But Those Wildfires In Northwestern Ontario Are Still Burning & Spewing Out Smoke With A Vengeance
A Brief Update from Environment Canada
Posted July 19th, 2026 on Niagara At Large
For the moment, at least, Niagara’s air quality is now down in the low risk range so enjoy some time outdoors.
Air quality in St. Catharines/Niagara today is at a Low Risk level, with an Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) of 2 to 3. The air is ideal for all outdoor activities, as the special air quality alerts caused by northwestern Ontario forest fire smoke have been lifted.
For the most up-to-date, hyper-local monitoring data throughout the day, you can check the live tracking on the Environment Canada St. Catharines AQHI page or view the provincial readings via Air Quality Ontario.
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Dozens of wildfires are raging across Canada, destroying communities, forcing families from their homes, and blanketing cities like Toronto with some of the worst air quality in the world. 
Earlier this week, I woke up in Toronto to a red sun, smoky skies and a burning at the back of my throat. 
If you are a lover of music going back to the 1960s and also enjoy watching film documentaries about key figures in the world of music going back to that time, I highly recommend this one focusing on the musical career of Peter Asher, who began as a performer (of singing duo Peter & Gordon fame) in the 1960s and who went on the produce best-selling records for James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt and other great artists from the 1970s and on.
An Update By City of St. Catharines on its response to Air Quality Concerns
Lincoln, ON –– Please be advised that the Allan F. Gretsinger and Jordan Lions outdoor pools are closed as of 3 p.m. Wednesday, July 15, 2026 (and forward) due to poor air quality.
Due to the Air Quality Warning issued by Environment Canada, the City is closing its outdoor pools and sports fields and cancelling its outdoor activities and events, including:
Toronto – It is darkly ironic that on a day when wildfire smoke turned Ontario’s sky orange and Toronto ranked among the worst cities in the world for air quality, the Ontario government (of Premier Doug Ford) chose to make a sales pitch for more oil refining and a massive new pipeline.
It was earlier this July when I had someone doing some work on the outside of my house.
Air quality is expected to deteriorate later today (this July 15th, 2026) as smoke from wildfires in northwestern Ontario moves into the area.
The Niagara Falls Nature Club welcomes you to participate in leisurely walks as we enjoy the flora and fauna of Niagara. The walks are rated from 1 to 10: 1 is easy and 10 is strenuous. For more information or if you have any questions, please get in touch!
NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE — The Migrant Workers Alliance for Change has launched a petition, also endorsed by the Niagara Community Legal Clinic, demanding a response to the death of Sinhue Garcia, a migrant farmworker killed while cycling home in Niagara-on-the-Lake. 
Every day, Ontario loses 319 acres of farmland. The Ford government wants to add 2,000 more to that number. Permanently. 
A Brief Foreword by Niagara At Large reporter/publisher Doug Draper – When news was released that the RCMP would investigate charges that senior staff in the Ontario Government of Doug Ford were working with Ford-friendly developers to pave over parcels of our precious Greenbelt lands, there were many at the time who seemed excited to hear this. But I must admit that this journalist was not one of them.
NIAGARA, ON — Niagara Geopark has launched a new website and Friends of the Geopark fundraising program to support its growing education, outreach, and stewardship work as the organization continues its path toward UNESCO Global Geopark designation.
GRIMSBY — The Ontario government has started construction on the Grimsby GO Station as part of its plan to fight gridlock, decrease travel times and support increased GO service to the Niagara Region. The province is using a new standardized design for the station to help reduce construction costs and speed up timelines. The new station will include one platform, 220 parking spaces, a bus loop and pick-up/drop-off areas.
The Niagara Falls Nature Club welcomes you to participate in leisurely walks as we enjoy the flora and fauna of Niagara. The walks are rated from 1 to 10: 1 is easy and 10 is strenuous. For more information or if you have any questions, please get in touch!
As much as we Canadians have every right to feel angry and to boycott products made in the U.S.A. and travel to the U.S. in response to all of the insults and threats the monster currently occupying what’s left of the White House has hurled against country, let’s remember at least two thing.
In that spirit, I am re-posting a video that I shared here a few months ago of a large stadium full of our American neighbhours singing ‘O Canada’ at a Buffalo Sabres hockey game. It happened when a young pop star, Buffalo-borne Cami Clune’s mike cut out during the beginning of singing our anthem and the mostly American crowd decided to take over singing it.
Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) has issued an orange alert for extreme temperatures in our region over the next few days. With the holiday happening tomorrow and many people planning to spend time outdoors, Niagara Region Public Health (NRPH) is reminding people to take precautions to protect themselves, their families, and their community during the extended heat event.
“Today, we celebrate each other. We are a nation of kind, compassionate, hardworking people, as remarkable and diverse as the places we call home all across Canada. Ours is a country that spans three oceans, six time zones, and ten million square kilometres of breathtaking landscape, built and bound by a great conviction: that we are strongest when we are united.
