Iqaluit #dumpcano smoke forces 2 schools to close

Theres an ominous haze over Iqaluit.

Westerly winds are expected to blow smoke from a fire at the city's landfill right into town againtoday.

Yesterday,Joamie elementary school and Aqsarniit middle school closed because of smoke from the smouldering garbage, which has been burning for overtwo weeks now.

Iqaluit City Council decided tolet the fire burn after it flared up on May 20. The fire, which has flared up repeatedly in recent years, was dubbed a "dumpcano" after the city's fire chief compared it to a volcano.

Today, Aqsarniit is once again closed and Nanook elementary school in Apex has also closed its doors.

It seems this is the new normal for students like Simeonie Arnaquq.

Its annoying that we cant even be at school because of the smoke.

Inuksukhigh school has remained open, but student Alashua Crowley says the fire was still affecting classes.

Its horrible. Its not sanitary. Right now were in school and its clogging up our school.

More than a decade ago, Alashuas dad, Paul Crowley, was part of a group of concerned citizens who took the city to court over burning at the dump.

They lost the case, but the city decided not to burn garbage intentionally anymore.

Crowley says the situation now is worse.

People say, Aw, we always used to burn, but that was paper bags. Now weve got plastics and electronics everywhere. In North America, they say you should not burn garbage because the smoke that comes out of it is very dangerous.

Nunavut's Fire Chief Luc Grandmaison says the fire department has restricted the burning to one section.

They're letting it burn to avoid wasting water and to protect firefighters.

Grandmaison says the best solution right now is a stiff wind in the right direction to quickly burn this problem to the ground.

The Department of Health has once again issued an advisory askingpeople with heart and lung disease, the elderly and the very young to stay indoors as much as possible, with thewindows closed and air exchangers turned off.

If you have to go outside, limit physical activity, the advisory reads.

It suggests people who dont feel well seek medical attention.