Wildfire smoke continues to blanket Toronto as an orange air quality warning remains in effect, forcing the city to shut down many outdoor amenities on Thursday.

Citing the severity of the air quality event and the fact that Toronto is “among the cities experiencing the worst air quality in the world,” city officials decided to keep outdoor and wading pools closed.

The city says CampTo programs will continue to operate, however, outdoor activities will be moved indoors on Thursday. All CampTO field trips are cancelled until further notice.

All other

When wildfires burn, smoke can travel long distances and degrade air quality far away, posing risks to those breathing it.

Fires burning in one state can make the air worse several states away, and wildfires in Canada can send smoke into U.S. cities.

Here’s what to know about taking precautions against poor air quality due to wildfires.

What counts as bad air?

The Environmental Protection Agency’s Air Quality Index converts all pollutant levels into a single number. The lower the number, the better.

OTTAWA — Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. says the annual pace of housing starts in June fell six per cent compared with May.

The national housing agency says the seasonally adjusted rate of housing starts came in at 238,971 units in June compared with 253,083 in May.

The six-month moving average of the seasonally adjusted annual rate was 248,123 units for June, down 2.8 per cent from May.

The results came as CMHC

Canada’s Drug Agency is recommending that public drug plans pay for a treatment shown to slow the progression of early-stage Alzheimer’s disease if patients meet certain conditions.

Lecanemab is an antibody that targets the buildup of amyloid plaque in the brain, which is believed to be an underlying cause of the disease.

Health Canada approved it last October, but Canada’s drug agency recommended against publicly funding it in February due to concerns about effectiveness and possible side effects of brain swelling or bleeding.

But after reconsidering at

Cyclospora: it’s a microscopic organism found in water, but can spread to food, especially produce. Found most commonly in wet and warm climates, it can travel into your grocery store through things like imported lettuce, raspberries, carrots, or more. And once you catch it, it causes some ‘explosive’ problems. Right now, more than half of U.S. states — with Michigan seeming to be the epicentre — are dealing with outbreaks, which begs the question, will Canada be next?

York Regional Police (YRP) are investigating a serious overnight collision in Whitchurch‑Stouffville that left two people with life‑threatening injuries and forced the closure of a major roadway for several hours.

Officers were called to Bloomington Road and Kennedy Road at 12:35 a.m. for what police initially described as a single‑vehicle collision. Emergency crews found at least two injured occupants, one of whom was rushed to a Toronto trauma centre.

Police confirmed both individuals were later transported to trauma hospitals and are

The British government on Thursday urged FIFA to investigate Argentina’s team after players posed with a banner claiming sovereignty over the contested Falkland Islands.

Argentina beat England 2-1 in a World Cup semifinal on Wednesday in Atlanta.

During post-match celebrations, Argentine players held a banner handed over by fans in the stands, reading “Las Malvinas son Argentinas” — “The Malvinas are Argentine.”

Argentina refers to the Falkland Islands as Islas Malvinas. They were invaded in 1982 under orders from Argentina’

Winds out of the northwest could fan the flames of dozens of forest fires that have already devastated communities in northern Ontario.

Environment Canada says the community of Armstrong can expect widespread smoke with wind gusts of up to 40 kilometres per hour for most of today.

The fires have prompted evacuation orders for several communities, including Armstrong, Lac La Croix First Nation, Whitesand First Nation, Gull Bay First Nation and Lac des Mille Lacs First Nation.

One fast-moving blaze has damaged and destroyed homes and buildings on Namaygoosisagagun First

TORONTO — Ontario’s colleges and universities ministry has disqualified students at five private career colleges from receiving student assistance loans this coming year, after raising concerns with some of the schools’ course enrolment practices.

The move comes as career college students across the province are barred from accessing grants through the Ontario Student Assistance Program, part of a financial aid overhaul by the provincial government that also involves sharply reducing the amount of grants students at universities and publicly funded colleges can receive.

When Premier Doug Ford’s government made the announcement