Canada’s record-setting wildfire season hiked the country up global pollution rankings — and for the first time made its air quality worse than the U.S., according to a new report by air quality technology company IQAir. “In previous years, Canada had the cleanest air quality in all of North America,” said Glory Dolphin Hammes, CEO of IQAir’s North American division. “This year we saw just the exact opposite. Our top 13 most polluted cities [in North America] are actually in Canada.” Fort McMurray and Peace River in Alberta, along with Yellowknife, took the top three regional spots. As the climate warms, priming conditions for longer and more intense wildfire seasons, experts say protecting our air quality will be critical to our health and development. …Canada ranked 93rd, with an annual average PM2.5 concentration of 10.3 micrograms per cubic metre of air (μg/m³) — considered two to three times beyond the WHO’s recommended level.