Wildfire Smoke Deaths in Canada Surge 275% Since Early 2000s, Lancet Report Finds
A report published in The Lancet reveals that deaths associated with wildfire smoke in Canada have risen by approximately 275% since the early 2000s, reaching an annual average of 4,000 between 2021 and 2025. Public health experts attribute the increase to climate change and are calling for sustained funding as current Health Canada adaptation support is set to expire in 2027-28.
A report published Tuesday in The Lancet indicates that deaths associated with wildfire smoke in Canada have increased by approximately 275 per cent since the early 2000s. Between 2021 and 2025, there was an average of 4,000 annual deaths linked to wildfire smoke, compared to an average of 1,050 annually during the 2003–2012 period.
Public health experts attribute this rise to climate change. Exposure to fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) and other pollutants from fires causes premature deaths and hospitalizations for heart and lung conditions. Wildfire emissions also carry long-term risks of cardio-respiratory death and potential cancer. Hazardous air quality conditions have been recorded in major urban centers far from fire sites, while older adults, young children, pregnant women, and those with pre-existing conditions face greater vulnerability.
The report highlights significant environmental changes across the country. Canada lost 5.2 million hectares of tree cover in 2024, representing a 148 per cent increase compared to 2016. Wildfires accounted for 86 per cent of that tree cover loss.
Heat exposure has also intensified. In 2025, 80 per cent of the heatwave days experienced across Canada were directly attributable to climate change. People in Canada were exposed to approximately 36 more hours annually during which heat posed a moderate or higher risk of heat stress during moderate outdoor activity.
Ian Culbert, executive director of the Canadian Public Health Association, and Scott Weichenthal, a professor in the department of epidemiology and biostatistics at McGill University, are among the public health experts addressing these growing threats. Experts are calling for sustained public health interventions and permanent climate and health adaptation funds, noting that current Health Canada funding for climate and health adaptation ends in 2027-28.