Ford touts Ontario-made N96 mask similar to the N95 gear used to fight COVID-19 and held up by Trump

In a bid to avert shortages of foreign-made medical gear due to COVID-19, Premier Doug Ford is praising Ontario manufacturers that are stepping into the breach.

Ford on Tuesday touted a new locally made N96 respirator mask that is as good or better than 3M's N95 masks in such high demand due to the pandemic.

"Today, I visited Woodbridge's manufacturing facility in Vaughan to receive the province's first batch of personal protective equipment (PPE) produced right here in Ontario," the premier said.

"Woodbridge together with the Automotive Parts Manufacturers' Association has been working at an unprecedented pace to retool their factories and get the required approvals to manufacture masks for our front lineworkers," said Ford.

"I was thrilled to see firsthand the fruition of their hard work and look forward to them ramping up production in the coming days to meet the demands of Ontario and soon other parts of the country," he said

"As the world faces a global shortage of medical equipment, Ontario-based companies have stepped up in a big way in order to ensure our front line workers are protected against COVID-19.Their hard work is a true testament to what Ontarians are capable of when we band together. "

Ford stressed that Queen's Park and Ottawa are still striving "to pursue and exhaust every avenue available to secure the PPE needed to fight COVID-19."

"(But) today marks the beginning of Ontario moving toward greater self-sufficiency on vital supplies that will keep us well equipped now and into the future."

Over the weekend, Woodbridge received approval from Health Canada to begin manufacturing "ASTM Level 3" masks that are designed for medical procedures where moderate to heavy amounts of fluid, spray or aerosols are produced.

That certification means the Woodbridge mask has equal or greater than 98 per cent "bacterial filtration efficiency."

The GTA firm is now seeking U.S. certification for its product, which will be manufactured in Vaughan and Kitchener.

On Monday night, 3M announced it had reached a deal with the White House to ensure that N95 masks could still be imported to Canada despite U.S. President Donald Trump's embargo on such equipment.

Ford and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland have been furiously lobbying American officials for days to seek an exemption for Canada from Trump's protectionist move.

Robert Benzie is the Star's Queen's Park bureau chief and a reporter covering Ontario politics. Follow him on Twitter: @robertbenzie