TRU prof calls for Domtar shutdown, cancellation of Ribfest due to smoke
KAMLOOPS — A Thompson Rivers University professor says it seems Kamloops residents aren’t taking the public health risk caused by wildfire smoke seriously enough.
Dr. Michael Mehta says the Domtar pulp mill should shut down until the air clears, and is calling on Ribfest organizers to cancel this weekend’s event.
Mehta, a Professor of Geography and Environmental Studies, oversees an array of air quality monitors stationed throughout Kamloops, and says nearby wildfires are causing hazardous levels of air pollution.
“These levels are unprecedented,” said Mehta. “There are very few places in the world that have seen levels as high as we have seen in Kamloops in the past month. They are typically, right now at least, two to three times higher than you would see on some of the worst air days in Beijing.”