'I'm aware of it now': How Calgary's new smoky normal is affecting summer life and future plans

Calgary has been blanketed by smoke for nearly three full weeks this wildfire season, already surpassing the previous record set in 2018 and obliterating readings that were considered normal in previous decades.

From May 1 to Sept. 5 this year, there have been a total of 499 smoke hours, according to weather data collected near the Calgary International Airport by Environment and Climate Change Canada.

That's nearly 21 full days of smoke.

The smokiest season on record prior to this year came in 2018, when 450 hours of smoke were recorded from May to September.

For decades prior, smoky skies were a rarity in Calgary, with many seasons seeing no smoke at all.

Things have changed recently, however. Six of the last seven years have seen more than 100 hours of smoky summer skies.

Calgary-based weather journalist and former firefighter Kyle Brittain says smoky air is becoming a new way of life.

"Part of it, you start to get used to," he said. "Unfortunately you start to say, 'We know this will pass.'"

Calgarians Gary and Louise Smith were out walking their dogs in some of the thickest smoke seen in the city this week.

"We don't like it. It's nicer if it's a beautiful, sunny blue sky," Louise said. "But because we're very outdoorsy, we still go out in it."

They do reduce the amount of time they spend walking when it's smoky, she added.

The effects of the smoke can be especially pronounced for families with children.

"We haven't been outdoors as much," Manjit Minhas said Wednesday on The Calgary Eyeopener.

"My 11-year-old was complaining just last week that we haven't been hiking as much. We haven't been biking. We were supposed to go rafting on Monday before the Labour Day Classic and we did not. So it has definitely affected our family, for sure."

The smoke also prompted administrators at her kids' school to cancel outdoor recess on their first day back at class this week, she said.

Minhas says she also worries about health effects on older family members.

"My parents have heart conditions," she said. "They are definitely not going outside right now."

One of the main health concerns related to smoke is fine particulate matter in the air. Abbreviated as PM2.5, these are extremely tiny particles — less than 0.0025 millimetres in diameter, or roughly 1/30th the width of a human hair.

Health Canada advises minimizing exposure to fine particulate matter as much as possible, "as there is no apparent threshold for the health effects of PM2.5."

"Wildfire smoke can be harmful to everyone's health," said Heather Pimiskern with Environment Canada. "It doesn't matter if you have a pre-existing condition or if you're in really good health."

'Doing what we can'

Darryl Stanier says he and his family have been surrounded by so much smoke this year, but they're trying to not let it affect their plans.

It started out with a family trip to Greece and then continued throughout the summer — wherever they went.

"We ended up there in a flurry of wildfires all around Athens. Then we come back home here to Calgary and head out to B.C. to the cottage and the whole Shuswap is on fire," he said on The Eyeopener. "And then we come back home to Calgary and northern Alberta's on fire still."

He said the smoke is "bothersome," but isn't stopping him from taking part in summer activities.

"It hasn't affected the way I engage in my own outdoor recreation," Stanier said. "I'm still mountain biking and hiking whenever we get a chance."

'Starting to get used to so many severe situations'

Brett Bromley helps run a slo-pitch league in Calgary and says the summer smoke has been a nightmare when it comes to scheduling games.

"It's always confusing when you're getting to 5 o'clock: Are we gonna play? Are we not gonna play? Is it cancelled?" he said on The Eyeopener.

"When smoke can move so quick — within half an hour — you never know."

He says there are established policies for cancelling games when it's too hot or too cold or too rainy, but the same policies don't yet exist for smoke and participants often have conflicting opinions on whether games should go ahead.

Bromley figures it's something that will have to become more codified as time goes on.

"I think we're just starting to get used to so many severe situations," he said.

"You check The Weather Network and it's severe thunderstorms, severe heat, severe smoke. You're never just dealing with a regular day."

Future summers

Bromley says the frequency of smoke in recent years has already prompted him to adjust his summer plans, with trips to the Okanagan in early July instead of early August.

In an effort to reduce the chance of encountering smoke and fire, he's thinking of even moving future trips to the May long weekend. 

"You adjust your scheduling and start to start summer earlier," he said.

Stanier, who didn't let the smoke affect his current summer activities, said it may prompt him to adjust his future plans.

"I'm aware of it now," he said. "And so, maybe come next May and June, I'm thinking about what the plan needs to be around ensuring that we maximize our time outdoors in the summertime, or other aspects of preparedness."

Minhas tries to stay optimistic about what the future holds.

"I'm hoping it'll get better and not the same or worse, so we can get back to enjoying the outdoors around us," she said.

"But I think I might have to be a realist more than an optimist sooner than later."