Bobby Hristova

Burlington, Ont., had&nbsp;the worst air quality in the province Wednesday afternoon, while Hamilton and nearby areas were seeing more hazy conditions from forest fire smoke out of Quebec and northern&nbsp;Ontario.

&nbsp;listed&nbsp;Burlington as a 10+ or&nbsp;"very high risk" in the early afternoon.

The index states that rating means at-risk populations like children and seniors should avoid strenuous outdoor activity.

Most others should reduce or reschedule those activities, especially if they're coughing or their throat is bothering them.

&nbsp;that sport user groups may cancel or reschedule rentals without penalty.

By later Wednesday afternoon, the index listed Burlington at a Level 9.&nbsp;

&nbsp;cancelled activities today because of the air quality.

Hamilton Mountain and West Hamilton were&nbsp;at a 10, while downtown was&nbsp;at a 7 — both&nbsp;are&nbsp;"high risk." By later in the day, the Mountain, west and downtown, were at Level 9, 8 and 7, respectively.&nbsp;

How risky is high risk when it comes to air quality?

When the air is murky and muggy, here's what you need to know and what you should pay attention to.

Conditions not expected to get better until Thursday night

Environment Canada previously issued special air quality statements for large areas of both Ontario and Quebec, including Hamilton, the Greater Toronto Area, Windsor, Barrie and London and most of northern Quebec

The agency said&nbsp;people with lung or heart disease, older adults, children and others are at higher risk of suffering adverse health effects of forest fires smoke.

Conditions aren't expected to improve until Thursday&nbsp;night.

Wildfire smoke affecting millions of Canadians expected to linger for at least 2 days

Smoke from Canadian wildfires will make breathing outdoors difficult today for millions of people across the six largest provinces and into the United States.

The CN Tower and Toronto skyline are hazy in the background. In the foreground construction workers stand on the upper levels of an uncompleted building.

Dufferin and Dupont, smoggy city skyline, condo construction & worker and residential neighbourhood of Wallace -Emerson, Toronto, June 28, 2023 

Toronto haze

Smoky, hazy skies are again blanketing parts of Ontario, Quebec, western Canada and the eastern half of the United States, pulling down air quality to dangerous levels. At one point Toronto recorded the worst air quality levels in the world.

Wildfire smoke impacts millions of Canadians across the country

The Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre's website showed&nbsp;there were 487 active fires burning across the country Wednesday&nbsp;morning, with 253 of them classified as out of control.

As of Tuesday afternoon, there were 66 active fires in northern Ontario&nbsp;and as of Wednesday&nbsp;morning, 76 fires were burning across Quebec.

Smoky skies return over southern Ontario

The smoke and haze from wildfires are once again impacting air quality in southern Ontario, including in Toronto and Windsor.

A wildfire raging west of Chibougamau, in northern Quebec, is shown in a June 4 handout photo. 

Burlington had some of the worst air quality in Ontario on Wednesday

Conditions not expected to get better until Thursday night

More Stories Like This