Smoky skies expected to blanket Toronto Friday, possibly into long weekend

Smoky skies are expected to blanket Toronto once again Friday and potentially linger into Canada Day on Saturday.

Environment Canada says smoke plumes from forest fires in northeastern Ontario and Quebec have once again returned to Toronto, prompting a special air quality statement for the city.

The Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) — the reporting system Canada uses to reflect potential health effects associated with air pollution — currently sits at six out of 10, representing a "moderate risk." The agency is expecting the air quality to reach a "high risk" at level seven throughout Friday, but dip to a five on Saturday.

"We're still stuck in it unfortunately," said Environment Canada meteorologist Gerald Cheng, who noted conditions are expected to slowly improve for much of southern, eastern and central Ontario. But improvements are still temporary in nature, he said.

"Wildfires are still burning. And so if we cannot extinguish that source, we still need to watch where the smoke generated goes."

Environment Canada said that people with health conditions like asthma or heart disease are at higher risk, as are pregnant women, older adults, children and people who work outdoors.

It advises people to stop or reduce their level of activity if it becomes uncomfortable to breathe or if they feel unwell, and to contact a health care provider if severe symptoms arise.

The smoke comes days after the city's AQHI maxed out at 10 on Wednesday. Around that time, according to the international air quality tracker IQAir, Toronto had the worst air pollution of any location in the world.

The city has been experiencing high levels of air pollution due to wildfires at various points throughout this past month.

As of Friday, there were more than 100 forest fires burning in Quebec, according to the Société de protection des forêts contre le feu (SOPFEU). In Ontario, there were 68 active wildfires in the northeast and northwest of the province, according to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry.