07/22/2026
As Canada faces some of its worst air quality in years, we're once again confronting what wildfires mean for our health, and our future.
Wildfire smoke contains dangerous fine particulate matter (PM2.5), which can travel deep into the lungs and even enter the bloodstream.
Exposure is linked to asthma attacks, cardiovascular disease, respiratory illness, and even certain cancers. Between 2020 and 2024, wildfire smoke was responsible for 1,400 deaths each year in Canada.
Poor air quality affects everyone, but not equally. Children, older adults, people with heart or lung disease, outdoor workers, and those with existing health conditions face the greatest risks.
Decades of burning fossil fuels has continued to accelerate climate change and is a big part of why these wildfires are becoming
Climate change is making these wildfire seasons longer, more intense, and more difficult to manage. Canada is warming at nearly twice the global average, creating hotter, drier conditions that fuel larger and more destructive fires.
If we want cleaner air, healthier communities, and fewer catastrophic wildfire seasons, we need to stop relying on fossil fuels and accelerate the transition to clean energy.
The smoke is a warning. What we do next will determine whether these extreme wildfire seasons become the new normal.
