Photo courtesy: Edmonton Elks<\/p>\n
The Edmonton Elks are monitoring the poor air quality situation ahead of their matchup with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at Commonwealth Stadium on Thursday.<\/p>\n
The club issued the following statement roughly two hours before kickoff.<\/p>\n
\u201cPlans are proceeding for tonight\u2019s game to kickoff as scheduled at 7:00 p.m. MDT.<\/p>\n
We continue to monitor the air quality at Commonwealth Stadium, as the health of our fans, players, and staff is our utmost concern.<\/p>\n
Updates will be provided as needed. We will continue to work with the Tiger-Cats, CFL, CFLPA, and City of Edmonton to monitor the situation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alberta is suffering through an unusually intense wildfire season that has generated dangerous amounts of smoke in the air for physical activity, disrupting CFL practices dating back to training camp.<\/p>\n
In 2019, the CFL and CFL Players\u2019 Association (CFLPA) agreed that players should not practice or play outdoors if the Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) is seven or higher. As of 4:00 p.m. MDT, the AQHI in Edmonton was a nine, though prior forecasts projected a drop overnight.<\/p>\n
According to Environment Canada, air quality due to wildfire smoke can fluctuate over short distances and vary considerably from hour to hour.<\/p>\n
If the Elks (0-5) fall to the Ticats (1-3) tonight, they will tie a pro sports record for most consecutive home losses at 20.<\/p>\n