Runny nose? Itchy? Experts say seasonal allergies worsening due to increase in pollen – CTV
May 18, 2026
A group of Canadian researchers says the amount of powdery pollen released by plants during their reproduction process has gone up across Canada in recent years and is exacerbating allergies from hay fever to hives.
Daniel Coates, director of Aerobiology Research Laboratories, which monitors pollen, said monitoring by his lab suggests pollen levels across Canada have doubled.
Climate change is partly to blame, he said.
“It’s getting worse because pollen loves warm weather,” he said. “When you have longer periods of warm weather, science and data have proven that you’re going to see more pollen in the air as well.”
Unpredictable weather could also be why allergies are more intense in 2026.
This year, spring across the country has been cooler, Coates said. That means pollen from trees that usually burst earlier in the season — cedars and maples, for example — are releasing pollen around the same time as those that release later, including birch, oak and poplar trees.
