Red Deer had the smokiest year ever — and Red Deerians paid the price, suggests an Advocate poll.
Readers were asked if they were affected by air quality this summer and 73 per cent (54 votes) said yes. Only 23 per cent (17 votes) said no. Four per cent (three votes) were not sure.
The Advocate reported on Aug. 21 that 228 hours of smoke had been recorded since the beginning of May. That easily topped the previous mark of 198 hours of smoke set last year. That broke a previous 61-year record of 87 smoke hours between May and September.
Between 1981 and 2010, on average, the city recorded 10 smoke hours.