B.C. Lions move training indoors due to smoky skies — and so should you, says an air quality expert

An air-quality expert says smoky skies over British Columbia have become the norm over the past few summers, but not everyone seems aware of the serious health hazards it represents.

Michael Mehta, a professor of geography and environmental studies at Thompson Rivers University, said the risks associated with wildfire smoke are numerous and serious, but not easily conveyed or understood by the public.

On Tuesday, air quality alerts were issued for B.C.'s north and central Interior and by Wednesday they were extended to the southern Interior including Kelowna, Kamloops and the Kootenays.

Observed conditions in Kamloops, Prince George, Williams Lake, Fort St. John and Quesnel showed high-risk or very high-risk readings on the Air Quality Health Index Wednesday morning.

In a special air-quality statement, Environment Canada and the B.C. Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy said several Interior communities are likely to see worsening smoke over the next 24 to 48 hours.

Mehta said it was "flabbergasting'' to see people engaged in a range of outdoor activities in Kamloops Wednesday, despite the pall of smoke over the city.

He said it's particularly challenging to communicate the health hazards tied to wildfire smoke, which have descended on Kamloops and other communities weeks earlier than in past seasons, which he said is a "troubling" development.

"I saw people jogging, cycling, a lot of elderly people that were going for their regular walks like it was just an everyday day,'' he said.

The B.C. Lions moved their training camp indoors because of the smoke in Kamloops.

Mehta said people of all ages are negatively affected by wildfire smoke exposure, elevating the risk of strokes and a host of other health problems.

He said he worries about people of all ages, from his students to older people re-evaluating plans to retire in Kamloops because of the yearly wildfires.

Mehta said 2017 and 2021 were particularly bad years for wildfire smoke in Kamloops.

"I remember in 2017 when we had levels that are triple what they are today and truly unprecedented territory,'' he said.

"In 2017, it was for six to seven weeks straight in the Interior, risks were incredibly high, not even quantifiable based on the models that are available, and we still had all these public events.''