Thick wildfire smoke covers the city

Good morning!

Hope everyone has been keeping indoors. Things out there are…not ideal for your lungs. I found myself wearing a mask outside when I was out and about. And while it wasn’t ideal, given the amount of crud in the air, it was probably a good idea.

We’ve got lots of coverage of the smoke in this issue, plus an update on the garbage bag tag proposal and a bunch more.

Let’s get to it.

— Robert Hiltz, managing editor

Consider forwarding this to your friends so they can discover the Lookout. New to the Lookout? Sign-up for free.

Weather Report

Wednesday: 17 🌡️ 9 | 🌫️

Thursday: 16 🌡️ 10 | 🌧 (30%)

Friday: 18 🌡️ 11 | 🌧 (30%)

WILDFIRES

Smoke blankets the city, air quality off the scale (bad)

What happened: Smoke from hundreds of forest fires in western Quebec wafted through the city yesterday, sending air quality readings off the charts. The Air Quality Health Index hit 10+ on its public scale, and Environment Canada told CBC readings were as high as 14 on their internal scales.

• Typically, an air quality advisory is issued when the scale reaches seven.

Until there's significant rainfall, it’s unlikely the air quality will improve to normal levels while fires are burning because they can prevent the formation of rain. Environment Canada meteorologist told CBC: “Unless the forest fires themselves reduce in some fashion, the weather is not going to change.… So more likely than not the air quality is going to remain…bad.”

It led to a brief, but rare weather phenomenon:

What to do: Ottawa Public Health recommended avoiding any outside activity, and said to wear an N95-equivalent mask if it was unavoidable. Pollution levels tend to be lower in the morning, so they recommend doing only necessary activities if possible. They also recommend keeping windows closed and using an indoor air purifier if one is available.

Cancelled: The air quality was bad enough the city cancelled its outdoor recreation programs for the day. Fields were still open, but several private sports leagues decided to cancel or postpone games because of the smoke.

Massive fires: The fires generating the smoke cover an area that’s equal to what was burned in Quebec in the last 10 years, CBC reported. A thunderstorm last Thursday is the most likely cause. The fires burning over 2,000 square kilometres of land overwhelmed the province’s firefighting service.

According to Environment Canada, the parts of Quebec most affected by the fires are also abnormally dry:

Under control: To the west of Ottawa along Centennial Lake in Greater Madawaska, a wildfire was declared under control Tuesday, CBC reported. The fire, about 50 kilometres southwest of Renfrew, was 45 hectares in size and caused the evacuation of several communities in the area. Evacuation orders were in place until at least today, the township said.

• See more: CBC posted some drone video of the haze blanketing the city.

Stay out of the park: The NCC asked people to postpone any visits to Gatineau Park because of the extreme fire risk in the park. A full fire ban was declared throughout the park.

No really, wear a mask: With the air so polluted, it’s wise to wear an N95-equivalent mask, the Ottawa Citizen explained. Fine particulates in the air went higher than 260 micrograms per cubic metre yesterday. That’s many multiples higher than the typical range of 4-11 micrograms per cubic metre. Fine particulates in the air can cause headaches, watery eyes and coughing.

Worst ever, probably: Federal government data suggests the country may be experiencing its worst-ever fire season, CBC reported. More than 400 fires are burning across Canada, and at least half are considered out of control. Yesterday 47 fires were burning in Ontario, according to CityNews.

• In a typical year, about half of all wildfires are started by lightning, the other half are caused by people.

Insurance implications

The bigger picture: As the effects of climate change are more frequently felt — with worse fire seasons, flooding, and other extreme weather — insurance rates are rising as well, CBC reported. In the last five years, home and mortgage insurance climbed 33 percent, and it can be impossible to get insurance in some areas near ongoing disasters.

Last year was the third costliest year on record, with a price tag of $3.12 billion, behind only 2013 ($3.87 billion) and 2016 ($5.96 billion). Nine of the top 10 most expensive years for disasters have been since 2011.

• The one outlier was 1998, when the devastating ice storm caused about $2.83 billion in damages.

An American warning: In California, the insurance company State Farm stopped issuing new policies because of the ongoing risk of wildfires. Companies have not yet made similar moves in this country.

Government assistance: A $32-billion federal program to cover properties at high risk of flooding is one factor keeping insurance companies issuing policies in Canada, CBC reported. While this fire season is exceptionally bad, typically flooding is the cause of the most damage in this country.

