As Halloween approaches, neighborhood lawns transform into landscapes of cobwebs, glowing Jack-o’-lanterns, and makeshift graveyards. We delight in pretend monsters, ghost stories, and haunted houses. But as night falls and autumn chills over the Great Lakes, a far more terrifying reality lurks in plain sight—one that doesn't vanish when we take down Halloween decorations.

As Canadian wildfire smoke drifts south, clouding our horizons and coating our lungs, it is becoming clear that this smoke is doing much more than just stinging our eyes.

It's time to talk about something fundamental: the very air we breathe, the health we cherish, and the future we envision for our...