Government must end isotope uncertainty

OTTAWA – New Democrat Health Critic Judy Wasylycia-Leis (Winnipeg North) is calling on the government to come clean with Canadians on its plans to cope with the international isotope shortage in light of speculation about an extended shutdown of the Chalk River reactor.

“Canadians waiting for vital imaging tests are already concerned about the one-month shutdown,” said Wasylycia-Leis. “Now they’re seeing reports that the shutdown may be extended – or even permanent. This is frightening for patients who are waiting for word from the government on its timeline and plans. They need some assurance beyond just ‘wait and see.’”

The AECL has acknowledged publicly that the current shutdown of the isotope-producing Chalk River NRU reactor is going to be more than a month. That shutdown has been described by the Canadian Association of Nuclear Medicine as “a catastrophe.” Media reports have now surfaced quoting engineers familiar with the NRU reactor suggesting the one month timeframe is unrealistically short and that the reactor may not be salvageable.

“Questions need to be answered,” said Wasylycia-Leis. “Is the government working on a one-month basis or longer? Is there any basis for speculation that the reactor could remain offline indefinitely?”

“We’ve had a year-and-a-half since our last crisis to develop an international contingency plan, yet Canadians are left wondering about the government’s ‘Plan B’ when we haven’t even heard about ‘Plan A,’” she said.