The respirator expert who wrote an open letter to Dr. Deena Hinshaw to oppose her recommendation of N95 masks still gets worldwide correspondence about it.In a sit-down interview with Western Standard last month, Chris Schaefer said his four-page letter penned to the then-Alberta Chief Medical Officer of Health in June 2020 prompted dozens of daily emails.“I wrote an open letter for all Albertans to Dr. Hinshaw. Within a couple of months, I was getting calls and emails galore from people in other provinces saying, ‘Can you please change it from all Albertans to all Canadians?’” Schaefer recalled.“It got published everywhere. I did a print version of that letter in a brochure because it got censored online so much.”Inquiries came in from England, Germany, Brazil and even Chinese-speaking countries.“People loved it,” Schaefer said.“Their only request was, ‘Could you please change it from “an open letter on behalf of all Canadians” to “everybody in the world?”’Schaefer left his contact information on the document, which led to many responses. Even recently, Schafer received an email from someone in Chicago asking to be removed from a mailing list.Schaefer replied, “I'm in Canada and I didn't put it in your mailbox. But there's no way I can take you off the list because there is no list. And I don't know who's distributing it so I really can't help you there.”The Edmonton resident testified at hearings for Dr. Curtis Wall, a Calgary-area chiropractor facing discipline from his college for not masking up during the pandemic, nor requiring his patients or staff to.Schaefer, who has made presentations to government, military and corporate personnel on respirators and occupational health and safety, said N95 masks were “breathing barriers” that could not offer viral protection.The expert testified that everyone he tested who wore an N95 mask had oxygen levels so low and carbon dioxide levels so high that any workplace with such conditions in their natural environment would be shut down under occupational health and safety rules.Schaefer said that when the tribunal asked if he would wear an N95 mask if ordered to by his professional organization, his comment, “My health is more important than my job” did not make the transcript.The discipline stood against Wall, despite Schaefer’s testimony. He cannot comprehend how doctors without specialized knowledge in relevant fields were believed over experts like him.“All the references for why they (N95 masks) worked, they're all news articles. It was ridiculous. It was crazy,” he said.“I come with two guns blazing, they come with a lollipop. And somehow I don't reach a win. I don't understand how that works. How could that happen?”Schaefer said his expertise has been well-received elsewhere.“I never had anybody ever tell me I was wrong, but it's connected me worldwide to numerous scientists that support it: doctors, physicians, engineers, political figures. So I've got this contact list now of people all over the world that would support me in any initiative that I do ever in this field. And it's gone crazy,” he said.Government officials from North Dakota, the US House of Representatives, and even Tanzania have spoken with Schaefer and his materials have been shared in medical conference.During the pandemic, Schaefer mustered his courage to set up on the street. He told passers-by at a busy intersection his expert perspective on masks. His commentary lost him some clients and gained others.“I probably lost more than I kept. I kept some. The ones I lost, they're more than replaced. I have a full schedule again, with clients that are way better, and just with no hassles, no problems.”The respirology expert warns that problems of the COVID era “are not over at all” and an active citizenry could prevent future oppression.“There's lots to do. We don't have to wait until they declare another emergency. We’ve got things that we can do now that might even prevent that from happening,” Schaefer said.“The public realm is where you're going to win. That's where the change occurs. It's not going to occur on social media. Nobody takes social media seriously.”
