A stubborn fire continues to choke parts of southeast Calgary with hazardous air quality, prompting provincial warnings and renewed calls for transparency from city leadership.
The blaze at ECCO Recycling and Energy Corp.'s former landfill site has been burning since early September, and while Alberta's Environment Minister Grant Hunter says most of Calgary faces only low health risk, certain neighbourhoods are experiencing alarming spikes in air pollution.
Where Is the Air Quality Worst?
Residents in Douglasdale, Quarry Park, McKenzie Towne, and New Brighton should take particular precautions. The Calgary Fire Department issued formal warnings for these communities, noting that air quality conditions have been deteriorating, especially for sensitive groups including children, seniors, and those with respiratory or heart conditions.
The primary culprit? Fine particulate matter smaller than 2.5 micrometres — known as PM 2.5 — which can penetrate deep into the lungs and bloodstream, triggering serious health complications including heart disease and chronic respiratory illness.
What's Being Done About It?
Alberta has deployed a mobile air quality monitoring laboratory to track pollution levels in real time. Hunter confirmed that PM 2.5 exceedances have occurred «intermittently rather than continuously,» with some readings climbing into the high-risk category on the Air Quality Health Index (AQHI).
«Elevated concentrations have generally been localized and influenced by changing plume and wind conditions,» Hunter stated in a Monday release.
The province is also investigating whether unauthorized hazardous materials were deposited at the site, which is licensed only for inert waste like lumber and drywall. ECCO has stated it stopped accepting new waste in 2024.
City Leadership Demands Answers
Calgary Mayor Jeromy Farkas and Councillor Rob Ward sent a joint letter to the province demanding the immediate release of detailed air quality testing results — a clear signal that city officials want more transparency about what residents are breathing.
The province has committed to releasing all air-monitoring data and laboratory results publicly, and samples have been sent for expedited analysis to determine exactly what's in the smoke.
Residents concerned about air quality can stay informed through community channels like Calgary Forums, where locals discuss neighbourhood impacts and share real-time observations.
This article is based on reporting from CBC Calgary.