TORONTO — Wildfire smoke continued to blanket large parts of Canada and the northern United States on Monday, prompting health alerts in major cities and warnings for vulnerable residents to stay indoors.
Environment Canada issued alerts across Ontario, with officials warning that air quality had dropped to dangerous levels. Toronto’s air ranked among the worst globally, with a thick haze visible across the city skyline.
In the U.S., the National Weather Service placed Chicago and parts of northwest Indiana under an Air Quality Alert through Tuesday evening. The agency cited both unhealthy ozone levels and smoke drifting south from Canada.
“When air pollution levels are high, everyone should limit time outdoors,” Environment Canada said in a statement. The advisory urged residents to cancel or reschedule outdoor activities and warned that older adults, children, pregnant women, and people with chronic illnesses face a higher health risk.
Prime Minister Mark Carney is expected to meet emergency teams in Ottawa as wildfires burning in northern Ontario, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan continue to force evacuations. Thousands have already fled their homes, according to provincial reports.
Meanwhile, fires in eastern Canada are spreading. In Newfoundland, a wildfire on the Bonavista Peninsula doubled in size overnight, destroying multiple cabins near Chance Harbour, according to local sources.
The crisis has also sparked cross-border tensions. Last week, six U.S. lawmakers sent a letter to Canada’s ambassador, complaining that smoke from Canadian wildfires was affecting American residents’ ability to enjoy the summer season.
In response, Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew pushed back, calling the complaint “an attempt to trivialize a deadly and urgent emergency.”
The summer fire season in Canada has already scorched vast tracts of land. Western provinces were especially hard-hit in May and June, with more than 30,000 people evacuated from towns and rural communities in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. States of emergency were declared in multiple areas.
Scientists point to climate change as a driving factor in the worsening fire seasons. Canada’s climate is warming at roughly twice the global rate, with Arctic regions heating even faster, according to recent environmental studies.
The fires remain active across thousands of hectares, and emergency crews continue to battle shifting winds and dry conditions.
Residents in both countries are advised to monitor local air quality indexes, reduce exposure to outdoor smoke, and check on people most at risk.
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