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Air Quality
What does a high PM 2.5 reading really mean for Kamloops?
'DO WE SHUT EVERYTHING DOWN?' KAMLOOPS - A new report from local physicians has one air quality specialist noting that there is always room for improvement and the focus should be on what steps should be taken, rather than just the number itself. The Kamloops Physicians for a Healthy Environment released a review of 2014...
Air quality advisory remains in place
WAITING ON THE WEATHER TO CHANGE THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - It is mid-November and yes, that is smoke in the air. Unlike the summer when large wildfires in northern B.C. caused air quality advisories the smoke visible throughout the region is due to open burning. “There are hundreds of burn registrations issued,” Kayla Pepper of B.C. Wildfire...
Air quality advisory for Kamloops
KAMLOOPS – An air quality advisory for the South Thompson region, including the City of Kamloops, has been issued by Environment Canada and the B.C. Ministry of Environment. High concentrations of fine particulate matter are expected to persist for the next few days. Smoke from open burning and wood burning appliances are likely the cause....
Experts in Kamloops to talk air pollution
KAMLOOPS - How to improve air quality and reduce health risks will be on the menu at an upcoming public forum on air pollution in Kamloops. Between several weeks with smoky skies because of forest fires this summer and constant concern being raised over the proposed Ajax mine and other industrial activity, air quality has been...
Public meeting will focus on teacher strike, proposed Lavington plant
VERNON - A special meeting set for tonight will focus on two topics that have been in the news lately: The teacher strike and a proposed pellet plant in Lavington. The special meeting, called specifically by the school district to address the two issues, starts at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the board office on 15...
School district calls special meeting on proposed pellet plant
VERNON - The Vernon School District wants assurances a proposed pellet plant won’t be harmful to student health. Superintendent Joe Rogers says the school board will hear from Pinnacle Renewable Energy and Tolko Wednesday night at a special meeting. The companies want to build the pellet plant near Lavington Elementary, next to Tolko’s existing mill...
UPDATE: Smoky skies advisory ends
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - After more than a week under a smoky sky advisory, the smoke has finally cleared. There have been more than 1,100 wildfires this year and more than 252,000 hectares have burned. Six of those fires have been more than 10,000 ha in size with the largest reaching more than 88,000 ha. Smoke from...
Air quality health advisory issued due to smoke
KAMLOOPS – The Ministry of Environment has issued an air quality advisory for Kamloops thanks to the smoke from forest fires burning in northern B.C. The air quality health index reading is currently a seven out of ten. The higher the number on the scale signifies a higher risk. A seven is considered a high health risk...
Smoky skies across Okanagan and Similkameen valleys
OKANAGAN - A smokey skies advisory is in effect for the Okanagan and Similkameen areas, due to high levels of wildfire smoke spreading throughout the valley. The concentration of smoke will vary as wind, fire behaviour and temperatures change. The advisory was announced Thursday morning by the B.C. Ministry of Environment. The Ministry is advising...
Smoky skies advisory for Interior
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Fires to the north of us are causing smoky conditions and the Ministry of Environment is now warning people to take additional precautions because of the smoke. A smoky skies advisory was issued today for the Thompson, Shuswap, Okanagan, Similkameen, Nicola, Boundary and Fraser Canyon areas. Similar advisories have also been issued for...
Hazy sky likely from northern fires
KAMLOOPS - It could just be a haze in the sky today but it is more likely smoke from more northern fires we are continuing to see fill our valley. B.C. Wildfire information officer Melissa Klassen says the smoke in the air could be attributed to the more than 15,000 hectares of fires north of...
New Gold air emission reports ‘significantly overestimated’
KAMLOOPS - New Afton officials say estimates of air pollution emissions from its New Gold mine near Kamloops are wrong—the victim of bad data. If emissions reported to national authorities are accurate, it would make the mine among the top air polluters in the country. Its pollution levels were seized on by the Kamloops Physicians...