BRACEBRIDGE MASK-MAKER GETS $2 MILLION FROM PROVINCE
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com
BRACEBRIDGE — The 3S Smart Mask, made in Bracebridge, received $2 million today from Premier Doug Ford.
The Ontario government the money from the Ontario Together Fund to the company, Smart Safe Science, to make lighter, breathable, and more comfortable face masks.
It’s expected to help the company create 50 local jobs and when at full capacity produce 200,000 made-in-Ontario masks monthly and build up regional personal protective equipment (PPE) manufacturing capacity to help protect healthcare and frontline workers across the province and ensure they continue their critical work during the outbreak of COVID-19.
Details were provided today by Ford and Vic Fedeli, Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade and MPP Norman Miller and Mayor Graydon Smith.
Ford said he was pleased to be in Muskoka, where “they always roll out the red carpet.”
He said in prepared remarks: “We’re proud to support innovative companies like Smart Safe Science who are making better medical-grade masks for frontline workers. Thanks to their efforts, Ontario will reduce and eventually eliminate our reliance on any other country for these critical health supplies because we can make them right here in wonderful communities like Bracebridge.”
With the Ontario government’s support, Smart Safe Science will make a face mask that is lighter and more breathable to help avoid the common fatigue from wearing other types of masks for a prolonged period of time.
The filter used in the mask will be NIOSH 95+ certified, which is used in N95 masks.
As part of the development of this mask and other safety products, the company tapped into technical expertise at several Ontario universities, including Lakehead University, Laurentian University, McMaster University and the University of Toronto.
The mask comes with attachments that monitor body temperature while the person is wearing the mask. This technology will allow the user to connect a smart device in the mask to their phone using an app that will transmit critical real-time data about the user’s health status. The mask will conform to the wearer’s facial structure, providing greater comfort and protection.
Smart Safe Science further plans to purchase equipment and expand its facilities to reach the targeted end-production capacity. The company is a subsidiary of True North Printed Plastics, a company that makes electronic interfaces for items, including airplanes, military and medical equipment.
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