Chalk River Laboratories located north-west of Ottawa, was shutdown back in 2007. What did this mean for Canada's reputation? A lot I submit. You see, Chalk River labs produced about 30% of the world's medical radioisotopes used to diagnose various health ailments including heart problems and cancer. The fact we could no longer maintain and ensure a reliable facility should raise an eyebrow or two. While it remains to be seen if Canada can ever get its act together (the Maple reactors were said to not perform predictably and add that it takes something like five to seven years to fully develop and build such a facility), Australia is set to become the main supplier of isotopes now.
It's a shame really. Canada once upon a time was a pioneering nation. To watch something this nation helped create fall is unfortunate.
For its part, the Harper government argues the shutdown of the Maple reactors made sense fiscally but when one thinks about stimulus packages it makes one wonder. Aren't Maple reactors important? Like, really, really important? Is this a question of priorities? Bad politics? Incompetence?
I say incompetence twinned with stupid ideology. Our nuclear set up requires government intervention...clearly heretical for a Reform Prime minister.
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