An Ontario Cup event was just postponed because of the Quebec wildfires

The second Ontario Cup event of 2023, the Northumberland Classic Road Race, has been postponed until further notice.

“The safety and well-being of our members, racers, volunteers, officials, and staff are our top priority and as a result, we have made the difficult decision to postpone the upcoming Ontario Cup #2 – Northumberland Classic Road Race scheduled to take place on June 10th, 2023. This decision has been made in light of the current wildfire situation and resulting air quality warnings for our province,” a statement read on the Ontario Cycling website.

With over 150 wildfires currently ablaze in Quebec, air quality warnings have been issued in the province, as well as in Ontario and extensive areas of the northeastern United States. The situation remains challenging in Western Canada, where firefighting teams have been grappling with a series of wildfires for the past few weeks. Close to 150 active fires continue to impact Alberta and British Columbia.

There are other races coming up that may be affected. The Tour de Beauce, although seemingly out of the prevailing winds of the fires, begins June 14. The International Tour de l’Abitibi begins July 10, and is very close to many of the fires. The Canadian road nationals take place in Edmonton from June 23-26, but the air quality has gotten much better recently, although experts fear the fires continue all summer.