VANCOUVER - Prime Minister Stephen Harper has confirmed that the federal government has no plans for maintaining medical isotope supply beyond 2016. But less certain is who will step up as an alternative.
During a press conference with Colombian President Alvaro Uribe -- primarily focused on the issue of free trade between Canada and Colombia -- the discussion shifted to the shortage of medical isotopes, and Canada’s involvement in long-term supply.
“We anticipate Canada will be out of the business” of producing isotopes, Harper is quoted as saying.
A Canwest News Service story further details Harper’s comments:
“It was a difficult decision but we can’t spend hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars and never produce an isotope,” Harper said [referring to the cancelled MAPLE reactors].
“I’m not even going to blame the previous Liberal government for it. It happened under their watch but, for whatever reason, Atomic Energy was not able to make that project work and there was no prospect that it would work.”
The Canadian Press continues the quote:
"What we've decided to do instead was to invest money to repair the [Chalk River] reactor to keep it online for a longer period of time while other sources around the world come online.
"But obviously we will continue to have difficulties with a reactor that is very old, and whose operation is not always dependable and predictable ... That's just the tough reality of the situation."
The NRU reactor at Chalk River, owned by federal Crown Corporation Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) is currently licensed to operate until 2011. When AECL and the federal government cancelled the replacement MAPLE project last May, they promised to work to extend the NRU’s licence until 2016.
Now Harper is making clear that 2016 will be it.
In some ways, it makes complete sense. The Government of Canada is not in the business of producing drugs, or food, or any of a number of other essential products. Why do we make medical isotopes?
Primarily, it’s because these isotopes are made in multi-purpose nuclear reactors built for research purposes, and research reactors are expensive infrastructure. Commercial organizations have not been keen on investing in them.
All the reactors currently producing the main medical isotope are owned by government agencies (some university-owned reactors and other facilities produce different isotopes).
Even the two reactors built this decade -- OPAL, recently finished in Australia, and the Jules Horowitz reactor under construction in France -- are government-sponsored.
But this isn’t the first time Canada has tried to shift from government to commercial isotope production.
The MAPLE reactors were supposed to be the first privately owned isotope-producing reactors. However, the private company -- MDS Nordion -- hired AECL to make and operate the reactors for them.
When AECL was not able to do that anywhere near on time or on budget, the Crown corporation eventually bought back the reactors for much less than had been spent on them (and later cancelled the project).
That is not an encouraging precedent for any company hoping to get into the reactor business.
Finally, just because Harper says the federal government will be “getting out of the business,” don’t think that the Canadian taxpayer won’t be investing money in new sources of isotopes.
The most likely candidates for a privately-owned research reactor are research institutions or universities.
Universities don’t generally build huge research facilities without public funding. Research agencies such as the Vancouver-based TRIUMF laboratories -- which wants to develop a new isotope-producing technology and then licence it for commercial use -- are also supported by government money.
But government funding is not the same as government responsibility. By switching from the role of owner to that of funder, the federal government would be farther removed from commercial and technological decisions.
Of course, the Harper government’s focus on getting out of the nuclear business is not limited to isotopes. The government is also in the midst of a review on the future of AECL as a whole.
Interestingly, an assessment of the options for privatizing or partially privatizing AECL, produced for the government by National Bank Financial, found little interest in a sale of AECL’s Chalk River operations:
... there was little private sector interest in an ownership position in the Research and Technology Division – this is not surprising as one would not expect a private sector company to be interested in funding public policy driven activities or sharing liabilities with the government.
It should be noted that AECL's research division does much more than produce medical isotopes. But any replacement research reactor at Chalk River (such as the planned Canadian Neutron Centre) would also be a potential source of isotopes.
The National Bank review recommended that private companies be hired to manage operations at AECL's Chalk River labs, but the federal government should maintain ownership (and liability for projects that cost more than expected).
This summer, experts convened by Natural Resources Canada are supposed to be reviewing options for long-term isotope supply. It may be valuable to expand their mandate to consider ownership and funding issues as well as on technology.
Amelia Bellamy-Royds reports for The Tyee.
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G West
2 years ago
If Harper isn't stopped soon
There won't be a single thing left on which to base Canada's once-proud international reputation.
A Prime Minister who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing...what did you expect from him?
ME2
2 years ago
Small mercies
Right on, GWest. Harper's so predictable
attitudes reveal nothing new about the pros and cons of Federal participation in the nuclear industry.
But then, I suppose we should be thankful he doesn't say "nucular".
jwstewart
2 years ago
It's pronounced...
