On this 60th anniversary of the Canada Flag, at a time when our neighbour to the south unexpectedly threatens our sovereignty, I share a memento I have kept from my grad school fieldwork: a flag that flew at PEARL, the high Arctic atmospheric observatory located on Ellesmere Island at 80˚N.
This flag was taken down at PEARL on February 28, 2012 (original campaign website photos) because it had become battered by the harsh Arctic environment.
I’ve had this flag since 2012 – my first field campaign at PEARL, and my first time in the Canadian Arctic. It is a reminder of my time at PEARL and enthusiasm for its unique research. But my memories of that trip involve more than science. Then, as now, a larger political context loomed over us, casting an unsettling shadow
The battered state of the flag seemed symbolic of the larger Canadian science mood in February 2012. Canadian science, too, was weathering a storm.
Canadian atmospheric researcher passes in front of PEARL’s Canada Flag in February, 2012
About a week after we arrived at the remote research lab, began our measurements, and hit our stride, we were informed that its funding was cut. It wouldn’t just be Canadian atmospheric research; there were widespread cuts to science support. As an Ottawa-born and proud Canadian, I embrace winter weather. But this political chill struck me deeply and motivated a new engagement in science advocacy that continues to this day.
(A fuller retelling of my first Arctic field campaign and funding loss story was posted here.)
What did we do at PEARL in 2012, when faced with existential uncertainty?
Proudly raise a new flag.
It’s still there.
New flag raised at PEARL, February 28, 2012. From left to right: Pierre Fogal, Dan Weaver, Debora Griffin. Photo by Volodya Savastiouk.
What should we do in the face of this new uncertainty and national challenge?
Remind ourselves why we’re here, what we’re trying to achieve, and fight for it.
One step is easy and meaningful: proudly raise our flag.
Photo from the PEARL roof during one of my last Arctic fieldwork campaigns.
Where to buy the best masks has come up a couple times with friends, who saw me post pictures of myself at work with an N95 mask. This post shares the sources I’ve found.
I’m a physicist, not a physician. This post is not medical advice.
(TL;DR: I like these masks. Also these. These are really good but they’re pricey. They are all Canadian-made N95-equivalent masks.)
I live in Toronto, which isn’t have a good time with COVID. Hopefully the pandemic will be over soon. At the moment, I am not yet vaccinated and still have a few things to do indoors around other people — medical appointments, occasional in-person work stuff — so I wanted to get a high quality mask. I don’t own a car, so going from A to B is either transit or Uber. I also want to be ready with a good source of masks in case the pandemic isn’t quite over but I’m teaching on campus this fall.
In my U of T Scarborough office wearing a Canadian-Made N95 (May 3, 2021). Please excuse the pandemic hair…
I started a year ago with a simple fabric mask. Then I got a box of surgical masks. Those work well (e.g., Bartoszko et al., 2020), are fairly comfortable, and generally come at a reasonable cost. The really cheap ones can be kinda awful. But the cost of good quality ones isn’t too bad (~$0.35/each).
CBC Marketplace visited a U of Toronto lab that did some comparisons of mask types. Surgical masks came out on top (CBC article here). The type of fabric mask U of T provided to all its faculty, staff, and students? It was at the bottom of the rankings. So I’m not trusting my workplace-provided mask. Except maybe on top of a good mask, for the sake of fashion…
Cleaning the window of an atmospheric measurement instrument (Pandora) at UTSC (March 10, 2021). Photo Credit: Don Campbell, U of T Scarborough.
I found an unlikely source of Korean KF-94s, which fit really well because of their different design. It was much easier to wear glasses/sunglasses with them. This prompted me to start looking beyond surgical masks.
What I want:
greatest protection to the user — ideally N95 mask
clear provenance — ideally made in Canada with transparent standards and test results
good fit and comfortable — I had to try a few to figure this out
There are lots of masks online that come from China. Or that aren’t labelled with a clear company/origin. Or the company and product info can’t be found online. For example, most masks from Walmart.ca and Amazon. Also, 72hours.ca has KN95s and “Made-in-Canada” N95s but I can’t seem to find any info about the companies. That might be ok? It’s hard to know. I’d prefer to buy masks from a known manufacturer that meet high standards and post independent lab test results.
Chinese (KN95) and other ‘N95 equivalent’ masks sometimes fall significantly short of N95 standards (e.g., ECRI report, CBC tests). I did buy a few KN95s because that’s what I could initially find. It would be preferable to buy from a Canadian company that is transparent about its standards and testing.
Here are high quality Canadian N95 masks I’ve found:
Eclipse N95 Masks
Eclipse Innovations is a company that manufactures N95 masks in Canada. You can read about them and their mask standards on their website here.
The nose bridge forms a really good fit and has comfortable secure padding. The straps go around your head to keep it snug. They might feel too hardcore for casual use. But if you want to go all-in, I think this is a solid choice.
Eclipse N95 masks. Note the padded mouldable nose part in the third panel.
The name of the distributor company they recommend, HotZone, is a bit “on the nose”. But I had a good order experience and would recommend them:
The box contained 25 masks and each mask was individually sealed. That’s a nice feature.
(Supply + Protect is another Canadian website that carries the Canadian-made Eclipse N95 masks as well as surgical masks. But I haven’t used them.)
The downside is that the Eclipse N95 masks are expensive.
HotZone also sells surgical masks that look good and are much lower cost.
Dent-X & First Nations Procurement Inc. FN95s
This is my current favourite. They have a different shape from the other N95s I’ve had/seen. I find them the most comfortable of all the masks. I sometimes use a clip that came with my KF94s to connect the ear loops behind my head. This makes the mask fit snug.
They’re lower cost than the Eclipse masks. Though they still cost more than surgical masks.
It’s interesting to note that these purchases support the Canadian Cancer Society. In addition, the masks are made by a partnership between Dent-X and First Nations Procurement Inc. (FNPI), which is a Certified Aboriginal Business with manufacturing facilities in Northern Ontario reserves (story). Sounds great all around.
Vitacore CAN95 masks
These have the best branding (“CAN95” with a nice maple leaf logo). The company seems good and were recently featured on CBC (article and video). I find them comfortable, though not as good as the other two above. They sell them in the ear-loop version or the headband style (like the Eclipse model).
N95s get pricey if you wear them everyday. I don’t. I use one or two a week, when I’ll be around people indoors without distancing at times. I consider that cost worth it for the peace of mind that I’m doing everything I can do to stay safe (and because I can afford to). If I’m doing something where there is minimal exposure potential, e.g., a brief trip inside a cafe to pick up a coffee, I’ll wear a surgical mask or the more comfortable Dent-X N95, and I might hang it somewhere in isolation for a week before re-using it. It’s worth noting: don’t wash an N95 with soap and water since this diminishes the charge layer (Juang & Tsai, 2020).
If you have a good source of masks or tips, comment below!
