Wildfire smoke changing outdoor sports landscape

Winnipeg Free Press

13-06-2025

Air quality concerns due to wildfire smoke are changing the landscape of sporting events in Winnipeg. From community centre-run programs to professional leagues, outdoor sports have been impacted by smoke delays, cancellations and playing in less than ideal conditions, leading some to rethink how summer outdoor seasons should be planned going forward.
Krista Fraser-Kruck, general manager of Riverview Community Centre in South Osborne, which offers baseball, soccer, softball, ultimate (frisbee) and summer day camps, says wildfire smoke has forced cancellations and caused rescheduling challenges, especially difficult in a short summer season.
'The priority is keeping kids safe,' said Fraser-Kruck. 'For our community, we just want to keep our kids safe, and so doing what's in the best interest of their health is our priority.'
For their youth soccer games, Riverview Community Centre follows the Winnipeg Youth Soccer Association's policy, which calls for citywide cancellations if Environment Canada's Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) reaches seven or higher.
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With increasing concerns of wildfire smoke, Fraser-Kruck says that if poor air quality becomes more of a regular occurrence, they might need to reduce the number of scheduled games to better accommodate makeups, especially for soccer, where matches are rarely cancelled.
'For soccer, they play through pretty much anything except for lightning, right?' said Fraser-Kruck. 'So it's kind of crazy for them to be straight-up cancelling because of air quality, that's unprecedented.'
When it comes to baseball games, cancellations due to weather-related issues like rain have always been part of the summer season, but smoke is a newer challenge.
Jason Miller, executive director of Baseball Manitoba, says the organization had been working on an air quality policy for some time, but the recent wildfires pushed them to speed up the process.
On June 5, Baseball Manitoba released its official policy outlining what actions teams should take during smoky conditions.
Based on Environment Canada data, when the AQHI reads between four and six — a moderate health risk — Baseball Manitoba recommends that teams monitor at-risk athletes and consider reducing the physical exertion levels and the amount of time those athletes spend outside.
When levels are between seven and 10, teams should apply those considerations to all athletes. If the AQHI rises above 10, they recommend cancelling or rescheduling outdoor activity and significantly reducing physical exertion and time spent outdoors for everyone.
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Miller says they've only had a few days of games and practices impacted so far, and that last year, a few evenings were cancelled by coaches out of caution.
'It's nice just to create a policy and give people some guidelines and give them the tools they need to cancel effectively when they should,' he said.
But Fraser-Kruck says following Baseball Manitoba's air quality policy can be a bit more complicated than how the MYSA handles smoke cancellations, as the decision to play or not is left up to coaches and umpires.
'This year is very different, it's been so dry,' said Fraser-Kruck. 'But then having to cancel for air quality, yeah, it's really different. And not everybody agrees on it. I would say it's mildly controversial from community to community.'
Miller says the reason games and practices are not widely cancelled is because air quality readings can vary between areas, making a blanket cancellation less practical.
'The wind can change things so dramatically and so quickly that all of a sudden it can become smoky, or all of a sudden the smoking dissipates and allows you to play,' said Miller.
'So we have left it in the hands of the coaches and umpires at game time with our policy, which clearly states the numbers and the readings and the apps in which they should be looking at to determine if it should be cancelled or not.'
Fraser-Kruck says that while they want to play as much baseball as possible in the summer, deciding whether to cancel or not can be challenging.
'There can be a discrepancy between the two teams, which I feel can be very awkward, especially for the people having to handle it, right?' said Fraser-Kruck.
'I know our team manager felt very uncomfortable with the reply they got to reschedule — their proposal to reschedule the game wasn't well received.'
'Soccer coaches aren't fighting over it because WYSA cancels everything for the night. And so that makes it a lot easier,' she said.
Miller says that for now, there are no plans to change their approach to the air quality policy looking forward.
'I think that we've been treating smoke a lot like rain, we can either play or we can't play, and the people on the field have to decide that at the time of the game, and that's the approach we're going to take,' said Miller.
However, smoke concerns haven't been treated like rain by all baseball organizations in the city. The Winnipeg Goldeyes and the American Association of Professional Baseball currently do not have an air quality policy and have played games when Environment Canada's AQHI index was 10 or higher.
BROOK JONES / FREE PRESS
The Manitoba Marathon currently has no specific air quality protocols laid out regarding what systems or Air Quality Health Index levels would trigger a race cancellation on Sunday.
BROOK JONES / FREE PRESS
The Manitoba Marathon currently has no specific air quality protocols laid out regarding what systems or Air Quality Health Index levels would trigger a race cancellation on Sunday.
This contrasts with other outdoor professional leagues in Winnipeg that play during the summer, such as the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Valour FC, both of which have taken precautions on poor air quality days.
Valour postponed two games earlier in June in accordance with the CPL's air quality policy, while the Bombers held a practice indoors and delayed a pre-season game in Regina due to the CFL's policy, which suspends outdoor activities when the AQHI reaches eight or higher.
Horse racing at Assiniboia Downs has also been affected this summer, with three mornings of training lost due to air quality challenges.
Although no races have been cancelled this year, Assiniboia Downs CEO Darren Dunn says it's an issue they have dealt with every year for the past four years.
'It's going to be an area of concern throughout the race season for sure,' said Dunn. 'We monitor it closely, and if we have to cancel and reschedule and adjust, we'll do that.'
RUTH BONNEVILLE / FREE PRESS
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers finished a practice indoors earlier this month. The CFL's policy suspends play if the Air Quality Health Index reaches eight or higher.
RUTH BONNEVILLE / FREE PRESS
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers finished a practice indoors earlier this month. The CFL's policy suspends play if the Air Quality Health Index reaches eight or higher.
Assiniboia Downs follows protocols set by their regulator, the Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Authority, which automatically cancels races if the AQHI reaches seven.
'The time of an average race is about one minute, but it is at a high speed and a high velocity of air for both the jockey and the horse,' said Dunn. 'So it's a sensitivity thing. We're always going to err on the side of caution with the safety of the horses and the jockeys at the forefront.'
For on-foot race events coming up in Winnipeg, like the Manitoba Marathon, there are currently no specific air quality protocols laid out regarding what systems or AQHI levels would trigger a race cancellation.
The Manitoba High School Athletic Association Provincial Track and Field Championships, which were recently cancelled on June 6 due to poor air quality, followed Environment Canada health guidelines which pauses competition when the AQHI reaches eight or higher.
The Manitoba Marathon Team and Medical Committee have been monitoring weather and air quality daily. Starting June 9, course updates have been posted on social media and emailed. The race is currently set to start at 7:00 a.m. on Sunday as planned.
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JASON HALSTEAD / FREE PRESS
Although no races have been cancelled this year, three mornings of training have been lost at Assiniboia Downs due to air quality. Racing is automatically cancelled if the Air Quality Health Index reaches seven.