 Here’s what you need to know to get the day started: | | | Wildfires made Canada's air quality worse than the U.S. for the first time | | |  | The Detroit skyline as seen from Windsor, Ont., is barely visible through smoke and haze on June 29, 2023. Air quality in Windsor was among the worst in the world at one point last summer. (Dax Melmer/CBC) | | | Canada's record-setting wildfire season hiked the country up global pollution rankings — and for the first time made its air quality worse than the U.S., according to a new report by air quality technology company IQAir.
"In previous years, Canada had the cleanest air quality in all of North America," said Glory Dolphin Hammes, CEO of IQAir's North American division.
"This year we saw just the exact opposite. Our top 13 most polluted cities [in North America] are actually in Canada." Fort McMurray and Peace River in Alberta, along with Yellowknife, took the top three regional spots.
As the climate warms, priming conditions for longer and more intense wildfire seasons, experts say protecting our air quality will be critical to our health and development.
The report measured annual average concentrations of fine particulate matter, designated as PM2.5 — linked to numerous health issues — from more than 30,000 air quality monitoring stations around the world.
It then compared those amounts to the World Health Organization's air quality guidelines.
Only 10 out of 134 countries featured in the report fell into that acceptable range.
Canada ranked 93rd, with an annual average PM2.5 concentration of 10.3 micrograms per cubic metre of air (μg/m³) — considered two to three times beyond the WHO's recommended level.
The more populous U.S., for comparison, had an annual average concentration of 9.1. Daily and hourly amounts were not included, but it's worth noting some Canadian cities crossed PM2.5 concentrations many times higher on particularly smoky days.
Sarah Henderson, scientific director of Environmental Health Services at the B.C. Centre for Disease Control, said it adds uncertainty to the gains made on air quality in North America.
"We've reduced what cars can emit, we've reduced what industry can emit and you see these air quality improvements," Henderson said. "Wildfire smoke is a wild card. We don't get to regulate that." | | | | | Banksy's newest mural highlights cropped tree, drawing crowds who see environmental message | | |  | (Jonathan Brady/The Associated Press) | | | | People view a tree mural which appeared this week on a residential building in Finsbury Park in London, England. On Monday, the mural was confirmed to be by elusive graffiti artist Banksy. Read more on this story here. | | | | | | | | | In brief | | | Brian Mulroney will begin lying in state in Ottawa today as a week of tributes to Canada's 18th prime minister continues. The funeral procession for Mulroney, who died last month at age 84, will arrive at the Sir John A. Macdonald Building at 9:30 a.m. ET, beginning a day-and-a-half period for dignitaries and the public to pay their respects. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, House of Commons Speaker Greg Fergus and Senate Speaker Raymonde Gagné will greet the procession. Gov. Gen. Mary Simon and other dignitaries will begin arriving at 10 a.m. to offer condolences to the family of the former Progressive Conservative leader, who served as prime minister from 1984 until 1993. Members of the public can visit from 12:30 until 6 p.m. Tuesday, and 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. Wednesday. The funeral for Mulroney will take place Saturday in Montreal. Read the full story here.
Niagara Falls, Ont., Mayor Jim Diodati says that when he goes out on April 8 to watch the total solar eclipse, he's packing everything he might need for the entire day. "My plan is I'm riding my bike down there with my backpack. And it's going to be loaded with cereal bars and water bottles. I'll have, of course, my eclipse glasses and an extra charger for my cell phone," he said. The city is preparing for around one million visitors that day — its most ever — which could make getting around difficult. With a projected three minutes and 32 seconds of totality — when the moon fully covers the sun — starting at 3:18 p.m. ET, Niagara Falls is marketing itself as one of the best places to see the eclipse, a celestial phenomenon that won't repeat in the Hamilton and Niagara regions for over a century. Read the full story here.
Iranian human rights activist Atena Daemi didn't want to leave her native country — even after spending six years in prison and being subjected to physical and psychological torture. But in 2022, her multiple sclerosis had advanced to such a degree that her physician told her she needed to seek medical care abroad. "I never thought about leaving Iran, even through my darkest days of imprisonment," said Daemi, 35, in a recent interview with CBC News. "I wouldn't have left, if it wasn't for my MS." And so she undertook a perilous and unpredictable six-month journey that took her from Tehran to St. John's. Read the full story here.
Employees of the health services offshoot of Telus Communications are only reimbursed for certain drug prescriptions if they fill them through the company's own virtual pharmacy, CBC News has learned. CBC News spoke with three employees of Telus Health who shared screenshots showing details of the new policy, which took effect March 1. It states that the company's "virtual pharmacy' is now the "preferred provider" for the group prescription drug plan, saying it has "lower markups and dispensing fees than the industry average." The employees expressed frustration that they would no longer be able to choose where they filled certain prescriptions unless they paid out of pocket. They were also concerned that they could miss deliveries of vital medications by using the virtual pharmacy, and that those who live in rural areas could be especially affected. Read the full story here.
Now here's some good news to start your Tuesday: The seniors at a Waterloo, Ont., retirement residence are feeling great — and looking it, too — thanks to a group of medical students who provide a monthly pampering. "They still really value getting their nails done or their makeup done. And you can see the smiles on their faces," Harleen Chahal, a second-year medical student at McMaster University, told White Coat, Black Art host Brian Goldman. "I remember there was one lady who was like, 'I can't wait to show my granddaughters how my nails look.'" For one Saturday of every month, 15 medical students from McMaster University's Waterloo campus, known as the GlamourGals, spend their morning doling out make-overs and manicures to the residents of Chartwell Terrace on the Square Retirement Residence. Read the full story here. | | | FIRST PERSON | I was on the road to financial stability but now even a trip to the grocery store gives me anxiety | Crystal MacCormac and her spouse used to be financially comfortable and were able to cover the necessities with a little left over for savings. Now, the cost of everything has skyrocketed and each trip to the grocery store is demoralizing. Read her column here. | | | | | | |  | West Bank real estate, protests at Canadian synagogue | People protested outside a Thornhill, Ont., synagogue as a real estate event inside advertised property in the occupied West Bank. What can their face-off outside a synagogue tell us about how the conflicts in Gaza and the West Bank are reverberating in Canada?
Listen to today's episode | | | Today in history: March 19 | | | 1885: The North-West Rebellion, also known as the North-West Resistance, begins when a provisional government led by Louis Riel is proclaimed in Batoche, Sask.
1953: The Academy Awards are televised for the first time. The Greatest Show on Earth is named best picture. Gary Cooper wins the best actor award for High Noon. Shirley Booth wins best actress for her role in Come Back, Little Sheba.
1976: Buckingham Palace announces the separation of Princess Margaret and her husband, the Earl of Snowdon, after 16 years of marriage. Their marriage was dissolved in 1978.
2007: Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor formally apologizes for misleading the House of Commons over the monitoring of prisoners taken by Canadian troops during fighting in Afghanistan. | | | (With files from CBC News, The Canadian Press, The Associated Press and Reuters) | | | | |  | CBC NEWS APP | The most convenient way to get your news
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