Norman Wells, N.W.T., grapples with both extreme heat and terrible air

Norman Wells, N.W.T., was hit with a double-whammy on Tuesday: extreme heat and some of the worst air in Canada.

Temperatures hit 30 C, while smoke from wildfires in the region made Norman Wells the most polluted municipality in the country, according to IQAir, a Swiss technology company that monitors air quality around the world. 

The potentially dangerous combination of high heat and smoky air kept people indoors and raised questions about the future of summertime outdoor activities.

Air quality can vary from hour to hour. At around 11 a.m., Alex Millette, Norman Wells's recreation director, said he could smell smoke and see haze enshrouding the mountains on either side of town.

Millette said the smoky conditions restrict the activities groups like the town's day camp can do outdoors, and warm, sunny summer days are already at a premium.

"We know how gorgeous the summers can be here on days like this, so it definitely limits our chance to go out," he said.

The hot and smoky weather is especially hard on people who don't have air conditioning. They must decide whether to expose themselves to high heat or bad air.

"It's typically open your windows, get a fan going, get some air flow — which is a little harder to do on days like today," said Millette. 

"You just hope everyone who is in that predicament are able to find ways to combat that heat, especially on days where it's looking like heat warnings, like today, and limited amount of ways to get fresh air."

Offering some relief, the town set up an air conditioned room in the council office where people can have a glass of water and temporarily escape the heat.

'A recipe for disaster'

But for people spending longer stretches outdoors — camping, paddling, hiking or fishing — there's no sure-fire way to escape the smoke when it moves in.

Black Spruce Education is a Norman Wells not-for-profit that runs land-based programming for young people. Executive director Esker Norman says the organization is now talking about how and when to cancel paddling and hiking trips due to poor air quality. 

"Just like with any other safety issue we have out on the land, this one is becoming a very real and obvious one more and more, as wildfires seem to dominate our summer months," he said.

"That conversation really just got reignited for us this morning, about how do we determine at what air quality level we need to be calling things off."

For Black Spruce Education, monitoring young people for heat exhaustion or heat stroke is a top priority. But pair those ailments with difficulty breathing due to air quality and it becomes a "recipe for disaster," said Norman, especially for young people with asthma or other lung conditions.

A future of smoky summers adds a layer of complexity, he said, to running the kind of outdoor programs that Black Spruce Education offers. 

Simultaneous heat and air quality warnings increasingly common

With climate change, it's becoming increasingly common to see heat and air quality warnings issued in tandem, said Sara Hoffman, a meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada. 

"Unfortunately, it's become something that frequently, when we're talking about heat events or heat warnings, we're also giving a recommendation that can help beat or help keep air quality safe for those in the areas," she said.

Hoffman said people in places experiencing heat and poor air quality should limit strenuous activity, stay hydrated with non-caffeinated, non-alcoholic drinks, and check on elders, friends and neighbours with pre-existing health conditions who live alone.

Further south in Sambaa K'e, N.W.T., people were also sweltering through a heat warning, with a high of 28 C on Tuesday. 

Sambaa K'e residents returned to the community last weekend after a massive wildfire prompted a month-long evacuation. But that fire still rages, meaning smoke will continue to drift into the community.

On Tuesday however, the air in Sambaa K'e wasn't so bad, said resident Violet Jumbo. 

"We had a big downpour of rain yesterday, so that kind of washed everything down," she said. "I don't smell anything now, but usually when the wind blows, that's when you can smell it." 

People in the community are now adjusting to smoky conditions.

"I have two grandbabies," said Jumbo, "and usually when it gets too smoky we go inside and stay inside and have the air purifier on."