Air quality, which had deteriorated to “extraordinary” levels on Sunday, improved in Montreal on Monday, giving the green light for outdoor activities. In several communities in northwestern Quebec, however, the picture is less rosy.
The metropolis was shrouded in a thick cloud of smoke on Sunday, earning it the unenviable title of the world’s most polluted city for a day. On Monday the sky cleared up a bit. “There was a return to normal this morning and early afternoon,” Montreal Regional Health Department spokesman Jean-Nicolas Aubé noted in an interview. In the evening, the air quality in the metropolis was generally considered good.
In this context, the city of Montreal announced on Monday the reopening of its outdoor swimming pools and sports facilities, which were closed on Sunday due to the smog that blanketed the island. Longueuil did the same while Brossard kept its public pools closed on Monday.
Air quality update:
– Reopening of outdoor sports facilities (including swimming pools and paddling pools);
– Resumption of external cultural activities.
Effective immediately. Stay tuned for recommendations from @healthmontreal .— City of Montreal (@MTL_Ville) June 26, 2023
However, nobody has a “crystal ball”, emphasizes Aubé and points out that the air quality in the metropolis could deteriorate again in the next few days – without necessarily reaching the “extraordinary” fine dust rate measured on Sunday.
“When people go outside and see a big plume of smoke like we saw [dimanche]”We are recommending people to move their physical activity indoors,” added the spokesman for Montreal Public Health, who also reported a higher-than-usual frequency of smog episodes in the metropolis this year. A situation that is due to the numerous forest fires that continue to rage in Quebec. Monday night it was 78 in the intensive zone, a slight drop.
Northwest Quebec is still smoky
Meanwhile, air quality in several municipalities in Abitibi-Témiscamingue was still considered “very poor” on Monday, according to the region’s director of public health, Dr. Stéphane Trépanier, stated in an interview with Le Devoir.
Residents in several communities in the region have thus been provided with spaces of “clean and fresh air” where outdoor activities have also been put on hold until the thick cloud of smoke covering them dissipates, says Dr. Trepanier.
Val-d’Or, Amos and Senneterre are among the municipalities that have also taken the initiative to distribute free N95 masks to their citizens so that they can effectively filter the air they breathe when they have to stay outdoors for several hours.
“A Hard End”
In order to offer the population some peace, the city of Amos has also equipped its cultural center with air filters that are certified against smoke. “For a few days now, it’s still been pretty catastrophic how bad the air quality is,” said the mayor of the municipality, Sébastien D’Astous in an interview. There’s a constant “smell of burning wood,” he adds, describing the plume of smoke and ash that hovers over the community. Visibility was so limited that the municipality decided to close its public beach.
The mayor of Amos also causes general fatigue among the citizens he represents. “People, it affects their well-being. We are used to good air quality and a good quality of life. “It’s a difficult ending right now,” he clarifies.
On Monday the situation in Malartic was such that the city of Abitibi canceled the collection of leftover materials. In a post on social media, the community said it was necessary because “the smoke was too intense.” [et] The air quality is very bad.”
However, Environment Canada noted on Monday that several areas in northern Quebec are expected to experience rainfall, which should reduce concentrations of fine particles in the air. “Rain will fall through Wednesday where the fires are heaviest, over 40 millimeters in several places between tonight and Wednesday,” meteorologist Jean-Philippe Bégin noted Monday. “Air quality will improve everywhere. »
With the Canadian Press
To see in the video