Wood Smoke Stories

Unhealthy retirement in Comox Valley

We moved to Comox six years ago from Alberta. We thought that BC was a good place to retire but as we found out after moving here that every fall and winter the air here is so bad we have to keep our windows closed all winter.

We thought people in BC cared about their health but the air is so bad we have to go away every winter. We can’t afford to move again and can only go away for some of the winter. We never had any problems breathing in Alberta but now our doctor said that we should stay inside in the winter.

If we knew that the air quality was this bad we would have never moved to Comox. Summers are great and we love this place, but it’s a shame people just keep burning green wood and branches every day here in the fall.

K.H.