Expect poor air quality to persist into weekend in Waterloo region and area

While some parts of Ontario will experience clearer skies on Thursday, smoke over Waterloo region, Guelph and Wellington County continued Thursday and Environment Canada said poor air quality may persist into the weekend.

The haze and smell of smoke in the region is caused by forest fires in Quebec and northeastern Ontario.

"Air quality and visibility due to wildfire smoke can fluctuate over short distances and can vary considerably from hour to hour," the weather agency said in a special air quality statement on its website.

The smoke from the wildfires can be harmful to people's health and all people are encouraged to take precautions to reduce exposure to smoke. That includes keeping windows closed and use an air purifier.

People with lung disease, heart disease, as well as older adults, children, people who are pregnant and people who work outside are at higher risk of experiencing health effects from the smoke.

"Take a break from the smoke by temporarily relocating or finding a location in your community with clean, cool air such as a library, shopping mall or community centre," Environment Canada's statement said. 

A special air quality statement was first issued for Waterloo region, Guelph and Wellington County on Monday. Since then, the haze and smell of smoke has been noticeable over the community.

The conditions have prompted local school boards and sports groups to reschedule or postpone strenuous outdoor activities.

On Thursday, the Waterloo Catholic District School Board said it cancelled track and field events as a precaution to ensure student safety.

Guelph Minor Baseball said it will post on social media before 3 p.m. if games are to be postponed.

The Guelph Fire Department tweeted on Wednesday that it had received a number of calls about the smoke and reminded people to only call 911 in the case of an emergency.

Everyone's feeling the impact of the smoke from the wildfires, Jeff Brook, an air quality expert and associate professor at University of Toronto's Dalla Lana School of Public Health, told CBC Kitchener-Waterloo's The Morning Edition.

"The skies are white when they should be blue and this reminds us of many, many years ago when we used to have the hot, hazy days of summer. But they're here now because of forest fires," he said.

"Everybody's breathing it. It's something our bodies feel. You might not outwardly know it if we're a healthy person, but if you're suffering from respiratory conditions like asthma or COPD, your symptoms are usually something that will tell you that something's not right in the air. You may need to use more of your medications and monitor the situation carefully."