Search

The article examines the measures undertaken by the government of Canada during the international shortage of medical isotopes, after it discovered the shutdown of the reactor in Chalk River, Ontario that included the termination of Linda Keen as chief executive officer and president of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission. The forced resignation of Keen provoked an international debate on the interference of the government in an independent agency. However, the Federal Court sided with the government as it dismissed the appeal made by Keen.

The article focuses on the controversy regarding the nuclear reactor in Chalk River in Ontario, Canada, which produces the raw materials for medical isotopes. It notes that the controversy has become an international embarrassment for Canada while some European isotope producers has refused to participate in the efforts to coordinate with the international isotope supply. On the other hand, it also reveals that the conflict between the U.S. and the company MDS Nordion is prompting calls for the creation of a domestic supplier which would get the company of its greatest customer. INSET: Securing Canada's isotope supply.

The article reports on the announcement given by the Canadian Trade Minister C. D. Howe regarding the plan to build an atomic pile at Chalk River in Ontario, Canada. The approval for the proposal is certain, although it was not yet submitted to the Parliament. The new pile is going to be commercial research project, and the sale of plutonium and isotopes is expected to put Chalk River on a paying basis. Howe suggests that the new development enables Canada to discuss the problems in atomic development specifically with the breeding of fissionable material and the design of atomic power plants.