Toronto’s cleaner air spaces: Where to escape wildfire smoke as poor air quality returns this weekend

Amid Toronto’s third consecutive day of poor air quality caused by wildfire smoke, the city is offering a network of spaces with clean air for those who are unhoused or who can’t access air filtration at home. 

Toronto skies might be looking clearer on Friday, but that doesn’t mean the air quality has reached safe levels. 

The city is still under an orange warning for poor air quality, as smoke from wildfires in northwestern Ontario persists across the province. According to Environment Canada, the smoky air might temporarily improve in the afternoon, but is expected to return during the evening and into the weekend. 

Residents are still advised to limit their time outdoors and avoid outdoor activities and sports, as heavy smoke conditions represent a series of health risks, regardless of their age and pre-existing conditions. 

As residents continue to experience hazardous conditions, the city is offering a Cleaner Air Spaces Network, which provides spaces where residents without access to air filtration can go. 

These spaces are equipped with MERV13 filtration systems, which can capture about 90 per cent of the PM2.5 particles present during wildfire smoke events that can lead to health harms, according to Grove Mechanical. 

Cleaner Air Spaces locations

The Cleaner Air Spaces Network is distributed across various Toronto Civic Centre locations, including: 

The Cleaner Air Spaces are part of Toronto’s Wildfire Smoke Response Strategy, which is reviewed and updated annually for best practices, according to the city.