Photo courtesy: Edmonton Elks

The Edmonton Elks are monitoring the poor air quality situation ahead of their matchup with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at Commonwealth Stadium on Thursday.

The club issued the following statement roughly two hours before kickoff.

“Plans are proceeding for tonight’s game to kickoff as scheduled at 7:00 p.m. MDT.

We continue to monitor the air quality at Commonwealth Stadium, as the health of our fans, players, and staff is our utmost concern.

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.”

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.

In 2019, the CFL and CFL Players’ 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.

According to Environment Canada, air quality due to wildfire smoke can fluctuate over short distances and vary considerably from hour to hour.

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.