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Since the weekend, several major fires have been raging across Canadas central and western provinces. The smoke from those fires is now drifting south across the U.S. border and is significantly impacting air quality in several U.S. cities. Heres what you need to know about the Canadian wildfires and their impact on the United States. Whats happened? Last week, several fires began raging across large portions of Canada, particularly in its central and western provinces, reports CNN. The wildfires are something that happens every year, but in recent years, their range and intensity have grown worse thanks to the drier conditions spurred on by climate change. Data from the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (CIFFC) shows that as of Monday, June 2, active fires were raging in Canada. Those fires have been classified into four stages of control: 107 are raging out of control 26 are said to being held 68 are under control 7 are out of control and being monitored Of the active fires, 74 are in Canadas westernmost province, British Columbia, which is above the U.S. states of Washington and Montana. The western province of Alberta has the second-highest number of active fires, with 56. Alberta stands above Montana. The central province of Manitoba currently has 25 active fires, followed by Ontario with 19 and Saskatchewan with 16. Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Ontario span the northern border of the United States from Montana to New York. While the fires’ most disastrous effects are being felt by the Canadian people who live near their epicenters, residents of the United States are also being impacted due to the smoke from the fires drifting into the U.S. Canadian wildfire and smoke impact maps 2025 There are several good mapping resources for those wanting to track the wildfire outbreak and its smoke effects across Canada and the United States. The first map is maintained by the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (CIFFC). The interactive map displays the active fires that are currently raging in Canada. It color codes the fires based on their stage. There are four stages: Under control (blue): The wildfire is completely contained and will be extinguished. Being held (yellow): Given current weather conditions and resources, the wildfire is not anticipated to grow past expected boundaries. Out of Control (Monitored) (purple): Fires with a monitored response type are being observed and assessed, but not immediately suppressed. As there is no suppression action being taken, these fires are considered out of control until declared out for national reporting purposes. Out of Control (red): The wildfire is burning and is expected to continue growing. The map further displays fires in all four stages based on their size, represented by dots of three different diameters. The smallest dots signify that the fire covers 1 to 100 hectares The medium dot signifies an area of 101 to 1,000 hectares The largest dot signifies an area of greater than 1,000 hectares As the CIFFCs map shows, some of the largest fires currently burning out of control are in central Canada, though there are several large fires northwest of Winnipeg, just over Montanas border, that are currently burning out of control. [Screenshot: CIFFC] The second map is provided by AirNow.gov. It displays air quality data from several U.S. government sources, including the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Park Service, NASA, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The AirNow map casts colors across the United States that represent the air quality. Those colors are: Green: good air quality Yellow: moderate Orange: unhealthy for sensitive groups Red: unhealthy Purple: very unhealthy Brown: hazardous The map currently shows that the worst air quality in America is in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Michigan, and Indianathe states directly under some of the worst fires in Manitoba and Ontario. [Screenshot: AirNow] Several cities in Minnesota and Wisconsin are under orange unhealthy for sensitive groups and red unhealthy conditions, including the Duluth and Twin Cities areas of Minnesota, along with Madison and Milwaukee in Wisconsin. However, much of the central eastern and eastern seaboard of the United States, extending all the way to Florida, is also under yellow moderate air quality conditions due to the smoke from the Canadian wildfires drifting south. But some better news is on the horizonat least when it comes to air quality in the United States. p>AirNows map shows that on Wednesday, air quality should improve in the Minnesota and Wisconsin areas, reducing from red unhealthy status to orange unhealthy for sensitive groups only. Unfortunately for Canada, the country is only at the beginning of its annual wildfire season. Already, the nation is at a National Preparedness Level (NPL) of fivethe highest possible and one in which full commitment of national resources is ongoing to support fighting the fires. As noted by CNN, Canada did not reach the NPL level of five last year until July 15. This year, it reached that level on May 28.
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Believe nothing. not even peoples runs, a viral post on X reads. believe nothing. not even people's runspic.twitter.com/tvYjzZbhZF— Pedro Duarte (@peduarte) May 20, 2025 The accompanying video shows a program that maps running or cycling routes, which users can then upload to online exercise-tracking platforms like Strava and Maprunnerall without ever lacing up their shoes. Insane, I hate it and I love it. great work, the X user added. The website, called Fake My Run, is described by its developer Arthur Bouffard, 26, in a recent interview with The New York Times, as truly a milestone in lazy technology innovation. On the site, users can draw or choose a route on a map, set a pace, date, and start time, and even input heart rate data. They then add a name and description before downloading a fake workout summaryfor just $0.42 per file. the haters said it couldn't be donethey were wrongintroducing heart rate data generation for https://t.co/j8RvzkVggm pic.twitter.com/x1d8NeLM29— Arthur Bouffard (@arthurbfrd) May 26, 2025 If this sounds insane, thats exactly the point. Its like cheating at solitaire, one X user put it. But Bouffard, a runner himself, created Fake My Run after growing disillusioned with the evolving culture of the sport. Running used to be a very personal sport that was mainly practised to challenge yourself, to improve your physical and mental health, to stay in shape, to compete with others, to discover new parts of the world, etc, he explained in a post on X. In the last couple of years, I’ve seen running increasingly shift towards becoming a social status and way of signalling a lifestyle. Will I get sued for this? Ive just built https://t.co/xNRh2i2CGQ a website that lets you create fake running activitiesStrava mules have gone viral recently for charging 10-20$ to run for other people and improve their stats, which made me think there has to be an easier way pic.twitter.com/YgROVefm5t— Arthur Bouffard (@arthurbfrd) May 20, 2025 Running is booming. The number of people in running clubs has risen by 25% in the U.S. over the past five years, according to Running USA. Some now list marathon times on their résumés. These days, if you didnt post your 5km PB on Instagram or Strava, did it even happen? Would you still run a marathon if the catch was that you could never mention it or post about it? Even more extreme, Bouffard says, are the so-called Strava mulespeople paid $1020 to log fake runs for others seeking virtual praise without any of the sweat. Like social media though, running posts can be faked. Which is in part why I made Fake My Run. As a way to challenge the culture shift around running, Bouffard continued. Although Bouffard insists the app is intended purely for entertainment and educational purposes, the fitness platforms it satirizes arent amused. A spokesperson for Strava told the Times the company has already taken steps to delete activities and ban accounts that have used Fake My Run. Since launching, the site has attracted more than 200,000 visitors, and around 500 have purchased tokens to generate fake runs. So, next time your Strava rival shaves 10 minutes off their personal bestmaybe take it with a pinch of salt.
