As wildfire season begins, Canada’s federal government has announced the country’s first-ever federally funded reserve of firefighting aircraft that will be used to support provinces and territories. Last year’s wildfire season was Canada’s second-worst on record; it prompted severe air quality alerts across much of the country. 

McGill University experts are available to comment: 

Sasha Bernatsky, MD, is a James McGill Professor in the Divisions of Rheumatology and Clinical Epidemiology and co-director of the Lupus Clinic at the Montreal General Hospital. A leading expert in how the environment affects immune-system health, Bernatsky was the first to identify potential links between air pollution and autoimmune conditions.  

sasha.bernatsky [at] mcgill.ca (English, French) 

John Gradek, Faculty Lecturer, School of Continuing Studies, co-ordinates McGill's aviation and supply chain programs and is a former Air Canada executive. Gradek can discuss why Canada needs a better co-ordinated national wildfire strategy. He can also comment on how wildfire smoke affects air travel, including flight delays and cancellations due to reduced visibility. 

john.gradek [at] mcgill.ca (English, French)  

Jay Kaufman, Full Professor, Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health, can discuss how increasing wildfires are reversing years of progress in air quality. In a new paper published in Environment International, Kaufman and colleagues explore why current regulations struggle to address PM2.5, a harmful pollutant produced by wildfire smoke. 

jay.kaufman [at] mcgill.ca (English) 

Scott Weichenthal, Professor, Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health can comment on the short- and long-term health impacts of wildfire smoke exposure, as well as the broader links between air pollution and chronic diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular disease.  

scott.weichenthal [at] mcgill.ca (English)