The Locations Effect – Canadian Locations

I’ve been watching reports on healing locations in Canada for ten years. Being Canadian myself, I have kept a keen eye out for anywhere that looks promising.

For a long time, there were not many extreme mold avoiders in Canada who were unmasked. So reports were conflicting, sparse, and hard to make sense of.

I now feel that I have a good grasp on the reports. We have more unmasked mold avoiders healing in Canada.

I myself have been to quite a few of these places, and many of us have met up in person, which helps me corroborate info and compare levels of environmental sensitivity.

I have followed the stories closely of those avoiding in Canada and through triangulation of reports I have put together my take on which locations have good outside air free of outdoor toxins, which are just OK, which ones went bad, and which ones are just no good at all.

If you are new to The Locations Effect, this is my main post explaining the topic of pursuing mold avoidance in locations free of outdoor toxins.

British Columbia

Vancouver Island

Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands have been healing locations for many folks over the years. Dave Asprey healed in Duncan BC, just down the road from where I first made major progress in my tiny house. A couple of other mold avoiders came to visit me and found the area to be good.

Others have reported Vancouver Island to be quite good before the fires in 2018. During that time a lot of flame retardant was dumped all throughout BC, creating widespread FRAT (flame retardant associated toxin).

The waters around Vancouver and Vancouver Island are also dodgy for the toxin known as Mystery Toxin (MT), creating really tricky plumes that can form on the breeze and even blanket Victoria during foggy days. This is very likely due to the sewage dumping into the water around Victoria.

Though a few mold avoiders have found some healing in Victoria and Sooke, it is a very tricky area due to FRAT and mystery toxins. Not for the beginner, unless you are only mildly affected by mold and environmental toxins.

Gulf Islands

We have had two good reports from the Gulf Islands. One was Saltspring Island from someone not extremely sensitive, and one was from another nearby island.

Caution to those very sensitive because the ocean water toxins around that area mean the smaller islands off Vancouver Island are not necessarily better locations.

FRAT in BC

My thoughts on escaping this devastation of FRAT we unleashed on the province was that it was likely necessary to escape to the Yukon to get very clear of this.

That has been confirmed by one of our most unmasked mold avoiders. Though the area is not 100% clear of FRAT, she reports, the area is much easier to navigate than BC.

BC Interior

The interior of BC has mostly bad reports from unmasked mold avoiders, with the Okanagan and Slocan valley usually getting bad reports.

Though we have one unmasked mold avoider citing that skilled avoiders could find good pockets in the Oakanagan.

Nelson has two OK reports from folks who are not as extreme, with one good report on Nakusp. Though reports do indicate the 2018 fires worsened this area, and it is not as good as it was.

Cranbrook, East Kootenay area, was reported surprisingly good – at least for the interior of BC.

The Rocky Mountains

The Rocky Mountains have for a long time been reported as an excellent area in Canada, both on the BC and AB side.

But more recently, since those same fires in 2018, the most unmasked, or most sensitive to the environment, have not found this to be a pristine environment anymore. Flame retardant associate toxin (FRAT) is reported all throughout this area. A big loss.

Those less sensitive may still do well here, but it’s not a world-class location anymore. It is still better for many folks compared to the south coast or interior of BC.

Northern BC and the Yukon

Alberta

The Rocky Mountains AB, as I mentioned, have the same reports as on the BC side.

Calgary and Edmonton, have gotten OK reports from some (and even good reports from those new to mold avoidance). This to me indicates the area is not that great or is patchy based on the area or time of year.

Lethbridge has mixed reports.

The one spot that comes recommended as “clear” in Alberta is Chain Lakes. Two people have had the same assessment of Chain Lakes.

Big Cities in Canada

Most of the big cities have been reported as at least semi problematic for those sensitive to outdoor toxins, with Ottawa usually reported as the worst (I agree!) But other big cities are fairly difficult as well.

It depends where you are in your healing, those not very sick or fully recovered can expect to go back to one of the major cities, as most are not absolutely terrible.

Certainly many less sensitive folks have done well (or well enough) in Edmonton, Calgary, Victoria, North Vancouver, and even Vancouver proper.

When highly unmasked I could always feel a dramatic improvement in North Van, especially near the tree line, compared to Vancouver. Though keep in mind Vancouver proper is my ground zero, where I got sick with CFS. That can skew things.

We also have quite a few bad reports from all those areas – controversial areas indicate it’s not that great of an area, usually. There are also differences in which toxin exactly knock folks out.

One very experienced avoider can dodge MT areas in Vancouver and Victoria. Many others get slammed. Toxins in these areas can be inconsistent – dependant on season, weather, wind, fog, snow etc.

I found the Toronto area to be OK when I was less sick, but not a place for recovery after major mold injury.

There is some consensus that the Vancouver area is better than Toronto, however, that was before the fires of 2018. Toronto is full of MT and BC is now more FRAT.

Quebec

The area north of Montreal has been reported good by a couple of very reliable mold avoiders – Sainte-Adèle and Laurentian Mountains.

And although it’s an old report, I have seen another big improvement even further north, camping in Quebec.

In terms of finding good areas north of Quebec, it’s not a straight line of better and better further from the city. Sainte-Adèle appears to be a bubble of a clear area. And, just like almost every location on earth, the Laurentian Mountains have pockets of good air and not so great air.

Though it’s great that we have more than one really good report here, this area is of course very cold in the winter.

Ontario

I lived in southern Ontario for 10 years in the middle of my illness. I was not unmasked at the time but I personally did not find any relief from “cottage country” north of Toronto or anywhere within in a few hours of Toronto.

I have seen someone do well north of Toronto, but she was not unmasked.

There are many areas like this that are good enough for those in the early stages. If you are right out of a moldy house and into the wilderness you can often feel a lot of improvement, even if the area is not considered pristine.

This is not where I would head if I had a choice.

The Maritimes

I don’t have any good reports from the Atlantic coast of Canada. I did go to PEI, but it was a long time ago and I don’t consider that report to be very accurate anymore. I didn’t do well there.

More on – What is a Mold Sabbatical and what you need to bring with you.

Did you find this post helpful? If so you can buy me a coffee to support the research behind this blog. Thank you!