Canada’s wildfire season roared to an early start last month and it hasn’t abated since. Currently, the situation is most severe in the prairie provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan, which have each declared a Provincial State of Emergency. In response, the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (CIFFC) has raised its National Preparedness Level to 5, the highest level.
As of June 5, CIFFC reports that 201 wildfires are blazing across Canada, with 103 in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia classified as out of control, meaning they are expected to continue growing. More than 33,000 people have been ordered to evacuate their Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta homes, including 17,000 in Manitoba alone. Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew has called it the “largest evacuation Manitoba will have seen in most people’s living memory.”
The diverse landscapes of Canada’s prairies are settings for an array of travel adventures, from spotting bison in Saskatchewan’s grasslands to kayaking in Manitoba’s vast boreal forest and hiking among wind-sculpted hoodoos in the Alberta Badlands. They are also home to some of Canada’s most impressive cultural institutions, including the Quamajuq Inuit art center in Winnipeg and Wanuskewin heritage park in Saskatoon.
If you have an upcoming trip to the region, here’s what you need to know.
Where are the fires?
The most severe fires are concentrated in northern Saskatchewan and northern and eastern Manitoba. In early May the SHOE fire broke out in northern Saskatchewan, south of Narrow Hills Provincial Park, followed by the CAMP fire near Candle Lake—the two fires have since merged. The ongoing emergency took another turn on June 2, when the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency ordered the evacuation of the northern town of La Ronge and surrounding communities after a wildfire breached the town’s airport.
In Manitoba, two people were killed in May by the fire that forced the evacuation of the town of Lac du Bonnet, northeast of the provincial capital Winnipeg. While Lac du Bonnet residents have since returned, mandatory evacuation orders remain in effect in multiple communities, including Flin Flon, Pimicikamak Cree Nation (Cross Lake), Lynn Lake, and Sherridon.
How is air quality impacted in the US?
In an ominous reminder of the summer of 2023, Canada’s worst wildfire season on record, smoke from the wildfires has been impacting air quality in several US states. The smoke has also billowed across the Atlantic and caused hazy skies in parts of western Europe.
The National Weather Service has issued air quality alerts for Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, New York, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. These alerts, which are in effect until 11 p.m., June 5, advise that people who are sensitive to air pollution should limit their time outdoors between 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Where is it safe to travel?
Manitoba:
Provincial park closures and fire restrictions are in effect across the province. Parks that are currently closed to visitors include Bakers Narrows, Grass River, and Wekusko Falls. Nopiming Provincial Park is also closed and campgrounds at the park’s Black and Beresford lakes will remain closed for the rest of the season, along with all water routes in the park. While parts of Whiteshell Provincial Park are closed, most areas in Caddy and West Hawk lakes have reopened and campgrounds in Brereton, Caddy, West Hawk, and White lakes will reopen on Friday, June 6, at 4 p.m.