Posted by Doug Draper on June 30th, 2026 on Niagara At Large
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A year ago on Canada Day, I mentioned here that I never saw so many Canadians expressing so much pride in our country since I remember experiencing as a young kid when our country turned 100 in 1967.
It was heartening to turn on a CBC Radio program called “Cross Country Check-Up” this past Sunday, June 28th and hear so manyCanadians call in and say they have stopped crossing the border to the U.S. and have stopped buyig American goods. Some of them said they have sold winter homes they owned in Florida.
Did Doug Ford ever hear the line, based on a good deal of reliable evidence gathered for decades all over North America, that “speed kills”?
QUEEN’S PARK — Official Opposition Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles has issued the following statement, after Freedom of Information (FOI) requests from The Trillium
(A Brief Foreword Note from Doug Draper at Niagara At Large – It does not surprise this journalist and Ontario resident that, according to the latest numbers by the reputable Angus Reid polling institute, Premier Doug Ford’s approval rating is now lower than any other premier in Canada and the approval numbers his political kin Donald Trump is receiving in many polls in the United States. What does make me wonder is that Angus Reid does not also mention Ford’s attack on our democratic and environmental protection institutions, including his recent move to exempt himself and his cabinet from Ontaro’s Freedom of Information legislation) among the reasons for his extraordinarily low rating.)
In Ontario, Doug Ford falls to a personal low after a quarter marked by both economic pressure and self-inflicted wounds. His government has continued to frame its agenda around protecting Ontario from U.S. tariffs, but that message has competed with a budget that is projecting year of deficits, as well as persistent affordability and health-care challenges. 
“Canada’s first-ever National Food Security Strategy will help grow and process more food here and put more Canada on Canadian plates – lowering costs, creating jobs, and building a food system that is more resilient, more competitive, and more our own.” – Prime Minister Mark Carney
Ottawa, ON – Today (June 9th, 2026), Private Member’s Bill C-232, An Act to amend the Corrections and Conditional Release Act (Maximum Security Offenders), introduced by Tony Baldinelli, Conservative Member of Parliament for Niagara Falls—Niagara-on-the-Lake, will conclude second reading debate in the House of Commons. Members of Parliament are expected to have a chance to vote for the legislation tomorrow.
Every morning, Ontario farmers tend the fields that put food on your table. But the Ford government has spent the past eight years selling off that same land to PC donors and rich investors to build more highways and sprawl.
Ottawa, Ontario – “On behalf of the Government of Canada, I congratulate Her Excellency the Right Honourable Louise Arbour as she formally assumes the role of the 31st Governor General of Canada.
NIAGARA, Ontario —The Niagara Jazz Festival is proud to announce the artist and presentation line-up for the 2026 Niagara Jazz Festival, taking place June 25 – 28 & July 4 – 5 in Niagara-on-the-Lake and St. Catharines.
This June 5th marks World Environment Day today – the 54th day of its kind since it was first established by the United Nation General Assembly in 1972 – but not that it appears this year that many people have noticed.
As Niagara anticipates growing over the next few decades, Niagara Region transportation experts are planning for an efficient and viable road network to move people and goods across communities to meet that demand and is asking for the public’s insight into developing this crucial blueprint.
“This milestone is not only about celebrating 150 years of service, but also about recognizing the essential role the Decew Water Treatment Plant continues to play in delivering safe drinking water to Niagara Region’s residents and businesses. We are very proud of Niagara Region’s water infrastructure and the expertise and dedication of our talented staff to provide reliable, world-class drinking water to all of our communities every single day.” – Phill Lambert, Director of Water-Wastewater Services 
From its humble beginnings delivering safe, reliable drinking water starting in St. Catharines in 1875, the Decew Water Treatment Plant has grown and evolved into a state-of-the-art facility that now supplies millions of litres of world-class drinking water to tens of thousands of Niagara residents every day. 
As another scorching summer begins and gas prices continue to soar, support for a tax on Big Oil’s windfall profits is also heating up.
“AI is here. The question is whether it will improve the lives of all Canadians or benefit only a few. AI can shorten our emergency room wait times and make a small business more competitive, if it is governed by Canadian values with a clear goal of improving the lives of all Canadians. That’s why we need an ambitious new strategy: AI for All.”— Mark Carney, Prime Minister of Canada
We know you’re busy, but suspect you’ll want to weigh in on a proposal that could significantly weaken the laws that protect our water, human health, species at risk, and future generations.
(A Brief Foreword by Doug Draper at Niagara At Large – So you think that the climate crisis doesn’t impact you? If you pay property and car insurance, please read the following, then go back and have a conversation with those who argue that climate change is not a problem or it is a hoax.)
Niagara At Large 