What to know
- A new report estimates wildfire smoke has resulted in $231 billion in health-related economic costs across Canada since 2014, with chronic illnesses accounting for the vast majority of those expenses.
- Researchers say wildfire smoke is associated with an average of 2,500 premature deaths each year nationwide, alongside millions of acute health events linked to smoke exposure.
- Ontario recorded the highest estimated economic burden from wildfire smoke at $84.2 billion, followed by British Columbia ($52.4 billion), Alberta ($41.8 billion) and Quebec ($34.7 billion).
A new study is revealing that Canada spent $231 billion in health-related costs linked to wildfire smoke since 2014, with Ontario, British Columbia, and Alberta leading in expenses.
Several cities in Ontario are under poor quality warnings since Wednesday morning due to smoke coming from wildfires in northwestern Ontario.
| Province | Total health-related cost | Acute | Chronic |
| Ontario | $84.2B | $1.8B | $82.4B |
| British Columbia | $52.4B | $925M | $51.5B |
| Alberta | $41.8B | $1.2B | $40.5B |
| Quebec | $34.7B | $777M | $33.9B |
| Manitoba | $8.7B | $152M | $8.5B |
| Saskatchewan | $8.7B | $294M | $8.4B |
| Northern Territories | $376M | $9M | $367M |
| Newfoundland & Labrador | $120M | $9M | $111M |
| New Brunswick, Nova Scotia & Yukon | $27M | $27M | — |
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Meanwhile, a data analysis study by the Canadian Climate Institute (CCI) found that smoky days have become more frequent in the province since 2019.
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According to the study’s author and Principal Economist with the CCI, Dave Sawyer, the added smoke has been leading to several real-time and chronic health events.
These events have also been linked to thousands of deaths in the country, with the study suggesting an average of 2,500 people die prematurely each year across the country due to chronic events linked to smoky conditions.
In addition to life losses, health events also lead to significant economic loss, according to the expert. Canada is estimated to have spent $231 billion in costs related to health risks linked to wildfire smoke exposure.
Most of these costs are linked to chronic conditions, which led to $226 billion in expenses since 2014. On average, this means wildfire smoke costs the country about $19 billion annually.
Costs divided by province
Ontario
According to the CCI analysis, Ontario is the province hit by the highest annual costs related to wildfire smoke costs.
The province is estimated to have faced $84.246 billion in costs linked to smoke-related health events. From that total amount, about $1.8 billion is linked to acute health costs, while $82.4 billion relate to chronic issues.
In total, the province faces an estimated 36.2 million acute health events between 2014 and 2025, and an average of 11,480 deaths per year.
British Columbia
Coming into second place was British Columbia, which faced 18.6 million events during that period, with an average of 7,127 in chronic-related issues per year.
The province dealt with $925 million in acute health costs related to wildfire smoke and $51.5 billion in chronic costs, totaling $52.4 billion.
Alberta
Alberta comes next on the list, facing a total of $41.8 billion in smoke-related costs from 2014 to 2025. This number includes $1.2 billion in acute costs and $40.5 billion in chronic costs.
During that period, the province had an estimated 26 million acute health events related to smoke, and an average of 5,702 chronic deaths per year.
Quebec
Quebec faced about 15.7 million acute smoke-related health events in the same period, with an average of 4,721 deaths per year.
The province had $777 million in acute health costs and $33.9 billion in chronic costs in that period, totaling $34.7 billion.
Manitoba
In Manitoba, there was a total of $8.7 billion in costs between 2014 and 2025, being $152 million in acute costs and $8.5 billion in chronic costs.
During that period, the province had an average of 1,207 premature deaths per year and 3.1 million acute health events.
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan had an average of 1,189 premature deaths per year in the same period, with six million estimated acute events.
The province saw $294 million in acute health costs and $8.4 billion during that period, which is equal to a total of $8.7 billion.
Northern Territories
The Northern territories saw a total of $376 million in costs during that period, being $9 million related to acute issues and $367 million in chronic ones.
During that period, the territories had about 182,000 acute health events and an average of 52 premature deaths a year.
Newfoundland and Labrador
Meanwhile, Newfoundland and Labrador had 181,000 events and an average of 16 deaths a year related to chronic smoke issues.
During that period, the region saw $120 million in costs related to these issues, with $9 million related to acute events and $111 million to chronic ones.
New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Yukon
In New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and the Yukon, costs related to health events totalled $27 million, being all of them related to about 540,000 acute health events.
