The closure of PEARL, along with the closing of the Experimental Lakes Area in northwestern Ontario, provoked an outcry from Canadian and International scientists. Critics pointed our that closing PEARL and opening CHARS made little financial sense, and charged said the new base would be "a command and control center for resource extraction and sovereignty." The scientific journal Nature said that the "move comes just as data from the fast-changing Arctic climate are most needed" and that it "is hard to believe that finance is the true reason" for the closure. In the month after the announcement, the Canadian public donated $12,000 to help keep the station from closing. Kim Strong, one of the founders of CANDAC, said that while the funds were not enough to keep the station open, the expression of support was "quite heartwarming."
