Wildfire smoke posed a very high health risk to residents of Steinbach on Tuesday morning. That is according to the Air Quality Health Index or AQHI. According to the Manitoba Lung Association, the AQHI is based on the combined levels of three different air pollutants.

As thousands more people are airlifted out of northern Manitoba communities because of wildfires, smoke is causing a haze in much of the province, making the air dangerous to breathe.

The smoke from Canadian wildfires produced some of the worst fine particle pollution on record in Minnesota over the weekend. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency released the top hourly fine particle readings from the air quality alert that ran from Friday to Sunday, with the worst reading reaching 404.9 in Detroit Lakes.

While wildfire smoke continues to shroud much of Manitoba and suppress extreme temperatures in farm regions, agricultural leaders say the benefits to crops come with deep concern for families and communities being driven from their homes.

Scattering sunlight, disrupting bees, damaging plant tissue - farmers can’t always offset the effects of smoky days

While some organizations have published clear air quality thresholds or contingency protocols for wildfire smoke, FIFA's plans remain unclear less than a year out from the 2026 World Cup.

Six members of Congress from Wisconsin and Minnesota have asked Canada to say how it plans to tackle the blazes and reduce the haze billowing south.