MONTREAL - Canadian hockey equipment manufacturer Bauer says it has received government authorization to produce protective gear for medical staff and first responders.
The company says it has modified its production line to make full-face, single-use visors.
However, it needed to notify the provincial Ministry of Economics and Innovation and get the green light to operate as an essential business.
All non-essential businesses in Quebec have been closed under order of Premier Francois Legault.
Dan Bourgeois, Bauer's vice-president of product innovation, says he received an email from the government at 2 a.m. on Thursday.
Bourgeois adds that demand has grown, meaning the company will try to ramp up its daily output in the hopes of producing 500,000 units.