Minnesota + Wisconsin Lawmakers Spar With Canada Over Smoke

"Enough is enough." "What does your country plan to do about this?" Those are some of the strong words written in a letter that was sent to the Canadian Embassy regarding a crisis facing Minnesota and Wisconsin. 

Congressional members Tom Tiffany, Brad Finstad, Glenn Grothman, Michelle Fischbach, Pete Stauber, and Tom Emmer signed the letter asking Canada to do something about their widlfires.

The last two out of three summers have been spoiled by plumes of Canadian wildfire smoke crossing the border into the Northern United States. Minnesota and Wisconsin have had a particularly smoky, hazy summer. Air quality alerts have been common and frequent in the very unhealthy category.

Read More: Will Smoky Summers Be The New Normal In Minnesota?

As the letter points out, our summers are important in Minnesota and Wisconsin, and we haven't been able to enjoy them because we've been choked out by all the smoke.

Canada Doesn't Care

Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew called the US representatives "ambulance chasers." The sentiment from Canada is that we've got enough problems on our hands fighting these fires, and stop complaining. Read more about how Canada isn't playing Minnesota's wildfire blame game.

This Will Be The New Normal In Minnesota + Wisconsin

While wildfires will vary by season, one thing is clear. We're seeing more wildfires in Canada in recent years. Experts blame climate change and say it's drying out the forests and turning them into tinder boxes. In 2023, 5% of Canada's boreal forest burned.