Markham residents are being advised to reduce or reschedule strenuous outdoor activities as smoke from Northwestern Ontario wildfires affects local air quality. The city is at an orange level, described as high risk, on July 15, according to the Markham Review.
Environment Canada has issued a warning linked to the wildfire smoke, the local publication reported. Smoke clouds are visible over Markham, with poor air quality also affecting the wider Greater Toronto Area.
The report says some parts of the GTA have reached red on the Air Quality Health Index. Markham’s reported orange level is the local reading cited for July 15.
The government advice outlined in the report is to cut back on strenuous activity outdoors or move it to another time. For Markham residents experiencing coughing or throat irritation, the Ontario government specifically advises reducing or rescheduling that activity.
Residents are also advised to keep windows and doors closed as much as possible to limit the amount of polluted outdoor air entering their homes. That recommendation accompanies the advice about outdoor exertion while the smoke affects the area.
Conditions may improve by Friday morning, the report says, but that outlook is not a confirmed end to the poor air quality. Residents are advised to check updates regularly until air-quality levels stabilize.
