Study finds air quality warnings had only a modest impact on Montrealers' movements during wildfires
When Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) urged Montrealers to limit outdoor activity during Canada's worst wildfire smoke episodes, the city's travel patterns shifted—but far less than public health officials might have hoped, according to a new McGill University study published in Health & Place.
A new McGill University study published in Health & Place has found that Montrealers' movements changed modestly during Canada's worst wildfire smoke episodes, according to a report by Science X. When Environment and Climate Change Canada urged residents to limit outdoor activity, travel patterns shifted, but the changes were less significant than officials might have hoped.
Using data from 27 days between 2022 and 2025, researchers at the Platial Analysis Lab at McGill University examined bikeshare trips, bus and metro ridership, and recreational running. They found that bikeshare trips fell by 5.8%, while bus ridership rose by 6.7% and metro ridership increased by 4.7%. While people moved from open-air travel to enclosed modes, the size of the change was small.
Recreational running showed no statistically significant change, although data limitations may have affected the result. The researchers suggest that more efforts are needed to communicate the dangers of smoke exposure, especially as wildfires become more frequent.
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