Nukular :)
Dr Alexander
2 years ago
So very typical
One hears nothing but self-congratulatory back-pats from business on how good they are, how efficient they are, how entrepreneurial they are and how the rest of us should prostrate ourselves before their alter.
If they were so damn good, then they would recognize the relative dearth of sources of isotopes and build a medical isotope reactor to make a buck for themselves and their shareholders.
But no, like so many other examples, they need privatization-friendly governments to sell the peoples commons to them at fire-sale prices so they can run the thing to the ground and then walk away.
BTW, I have a hard time picking myself off the floor when I hear Harper describe himself as a trained economist. Oh Yea? The same trained economist who didn't see this economic situation coming last year when monkeys with typewriters could.
What bunk!
SharingIsGood
2 years ago
strongest economy, weakest ethics
So, here we have it. Canada supposedly has the strongest economy in the world. Canada has good nuclear technology. Canadians believe in public health care. Canadians believe in helping others. Harper sets in motion decisions which will have repercussions around the world. Nuclear treatments and detections will be available for those who have money. I've had enough of Harper's Reform-Alliance-Conservative government. This is just stupid.
ME2
2 years ago
Nothing new there......
You put the distillation of Haprer's neocon policies into one succinct sentence, SIG.
"Nuclear treatments and detections will be available for those who have money."
Trailblazer
2 years ago
Give the contract to
Give the contract to Iran!
It gives them revenue & gives the West a reason to "check up" on them!!
Serious..
dave49
2 years ago
I was stunned...
I was stunned when it heard this statement from Harper. The man has no knowledge of or respect for the history of technology in Canada.
In Harper's mind, I guess we're just hewers of wood and suppliers of oil (natural and synthetic). This is the problem with so many politicians, including Gordo and crew: NO VISION!!!
seth
2 years ago
the real story
Harper an economist? Well he does have a masters degree from Mickey Mouse college - U of Calgary. He didn't notice the banking crisis because he is of the neofascist Milton Friedman Chicago school that foisted on us this deregulation low tax nonsense that caused the depression in the first place. Our local fascist leader El Gordo has established a branch of the U of Calgary in Kamloops no doubt planning on naming it after his chief economic adviser - Michael "Limbaugh" Campbell. Note as well that BC has a much more qualified economist than Harper - former CEO of RBC Dominion Harvard educated and professor Ralph Sultan P.Eng MLA. Sultan sits on the backbench heaping scorn on Gordo's economic policies.
Contrary to most environmentalists thinking, Harper actually believes the destruction of the earth by global warming is a good thing leading to the Apocalypse where the faithful (neocons) would be saved and progressives sent to hell. When he found out that mass production of AECL's ACR-1000 reactor with rapid deployment throughout Canada would actually end his prayed for climate Apocalypse he decided to put a stop to it then and there. Sell AECL to the lowest bidder he proclaimed as part of the new buy high sell low government business plan he and his sidekick Gordo "Pirate Power" Campbell worked out.
That the upstart OBama is making noise of ending imports of dirty Alberta Tar Sands oil, with its enormous waste of natural gas enraged Harper. That will delay the Apocalypse by ten years or more. When he found out about plans to replace the enormous waste of natural gas with 12 GW of nuclear steam to placate the hated Obama he went ballistic. Not only would that set back the Apocalypse by ten years but it would cost his beloved Oil/Gas/Coal producers billions.
He rang up his sidekick El Gordo out in BC and quickly rucked up a no environmental assessment emergency plan to build a pipeline and supertanker port at Kitimat exporting that Tar Sands oil to China. Even got DaGucci Suzuki, Pembina, and that Berman woman on side with it.
Now he can shut down AECL, tell Obama to stick it up his nose, and wait anxiously for the SHOUT knowing he's assisting it on its way. He's purring like a kitten now all curled up on his throne back at 24 Sussex drive.
dave49
2 years ago
Interesting theory, Seth
Before the last Federal when the Tories had about 133 MPs, I heard the figure that 70 of those 133 MPs were fundamentalist Christians. I gather this is the carryover from the Reform and Alliance parties. So, we have an election last fall and the Tories gain 10 seats to 143 total. I don't know if we added any more fundamentalist Christians to that total, but we're talking about 50%. In the end, this means the Prime Minister and his party are not truly representative of the Canadian population.
A friend who lived the the USA for two years told me there are fundamentalist Christian preachers who say that when Jesus returns, he will give the chosen ones all the oil they want. Pretty convenient, huh?
*P.S. PLease don't attack me if my numbers are not 100% correct. I know they're close.