The skyline of Montreal is obscured by a haze of smoke from forest fires on Sunday, June 25, 2023. A Montreal amusement park says it is cancelling the first night of an international fireworks festival due to concerns over air quality stemming from forest fires in northern Quebec. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes
MONTREAL – Organizers say Canada Day fireworks planned for Saturday night in Montreal have been cancelled as air-quality concerns persist because of wildfires burning in northern Quebec.
Stéphane Guertin of Tandem communication, which represents the organizer of the Canada Day event, says public health officials were unable to say if smog warnings prompted by wildfire smoke would still be in place on Saturday.
But he says the organizer did not want to put another pollutant in the air.
The announcement comes the day after amusement park La Ronde said it would cancel fireworks scheduled for tonight because of air-quality concerns.
Dr. David Kaiser, deputy medical director of Montreal’s public health department, says fireworks shows can lead to high concentrations of air pollutants in nearby areas.
Environment Canada has issued a smog warning for the Montreal and Laval areas due to fine particulate matter from forest fires.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 29, 2023.
