchitis or COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), avoid the outdoors, at all costs, making sure that you're in an area that has good air filtering and using your regular medications as directed,” Hamilton said.
“Visibility is also a big issue right now because of the smoke in the air, so we ask everyone to drive with care and attention, making sure you're maintaining your following distances and are aware of your surroundings.”
Hamilton adds that additional calls to EMS typically follow high risk air quality advisories, which is why taking preventative measures are important for those spending time outdoors.
Alyssa Chow did just that on Sunday as she wore a mask and limited time outside while walking her dog.
“I looked outside and I couldn’t really see much, so we’re probably going to just be drinking lots of water, not staying outside too long and wearing masks.”
Others like Neomai Ghebreyohannes, still attended the Calgary Stampede with her kids all day Sunday, but made sure she knew of plenty of indoor locations in case her family got tired.
“We’ll do rides but we’ll also be inside, going to the agricultural areas to visit the animals and drinking water and making sure the kids have snacks too.”
Outdoor sports such as baseball were cancelled on Sunday for young children, but the smoke still didn’t stop some Calgarians from enjoying their favourite outdoor pastimes.
Adam Mysliwy golfed 18 holes at Fox Hollow but said it was a bit tricky to breathe at times.
“It’s definitely smoky for sure, it would be nice to see some sun but a cooler day after the few weeks we had isn’t so bad so if we have to deal with some smoke it’s not the worst.”
Mysliwy joked that he wished he could hit more ‘smoke bombs’ on the course in this kind of weather, but says his golf game still needs some work.
The smoke in Calgary is expected to clear up only slightly on Monday with a ‘high-risk’ reading of 9 projected, before falling to a 6 on Monday evening, which is considered ‘moderate.’
The City of Calgary also announced a fire ban on Friday as a result of the air quality that will remain in effect until further notice.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
What's a Barnacle? It's yellow, sticks and screams if you try to pry it off your car
Barnacles, bright yellow devices used to make sure parking scofflaws pay their tickets, could soon be making their way to cities across Canada.
Verdun Airbnb listing taken down amid complaints, fines and frustration from neighbours
An Airbnb in Montreal's Verdun borough was the source of much frustration from neighbours who say there were constant parties at the location. It has been taken down from the app, but housing advocates remain upset about short-term rentals.
Man who set himself on fire outside Trump trial dies of injuries, police say
A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former U.S. President Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said.
They were from different countries and barely spoke each other's languages. More than 20 years later, they're still happily in love
He decided to spend Christmas somewhere that wouldn't involve snowstorm disasters. She was spending the holidays with family, travelling for the first time outside of her native country of Venezuela. 23 years later, they're still in love.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
A Nigerian chess champion plays the royal game for 60 hours - a new global chess record
A Nigerian chess champion and child education advocate played chess nonstop for 60 hours in New York City's Times Square to break the Guinness World Record for the longest chess marathon.
Fire in Labrador town under control, officials tells residents to stay away
RCMP say the fire that prompted a state of emergency in a Labrador town is now under control.
12 students and teacher killed in Columbine school shooting remembered at 25th anniversary vigil
Thirteen victims of the Columbine High School shooting were remembered during a vigil Friday on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the shooting that was the worst the nation had seen at the time.
Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza city of Rafah kills at least 9 Palestinians, including 6 children
An Israeli airstrike on a house in Gaza's southernmost city of Rafah killed at least nine people, six of them children, hospital authorities said Saturday, as Israel pursued its nearly seven-month offensive in the besieged Palestinian territory.