Until recently, children with respiratory illness could be taught to manage their symptoms, said Dr. Anne Hicks, associate professor of pediatric respiratory medicine at the University of Alberta.
But in the era of climate change, wildfire smoke can settle over much of the province for days, exacerbating symptoms and making every-day activities dangerous, turning a warm summer day into a trigger for an asthma attack.
It’s the new reality for thousands of children, as wildfires become the norm across Western Canada.
At 5:30pm on Aug. 17th the air in Cold Lake Alberta was so smoky
from the forest fires in BC that I had to turn on my headlights to drive
back to the hotel from my last job. Pictured here is the driveway I was leaving.
