Air quality in Brandon down to ‘moderate risk’

The Brandon area is expected to hit level 5 today on Environment and Climate Change Canada’s air quality health index.

Wind is blowing smoke from fires in western provinces toward Westman. The level 5 rating is considered a “moderate risk.” The scale goes from level 1 to 10+.

Christi Climenhaga, a scientist with Environment and Climate Change Canada, said Westman hasn’t had a lot of smoke compared to the rest of the province.

“There’s lots of smoke a little further north from (Brandon) and further towards the east, but that southwestern corner of Manitoba has been seeing that air quality changing quite a bit, and quite a bit more varied,” Climenhaga said.

She said most of the smoke from the fires in northern Manitoba have been drifting southeast, completely missing Brandon. The smoke t