Smoke from US Wildfires Crosses into Canada
Canadian officials have issued air quality warnings as smoke from wildfires burning in the United States drifts north across the border, just days after President Donald Trump threatened Canada with tariffs over its own wildfire management. The British Columbia Wildfire Service warned on Saturday evening that smoke from fires in Washington and Oregon, fueled by thousands of lightning strikes, was creating smoky conditions in parts of the province.
“Much of this smoke is originating from fires south of the Canada-US border in Washington and Oregon,” the provincial wildfire service said in its alert. Twenty-two large fires are currently burning across Washington and Oregon, according to the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center. Air quality warnings are in effect for two regions in British Columbia: Kootenay Lake and Cranbrook, both located along the southeastern border with the US.
Trump Accuses Canada of Improper Fire Management
Despite the US facing its own severe wildfire season, Trump and fellow Republicans have criticized Canada’s wildfire management practices. In a social media post on Friday, Trump wrote that the US had been “invaded” by dirty air from Canada and suggested that the cost of pollution should be added to tariffs Canada is currently paying. The Trump administration has rolled back several climate protections.
According to the Canadian government, as of Monday there were 843 active wildfires burning across Canada. Of those, 181 are considered “out of control,” meaning they are spreading and not responding to suppression efforts. Another 532 fires are also labeled “out of control” but have not yet been targeted with suppressive actions.
Canadian Leaders Respond
Prime Minister Mark Carney, who sat alongside Trump at the World Cup final on Sunday, has sidestepped the criticisms. “Fighting climate change is the responsibility of all countries, including the United States,” he told reporters last week. Doug Ford, the premier of Ontario, where many fires are burning, said on Friday: “If there’s politicians out there chirping away, well maybe what you should do rather than complain is send support, send help, because we have done the exact same thing for our American friends.”
Eleanor Olszewski, Canada’s minister of emergency preparedness, stated that Canada has invested C$12bn (£6.36bn) in fire prevention and forest sustainability over the past five years. “This is a challenge that knows no borders,” she said.