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At Odie Bs, a sandwich shop in Denver, recovery from drug and alcohol use is part of daily operations. Seventy percent of our staff is active in recovery, Cliff Blauvelt, co-owner of Odie Bs, said in a video testimonial. We try to provide a safe space where people can feel comfortable. Blauvelt has struggled with alcohol use for more than 20 years. He co-owns Odie Bs with his wife, Cara Blauvelt. One employee, Molly, said working at Odie Bs helped her focus on sobriety and reconnect with her sense of purpose. I was burned out, I was working a lot of hours. I started dry January, and after a few months I realized I needed to quit drinking, she said in the same video testimonial. Cara definitely helped with my sobriety journey, just reminding me one day at a time, and now, I have been sober for going on two years. Colorado is one of more than 30 states that have launched recovery-friendly workplace programs in recent years. Theyre part of a growing effort to reframe how employers address addiction, mental health and recovery for the well-being of their employees and businesses. Our team from the Centers for Health, Work & Environment at the Colorado School of Public Health works with employers to develop training guidelines and policies to help make their workplaces supportive of recovery. Over the past three years, weve worked to understand the tools employers need to better support employees with substance use disorders. Many are deeply motivated but lack formal policies or training. That gap is what the Colorado Recovery Friendly Workplace Initiative is designed to fill. Since 2021, our team has developed and delivered recovery and mental health training to more than 8,000 Colorado employees. They represent more than 100 businesses in industries ranging from local government to construction companies and health care providers. Our training sessions focus on equipping individuals with an understanding of mental health and substance use disorders, explaining how to combat stigma, and outlining how to navigate accommodations in the workplace. The toll of addiction Substance use is not just a personal issue; its a public health and workforce challenge. In 2023, 1,865 Coloradans died from a drug overdose, according to data from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. Thats up about 65 deaths from the previous year. Nationally, overdose deaths have more than doubled since 2015. In high-risk industries, such as construction and mining, where physically demanding work, long hours and job insecurity are common, workers have some of the highest rates of nonmedical opioid use. These workers are thus at a high risk of developing substance use disorders. They also face other mental health challenges. These same sectors face the highest suicide rates across all occupations and nearly double that of the general public. Recovery, as defined by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, a federal agency, includes a process of change through which people improve their health and wellness, live self-directed lives, and strive to reach their full potential. In Colorado, an estimated 400,000 people identify as being in recovery. Many of them are working, raising families and rebuilding their lives. The economic impact of substance use is significant. Colorado has lost more than 360 million work hours to opioid use over the past decade, according to the American Action Forum, a nonprofit that conducts economic analyses. Thats the equivalent of 173,000 full-time jobs for one year. In 2017 alone, the cost of lost productivity due to opioid use disorder and fatal opioid overdose in Colorado was estimated to be US$834 million. Employers save an average of $8,500 per year for each employee in recovery, according to the National Safety Council. These savings come from lower health care costs, reduced absenteeism and decreased turnover. In other words, when employers retain and support workers through recovery rather than lose them to untreated substance use, they see measurable benefits. A shifting policy landscape In 2024, Colorado lawmakers passed a bill for supporting recovery and addressing the opioid epidemic. The legislation provided funding to establish the Recovery Friendly Workplaces Initiative and the voluntary employer participation and certification program. In early 2025, funding for the initiative was removed from the state budget due to a broader fiscal shortfall. The funding cut disrupted many of our planned activities, and we are currently relying on interim support from counties and state offices. Looking ahead Small businesses remain a priority for our team, despite recent funding cuts. Many lack human resources departments or formal wellness programs but are nonetheless deeply committed to helping their employees succeed. A Colorado Recovery Friendly Workplace Initative participant, Absolute Caulking & Waterproofing of Colorado, employs 39 people. Absolute has championed recovery-friendly policies as something the business values. This partnership saves us time and resources, which is invaluable for our small, family-owned business, said Sarah Deering, vice president of the company. The road ahead presents challenges, including limited funding, the societal stigma around recovery and all of the complexities of recovery itself. But we continue to follow the scientific evidence. Our research team is evaluating the outcomes of our programs to better understand their impact and hopefullyinform future policy recommendations. We are committed to the belief that work can and should be a place of healing. Liliana Tenney is an assistant professor at the Department of Environmental & Occupational Health at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and Olivia Zarella is a research associate at the Center for Health, Work & Environment at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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