The Modern Agora: Addressing Wildfires
📌 Addressing the various causes and impacts of wildfires, making new connections and building a productive community!
On July 15, 2026, Toronto woke up under an orange haze and held the worst air quality of any city in the world. The Air Quality Health Index sat at 10+, the highest rating there is, for three days. Recent analysis puts the health cost of wildfire smoke in Canada at $231 billion between 2014 and 2025, roughly $19 billion a year, with about 2,500 premature deaths annually tied to long-term exposure. It falls hardest on outdoor workers, children, seniors, people with respiratory conditions and those closest to the fires. In 2023, 42% of wildfire evacuations involved predominantly Indigenous communities.
🔊 Opening Speaker
David Hunter, a Masters candidate in Spatial Analysis at TMU researching how to predict, track, and record wildfires across Canada. He will open the event before we break into four discussion groups.
🔥 The Four Topics
At this edition of The Modern Agora, we want to look at wildfires through a variety of lenses:
Impact on city infrastructure and your health
Who pays the price in a wildfire?
Wildfire preparation: are we ready?
Whose responsibility is it to act?
Our goal is not only to talk about these issues but also to develop a number of ideas and solutions to introduce into our own lives and, if you are interested, as a proposal to local decision makers. 🙏
ℹ️ Event Details
You will be able to work on one of the four topics above, please choose your preferences in the sign-up form
Topics will be split in groups of 5-7
We will meet for 3 hours and spend the first part having an open conversation about our topic, the second to develop concrete solutions - with time to socialize too of course
We will provide you with an intentional structure, material (pens, post-its etc.) and the environment to help make your conversations more productive
We will have a free light brunch (croissants, snacks & fruits) and coffee for you
🏛️ Our Vision
At The Modern Agora, we are building modern versions of the ancient Greek agoras, gathering places that were central to the development of democracy, public discourse and social impact, while serving as the foundation for community life.
Join our events to discuss what really matters, start local initiatives and build a stronger community with the people in your area.
You can get to know more about The Modern Agora at themodernagora.org!
Looking forward to hosting you 💙
Leon