Smog from wild fires forced cancellation of all NOTL soccer practices and games Tuesday and Wednesday, and will keep District School Board of Niagara students indoors at least on Thursday.

“It’s the right move, but it is hard to do after keeping the kids off the field during COVID,”  NOTL Soccer president Carrie Plaskett said in an email to The Lake Report.

“Hopefully, we can get the kids back playing as soon as possible.” 

The move came at the urging of the Ontario Soccer Association and the Niagara Soccer Association.

The school board told parents in an email Wednesday that it will keep monitor the situation.

The Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake has banned all open-air burning as of Thursday morning.

Smoke from forest fires in Ontario and Quebec has blanketed Niagara this week.

“Poor air quality will continue into the weekend,” said Andrew Korchok, manager of public health at the Niagara Region, in an email to The Lake Report.

According to The Weather Network, the air quality in Niagara-on-the-Lake was “unhealthy” on the air quality index as of Wednesday afternoon, posing a risk to everyone, particularly vulnerable groups. 

As of Tuesday, there were 31 active fires in the northeastern Ontario. The closest fire to Niagara is northeast of North Bay. 

There have been 167 fires in Ontario this year compared to 78 from last year. 

The Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks recommends staying indoors with air conditioning, avoiding places with heavy automobile traffic, stocking up on needed medications and reducing strenuous activities.

Korchok also recommended drinking plenty of water, checking in on high-risk friends and family, and monitoring symptoms such as irritated eyes, shortness of breath, coughing and mucus build up.

Everyone is encouraged to monitor air quality updates on www.weather.gc.ca/airquality/pages/provincial_summary/on_e.html