Movie Night goes ahead in downtown Mississauga despite air quality concerns this week
Published June 8, 2023 at 5:03 pm
The latest film in the popular Movie Nights at Celebration Square summer program will be shown as scheduled tonight (June 8) at the outdoor downtown venue despite Mississauga and other places across southern Ontario being hit this week with poor air quality caused by ongoing wildfires in Quebec.
A City of Mississauga spokesperson said in an email to insauga.com that the current Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) is such that officials deem it safe to host the movie night.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 will be shown as the third installment in this year’s program. Movie nights continue most Thursdays until September.
“In coordination with Peel Public Health, City staff are actively monitoring the current Air Quality Health Index, which has been changing throughout the day,” the spokesperson said. “Peel Public Health have issued an Air Quality Statement encouraging the children, elderly and those with health or breathing challenges to reduce outdoor activity and note that all residents should monitor their symptoms when outdoors and adjust activity levels accordingly.”
While Mississauga and other places across Ontario have experienced some of the poorest air quality on record the past couple of days, the provincial government’s Air Quality Ontario website shows the current risk (as of 4 p.m., June 8) to be “moderate.”
The current AQHI is 4 on the scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being low risk and 10 being the highest risk to human health.
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According to Air Quality Ontario, there is no need at this time for those in the general population to modify their usual outdoor activities “unless you experience symptoms such as coughing and throat irritation.”
Movie Nights at Celebration Square returned last year to the square after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and it was very well attended.
This year’s movie line-up also promises to be a big hit, organizers say.
Movie nights run from 7:30 to 8 p.m. (pre-show) followed by the movie from 8 to 10:30 p.m. The action is free and accessible, and all movies offer closed-captioning displayed on both digital screens in Celebration Square.
In past years, the event has drawn thousands of people each Thursday. They set up their lawn chairs, lay out their blankets and bring out the snacks to watch a movie under the stars.
2023 movie line-up:
Thursday, June 8 – Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Thursday, June 15 – Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore
Thursday, June 22 – Dora and the Lost City of Gold
Thursday, June 29 – No movie
July to September movies to be announced throughout the summer.