Heat, Air Quality Advisories Issued Across Several Provinces

Two geese float on the Rideau Canal as buildings are obscured with haze from wildfires burning in Canada's prairie provinces, in Ottawa on June 6, 2025. The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld

Heat advisories and air quality warnings have been issued across the country as elevated temperatures and wildfire smoke continue to affect several provinces.

Environment Canada issued 90 heat advisories throughout Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador on July 14, as well as hundreds of air quality statements or warnings across seven provinces and territories.

Saskatchewan and Ontario were both under multiple air quality warnings while statements were issued for Alberta, Manitoba, Northwest Territories, Quebec, and Yukon.

Ontario, Quebec Air and Heat Warnings

Smoke from forest fires in the far northwestern area of the province is drifting south causing the air quality to deteriorate, Environment Canada said.

Air quality warnings are currently in place for Toronto and the surrounding Greater Toronto Area, as well as Cobourg, Northumberland County, the Kawarthas, and the Peterborough region, while statements have been released for the rest of the province, extending from Thunder Bay in the north to Windsor in the south.

The poor air quality is expected to persist into June 15 for some areas.

Daytime temperatures are expected to hit as high as 32 degrees Celsius in the Toronto region today, with humidex readings ranging from 35 degrees Celsius to 40 degrees Celsius, the government agency said.

Much of southeastern and southwestern Ontario can expect similar temperatures, the weather service said. Temperatures in Belleville, Hamilton, Kingston, Kitchener, London, Niagara Falls, Ottawa, Peterborough, Sarnia, and Windsor are also expected to hit up to 40 degrees Celsius with the humidity.

The heat and air quality warnings also apply to parts of southern Quebec, including Montreal, Laval, and Trois-Rivieres where the mercury will rise to 33 degrees Celsius but will feel like 40 with the humidity, the weather agency said. The nights will also be warm, with minimum temperatures ranging between 20 and 23 degrees Celsius.

Air quality statements were primarily issued for northern Quebec, although some areas further south, such as Gatineau and Maniwaki, will also be impacted.

A smaller number of heat advisories were issued for Atlantic Canada. Annapolis, Digby, and Kings counties in Nova Scotia can expect maximum daytime temperatures of 29 to 33 degrees Celsius but it could feel as warm as 37 with the humidity, Environment Canada said.

The weather will be similar in parts of central and northeastern Newfoundland and Labrador with temperatures up to 32 degrees Celsius and a maximum humidex of 37.

Air Quality Issues Hit Prairies

Wildfires that continue to rage in Saskatchewan and Manitoba are generating large volumes of smoke that are saturating the atmosphere across several provinces.

The weather agency issued more than 70 air quality warnings for Saskatchewan today as well as air quality statements for much of Manitoba. A handful of statements were also issued for a small section of Alberta, located north of Red Deer and east of Edmonton.

Two of Canada’s territories could also have smokey skies. Three air quality statements were issued for the Northwest Territories while five were published for Yukon.

The agency noted that air quality and visibility due to wildfire smoke can fluctuate over short distances and vary from hour to hour.

Wildfire smoke has drifted as far south as the United States this year, prompting two Republican U.S. Congressmen to write a letter to Ottawa to ask that it do more to prevent wildfire smoke from drifting across the country’s southern border.

The worst wildfire season on record in Canada was in 2023, when 18.4 million hectares were consumed by flames, far surpassing the 10-year average of 2.5 million hectares.

There are currently 555 active fires in Canada, with five of these igniting on July 13, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre. There have been a total of 3,132 forest fires to date in 2025 with 5.3 million hectares burned thus far.

Environment Canada is recommending that residents in all regions affected by air quality warnings minimize their time spent outdoors and consider rescheduling or cancelling outdoor sports, activities, and events.

“During heavy smoke conditions, everyone’s health is at risk regardless of their age or health status,” the agency said, but noted that those older than 65, pregnant women, young children, people with chronic conditions, and those who work outdoors are most susceptible.

Common symptoms associated with smokey air include eye, nose and throat irritation, headaches, and a mild cough. More serious but less common symptoms include wheezing, chest pains or severe cough.