Prairie smoke chokes Kivalliq

Nunavut communities including Naujaat, Coral Harbour and Baker Lake remain under air quality advisories, as the overall situation improves. (Photo courtesy of Environment Canada)

Wildfire smoke from the Prairies left most of the Kivalliq Region under an Environment Canada air quality advisory in the past few days, but the smoke seems to be rolling out as the week progresses.

Hazy air is drifting east to southern Baffin Island and Nunavik and most Kivalliq communities lifted their air quality alerts as of Wednesday morning. The three Nunavut communities with ongoing air quality warnings include Naujaat, Coral Harbour and Baker Lake.

Peter Tapatai, who lives in Baker Lake, said in a Facebook message to Nunatsiaq News that the smoke in his community on Tuesday was so thick he could “barely make it down the street.”

As of Wednesday the visibility was much better, he said.

It’s unlikely that Qikiqtaaluk communities like Iqaluit, Kimmirut, Kinngait or Pangnirtung would get the amount of smoke that would require an air quality warning, but people with chronic heart or lung conditions should still take precautions, said Brian Proctor, a meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada, in an interview Wednesday.

“It’s not looking super concentrated for much of Baffin at this point in time,” he said, adding the smoke should be mostly gone across Nunavut by Thursday.

“In general terms, improving as we move forward in time is the best way to look at it.”

The smoke in Nunavut skies comes from ongoing wildfires in Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

On Tuesday, the Nunavut government also issued a warning recommending people keep themselves cool and stay indoors with windows closed.

“We’ve still got a very active forest fire season going on in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, so we’re likely going to get smoked out again at some point in time,” Proctor said.

“But over the foreseeable future, it looks as if things will improve.”