When smoky days caused by raging wildfires made breathing difficult this week, I realized summer is quickly becoming my least favourite season.

Welcome to the 171^st edition of The Sunday Spark, a series with weekly thoughts and highlights, nuggets of learning, and a quote of the week. Along with the perils of smoky days, this week’s edition has good news about innovations in urban farming, better management of donated goods, and the positive impact of bike lanes on local business.

On my mind this week: The lazy, hazy, smoky days of summer

Like most Canadians, I’m always excited for the return of warmer temperatures when winter finally releases us from its icy grip. In recent years, though, extreme weather has turned summer into my least favourite season.

We started this week under an extreme heat warning as temperatures soared into the mid-30s. Then, smoke from hundreds of wildfires burning in northern Ontario blew in. Air quality warnings soon replaced the extreme heat warnings.

By mid-week, we had the dubious honour of having the worst air quality in the world as we endured several smoky days. It wasn’t safe to be outside. Spending time indoors with the windows closed isn’t my idea of summer fun, but it’s becoming all too common in a warming world.

And mother nature wasn’t done with us yet. By week’s end, a severe thunderstorm watch warned of wind gusts up to 100 kilometres per hour, and quarter-sized hail.

All this weather is concerning, but the health hazards posed by wildfire smoke is most worrisome.

Climate change deniers are quick to point out that we’ve always had wildfires. It’s true, we have. But no reasonable person can deny that the fires are becoming more intense, more frequent, and more difficult to control. I’ve lived in southern Ontario for 53 years, and we had never been threatened by wildfire smoke until 2021. Since then, we’ve seen smoky days and air quality warnings every summer.

Bullying and threats won’t stop the smoke

This week, I shook my head at the stupidity and ignorance of American politicians threatening tariffs and sanctions and insisting that Canada do something immediately to stop the smoke that has “invaded” the United States.

The current smoky skies concern us all. It should serve as a reminder that natural disasters don’t care about borders. I would invite these uninformed politicians to consider two things.

First, look at a map. Canada is a huge landmass, and a big part of our country is uninhabited or sparsely populated forest. In fact, Canada is home to a third of the world’s boreal forest.  Sadly, in a warming world, wildfires are inevitable. Dry vegetation, drought and intense heat make wildfires more difficult to prevent and control.

Second, instead of complaining, try offering help. The wind blows both ways. On a vacation in western Canada a few years ago, much of southern B.C. and Alberta were suffering from poor air quality caused by wildfires in Washington state. Instead of complaining and making threats, Canada sent help. We are getting help from firefighters from the U.S. and other countries, and we truly appreciate that.

Sadly, the politicians pointing fingers and complaining are also the ones dismantling environmental policies and burying their heads in the sand as to the effects of climate change.

The current wildfire situation is difficult for everyone, especially those who have lost their homes and been evacuated from their communities. Whining from ignorant politicians isn’t helpful. I don’t often agree with anything the U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra has to say, but he nailed it this week when he said, “This is a shared challenge, and it demands a shared response.”

At this point, all we can do is pray for rain to give relief to those risking their lives to fight these fires.

And while we’re at it, let’s pray we can all breathe easier and get back to summer fun soon.

---

Let’s keep in touch! Join my mailing list and I’ll email you when I add a new post.

---

Three highlights of the week

It’s important to celebrate big milestones and simple pleasures in life. Keeping the trend going, here are three highlights and simple pleasures of the week gone by:

• Monday was my birthday. It was a quiet day, but I celebrated with dinner out at Swiss Chalet.
• On Tuesday, I met up with former work colleagues for dinner to celebrate the retirement of a former boss. This is a special group. Our friendships date back to the early 1990s, across two companies.
• Retirement Voices, featuring a chapter I wrote on decluttering heading into retirement, was released on Tuesday. By the end of the week, it achieved Amazon #1 Best Seller status. (Learn more about the book and how you can buy the e-book for just $1.40 in this post.)

Things I learned this week

Life is all about learning. Here are three things I learned this week:

Keeping donated goods out of landfill

Donating unwanted goods feels like a sustainable option, but Goodwill reports 25% of donated goods can’t be sold.

This led Goodwill to partner with London Ontario’s Western University and Fanshawe College on some innovative solutions.

Using a thermal process called pyrolysis, Fanshawe College is turning clothing waste into materials to enrich soil. And Western University has developed an AI application to sort waste and improve recovery rates.

(Source: Western University)

Bike lanes don’t hurt local businesses

Those who argue against bike lanes say they hurt local business by making it harder for people to reach them by car. A new study shows those claims are unfounded.

Montreal researchers looked at every bike lane built on the Island of Montreal between 2005 and 2020. They found the impact of bike lanes on local business to be neutral. A notable exception was the downtown area, where bike lanes connecting universities, office towers, commercial districts and residential neighbourhoods had a positive impact on local business growth.  

(Source: Momentum Mag)

Montreal leads the way with urban farming

Canada’s harsh winters make our growing season short. As a result, we import 88% of our fresh fruit and nuts and 72% of our vegetables.

Reducing food insecurity requires creative solutions. Montreal is leading the way with 57 large indoor farms thanks to support and investment from the Quebec government. Lufa Farms, for example, grows cucumbers, tomatoes, eggplant, peppers and a variety of leafy greens in its six Montreal locations. Each day, the company harvests around 10,000 pounds of cucumbers.

(Source: Canadian Affairs)

Quote of the week

If we pollute the air, water and soil that keep us alive and well, and destroy the biodiversity that allows natural systems to function, no amount of money will save us.

David Suzuki

---

I’d love to hear what you think about any of this week’s topics. Drop me a comment below and let me know your thoughts and ideas