Toronto shutting down all outdoor pools as wildfire smoke chokes city

The City of Toronto will shut down all outdoor and wading pools on Thursday, July 16, as wildfire smoke blankets the city.

Toronto remains under an Orange Air Quality Warning issued by Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) due to wildfire smoke drifting from northwestern Ontario, and the continued health risks posed by the hazardous air quality have pushed officials to close all outdoor pools on Thursday.

The City stated on Wednesday evening that "Due to the severity of the air quality event and with the interest of residents in mind, and with Toronto among the cities experiencing the worst air quality in the world, a decision has been made, in consultation with Toronto's Medical Officer of Health to keep all outdoor pools and wading pools closed on Thursday, July 16."

All indoor recreation facilities will remain open on Thursday, though many City-hosted CampTO programs will be paused, and other outdoor events are expected to be cancelled due to air quality.

Toronto's air quality ranked the worst in the world for much of Wednesday, according to pollution-ranking site IQAir, and according to ECCC's outlook for Thursday, locals can expect more of the same brutal conditions.