It’s considered one of the busiest weekends of the summer in the Okanagan, the August long weekend.
But local business owners are expressing concerns that smokey conditions are impacting their bottom lines.
At the Wibit water park in City Park, the smoke is keeping some people away.
“We definitely have a lot less people in the park than we usually do,” Kelowna Wibit manager Bree Statham said. “People don’t want to be outside as much, it doesn’t feel good to be outside.”
The Okanagan has been under a blanket of smoke for days now which has led to poor air quality.
On Friday, the air quality health index was at seven once again. A rating of seven to 10 is considered high-risk and has Interior Health Authority (IHA) officials warning the public to take precautions.
“Everyone should be staying indoors, not just those with medical chronic conditions but the population in general, try to avoid being outside,” IHA’s medical health officer Dr. Silvina Mema said.
Business owners like Maegan Yoiung are hoping the skies clear soon. Young owns Maeg’s BBQ Boat Rentals and it too is seeing an impact due to the smoke.
“I think it has put the scare in people,” Young said. “The smoke has been coming in and out the last couple weeks and we are realizing how much it will affect us.”
The smoke is supposed to linger again on Saturday and possibly after that.