OUTSIDE DOWNTOWN

🚧 This weekend, the westbound Highway 174 in Orléans will be closed between Jean d’Arc and Montreal Road for Stage 2 LRT construction. [OC Transpo]

🛫 Residents in Dunrobin are concerned about a new private airstrip being built on a property near their homes. Some neighbours say they have received little to no notice about the construction, nor has the local councillor. [CBC]

🚒 It took firefighters about two hours to get a serious house fire in Stittsville under control. No injuries were reported, but one adult needed the help of victim services. [CTV]

🚨 Police are asking witnesses to a fatal single-vehicle crash in Carlington to come forward. A car slammed into the 417 overpass on Carling Avenue, killing a 32-year-old man. [CTV]

CITY HALL

Mayor’s bag-tag compromise fails at committee

What happened: Two proposals to institute a bag-tag system, including a compromise put forward by Mayor Mark Sutcliffe, failed to pass the environment committee. The 5-5 vote on two different proposals means councillors will have to make individual proposals at the full council table next week, without the backing of the committee’s recommendation, CBC reported.

The options: The first option comes from a recommendation by city staff to give every household 55 garbage bag tags for curbside pickup. Additional tags would cost $3 each. The compromise, outlined on Twitter by Sutcliffe the morning of the vote, would have meant two bags of garbage were free at every pickup, and only additional bags would require a $3 tag — 15 of which would be provided for free.

Those in favour…: Alta Vista Coun. Marty Carr, who sits on the committee, put the mayor’s proposal forward in a motion. She said about three-quarters of residents already only put out two bags at a time, and the new plan would not affect them.

…Those opposed: One of the opponents was Rideau-Jock Coun. David Brown, who called the plan a “tax grab,” and instead said the city should impose an across-the-board four-bag limit. Orléans East-Cumberland Coun. Matt Luloff said the policy as proposed was incomplete and relied on poor estimates of how much waste it would divert.

Why it’s happening: The city dump at the Trail Road facility is nearing the end of its life and may last only another 13 to 15 years. After years of the green bin program, and decades of recycling, the city is looking for new ways to divert waste away from the landfill to extend its life.

HOUSE OF THE WEEK

This week’s house isn’t just a house. It’s two historic houses, two cottages, and several barns. Set on about 220 acres, this farm property in Fitzroy Harbour has oodles of potential.

See what you could do with this property, and how much it costs, at the listing.

THE AGENDA

🚧 LRT shutdowns started through parts of the system and will continue for the next two weeks. Coun. Wilson Lo posted a good series of maps explaining what sections will be closed and when. [CTV/Twitter]

🚑 Mayor Mark Sutcliffe asked the province to fully fund 51 new paramedics in the city to ease the burden on a perpetually overloaded system. Sutcliffe said health care is a provincial responsibility, and Ontario should not be leaving it to cities to foot the bill for more paramedics. [Twitter]

🏥 A nurse at the Civic Hospital told a coroner’s inquest she was never given the paperwork detailing concerns about Shannon Sargent’s health, or knew she was in a van just outside the ER waiting to be taken to jail. Sargent recently had open heart surgery and may have had an infection picked up at the hospital. She died in her cell the next day. [CBC]

⚖️ An appeals court rejected The United People of Canada’s effort to overturn an eviction order from St. Brigid’s Church in Lowertown. The convoy-supporting group wanted their tenancy to be reinstated. The group was ordered to pay $12,000 in court costs. [CBC]

🚔 Boosting security in the ByWard Market is the top ask of businesses in the area. The finance committee approved a plan to dissolve the Market’s BIA and consider a special tax for the area. More security would be a part of that plan. [CTV]

🚨 An Ottawa psychologist is accused of serious misconduct by one of his former patients, who says he retraumatized her. The allegations in a lawsuit include groping the patient and offering her alcohol in their sessions. [Ottawa Citizen]

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• The submarine that director James Cameron used to go to the deepest known point in the ocean is on display at the Royal Canadian Geographical Society on Sussex. [CTV]

• Here are some of the city’s top dishes this spring, including a delightful green bean caesar salad, and a great new addition to Ottawa’s ramen scene.

• How bad is the haze today? It’s pretty bad when you see it side by side with a normal day. [Reddit]

• Another before-and-after set of photos show how bad the smoke is. [Twitter]

• Want to have your announcement featured? Contact our partnership team for more info.

SPORTS

🏒 Should the Senators trade Alex DeBrincat? Columnist Ken Warren breaks down the case for and against moving the winger. [Ottawa Citizen]

🏈 The Redblacks selected Nick Arbuckle as the team’s starting quarterback. The season gets underway Saturday in Montreal.

⚽️ Three Atlético Ottawa players made the Canadian Premier League team of the week, including keeper Sean Melvin and centre back Diego Espejo. [Canadian Premier League]

OTTAWA GAMES

Congrats to Adam, Bonnie, Lynn, Kyle, Jill, and all the rest of you who knew that about 7,200 customers lost power when a hydro pole was hit by a driver.

Do you know where today’s Ottawa Guesser is? The first five people to respond get their names mentioned in the newsletter.

Subscribe to unlock the rest. And get 21% off the first year of your membership.