Toronto Ranks World’s Most Polluted City as Wildfire Smoke Chokes Ontario on July 15

Toronto ranked the world’s most polluted major city on Wednesday as smoke from 148 active wildfires in northwestern Ontario blanketed southern Ontario. The Air Quality Health Index reached 10+, the highest level, prompting an orange alert and forcing the closure of outdoor pools, cancellation of camps, and postponement of outdoor events. Conditions are expected to persist through Friday morning.

How the smoke reached Toronto from 1,000 km away

Wildfires burning across northwestern Ontario have spread smoke more than 1,000 km south, carried by the jet stream into the lower atmosphere over Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area. As of Tuesday evening, Ontario reported 148 active wildland fires in the northwest region, with 69 uncontrolled and 26 newly discovered. The smoke has also affected Windsor, Ottawa, Kitchener-Waterloo, London, and Sarnia, with air quality warnings upgraded from yellow to orange across southwestern Ontario on Wednesday morning.

Toronto’s air quality hit historic lows Wednesday

Toronto was ranked first in the world for worst air quality as of Wednesday morning, according to IQAir, a Swiss air quality technology company. The city later dropped to second place behind Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Environment Canada meteorologist Brian Owsiak said the air quality values spiked due to particulate matter from forest fire smoke. The orange haze turned Toronto’s sky orange and blotted out distant landmarks, with residents reporting eye, nose, and throat irritation, headaches, and coughing.

City services and events cancelled or moved indoors

Toronto Public Health activated its wildfire smoke response strategy, opening six cleaner air spaces at Metro Hall, Toronto City Hall, and civic centres across the city. The city closed all outdoor pools and wading pools on July 16, moved CampTO programs indoors, and cancelled field trips. Some outdoor registered programming was postponed or moved indoors where possible. The RBC Amphitheatre concert by Muse proceeded despite the warning, with attendees wearing N95 masks. FIFA World Cup watch parties at Nathan Phillips Square and the University of Toronto were cancelled.

Health risks persist as heat and smoke combine

Very poor air quality will continue Thursday in southern Ontario, with slight improvement expected compared to Wednesday. Environment Canada warned that seniors, pregnant people, young children, people with existing health conditions, and outdoor workers face the highest risk. The combination of extreme heat and wildfire smoke created additional challenges: people trying to cool homes by opening windows risked letting in contaminated air. The air quality warning was expected to lift Friday morning as wind direction shifts.

Final Thoughts

Toronto’s historic air quality crisis underscores the growing threat of wildfire smoke to major Canadian cities. With 69 uncontrolled fires still burning in northwestern Ontario and smoke expected to linger through Friday, residents should limit outdoor time and use available cleaner air spaces.

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