A Hamilton, Ont. non-profit that regularly provides outdoor physical activities for boys and girls has been doing some rethinking amid recent bad air quality days in Southern Ontario.
The Boys and Girls Club of Hamilton-Halton (BCGHH) says it plans on “being flexible” and relocating youth to indoor programming on days when the Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) hits the high-risk range.
BCGHH CEO Duane Doyle says it’s a reality they are preparing to face with the entity’s naturalized outdoor playgrounds following a stretch of bad air quality days in late June that put Hamilton in the upper tier of the AQHI scale.
“You know, even just a few years ago, we would have planned to have enough kids that were always rotating outdoors as well as those indoor environments,” Doyle said. “Now we need to think about do we have quality spaces to be able to accommodate everyone indoors at the same time as needed?”
Full-on summer camp programs have not yet started for the BGCHH.
However, camp staff involved in training and some youth were affected last week, unable to make regular use of a recently rebuilt naturalized outdoor play space.
Wildfires in Quebec and Ontario have been the root cause of recent pollution across the province.
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Last Wednesday, the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks in Ontario put much of the Greater Toronto Hamilton Area (GTHA) between 7 and 10 on the AQHI scale, with parts of Hamilton Mountain going over 10 for several hours in the early afternoon.
Severe Weather Meteorologist with Environment Canada Mitch Meredith says the main sources for the smoke have not only come from ongoing fires in northern Ontario and Quebec but some smaller blazes in Michigan.
“One of the factors we think got this going was the early sun … and that got rid of a lot of the snow pack up in the northern forest,” Meredith said.
“We had some flooding … and then we had rain …that washed away a lot of the snow and now we’ve got a dry forest.”
Short-term exposure to particulates created by smoke can cause irritated eyes, coughing and difficulty breathing especially during exercise, according to Environment Canada.
The government weather agency recommends organizers of outdoor activities reduce the intensity of or even cancel events when the health risk is high or even just moderate, between 4 and 6 on the AQHI.
Laura Kerr, the City of Hamilton Recreation Division’s Manager of Citywide Programs and Standards, says none of its kid’s programs have been adjusted or cancelled yet by bad air quality and that it is following public health guidance.
“Protocol generally is to adjust programming to climate-controlled or indoor spaces where possible, especially for day camp programs and excursion locations,” Kerr said.
The BGCHH handles some 500 kids a week through city camps in the summer with some 100 at their Ellis Avenue location in the city centre.
Sports, arts, science, math and other educational-based youth programs are offered mainly through day camps when kids are out of school.
Doyle says there’s been some noticeable concern with air quality from parents with some going as far as equipping young ones with medical-style face masks in light of the recent decline in air quality.
The BGCHH has taken the initiative to educate kids on how to be safe outside of the organization’s programs, particularly when playing themselves in neighborhoods and communities during evenings and weekends.
“They need to know that when the air quality is poor or when you have that bad smell outside, to make sure that they’re indoors and looking after themselves.”
Meanwhile, the club is dealing with heat alerts this week which have also shortened outdoor activities forcing the use of hats, sunscreen and water to keep staff and youth cool during programming.
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