Listen to Walker in the Legislature above
Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound MPP Bill Walker’s Private Member’s Bill to support medical isotope production has been carried in the Ontario Legislature.
Walker’s ‘Championing Made In Ontario Isotopes’ resolution was debated Tuesday evening (Nov 2nd) and received the support of other MPPs.
A resolution introducing Walker’s bill says, “The Government of Ontario should recognize the supply of medical isotopes used to diagnose and treat cancer and sterilize medical equipment as a key strategic priority for the Province in its health, economic, export, inter-provincial, energy, research and infrastructure planning and policies as Ontario recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, leveraging its existing strong foundation in nuclear technology, isotope production and supply chain, and cancer and health research to position itself as a global leader in supply of ‘Made in Ontario’ life-saving medical isotopes.”
Walker told the legislature Tuesday, “Medical isotopes are the cornerstone of nuclear medicine. A branch of medical science that uses radioactive sources to diagnose, characterize and treat disease.”
He tells Bayshore Broadcasting News, “Canada and Ontario specifically are world leaders in the production and supply of medical isotopes around the world. This is really to reinforce, and frankly, make sure that we have all party support regardless of who would ever be in government that it always plays a critical role and that we maintain that leadership.”
Walker says another reason he brought forward the resolution was that the pandemic brought to light the importance of isotopes in sterilization, saying, ‘We did so much sterilization for PPE.” He says he would like to keep that trend going.
Each member of provincial parliament is allocated one Private Member’s Bill per year, and Walker says, “I feel that this is one that’s going to impact everybody for the future, and want to enshrine that while I’m here in government and while the government is in power, to say we’re going to stand behind this.”
He adds, “This is something that serves every single person in the world and I think it’s a good thing that we all should make policy as a priority.”
Walker explains, the resolution being carried means the support of the isotope industry will be considered a key priority when it comes to policy planning. He adds, it also means groups and agencies that are in the process of researching other potential isotopes will have support, “It gives them some comfort and some stability, if you will, to know that the government does support this if they want to invest money to go down the path of research,” says Walker.
Walker told the legislature Tuesday, “Worldwide, there are over 40 million nuclear medicine procedures performed each year using isotopes, with approximately 36 million for diagnostic nuclear medicine and four million for therapy. 60 per cent of the world’s market of Iodine-125 is produced at the McMaster nuclear reactor at McMaster University.”
Many Grey Bruce residents will recognize Bruce Power as a leader in the Canadian Isotope industry, and the Tiverton based nuclear facility lies just outside of Walker’s riding of Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound.
While speaking in the legislature, the Walker also highlighted a number of companies in Ontario that are advancing the industry, saying, “Mr. Speaker, Across Canada and Ontario there are many great organizations and companies that support and supply critical isotopes to the marketplace. They include, Bruce Power, producing Lutetium-177 and Cobalt-60 low specific activity: sterilization and high specific activity: brain tumour treatment, BWXT Medical Limited: Gallium-68, Canadian Nuclear Labs: Actinium-225, Ontario Power Generation: Molybdenum Technetium-99m & Helium-3, McMaster University, as I had mentioned earlier: Iodine-125 and Holmium-166, and Triumph: Actinium-225 and Gallium-68.”
Walker added, “Other companies doing great work in the field include The Canadian Isotope Innovations Corp, CPDC, Isologic, IsoSolutions, Isotopia Molecular Imaging Ltd, Jubilant Radiopharma, Nordion, the Sylvia Fedoruk Canadian Centre for Nuclear Innovation and Kincetrics.”
He said, “I’m very proud of the key role Ontario plays in isotopes through both Bruce Power in their production of Lutetium-177 and Cobalt-60 as well as OPG, who also produces Cobalt-60 and soon to produce Molybdenum-99. Combined Cobalt-60 from both these organizations is used to sterilize approximately 40 per cent of the world’s single-use medical instruments.”
Walker added, “Every time you go to the dentist, anybody in your family goes for surgery, anybody who goes for any of those type of operations— we as Canadians and Ontarians are making sure there’s a difference and that they’re safe.”
He believes Ontario and Canada should maintain their standing as world leader in the isotope industry, saying, “When it has such a significant impact to people’s healthcare…it’s great for our economy because it will result in more jobs down the road. It certainly is good from a perspective of Bruce Power OPG and McMaster, that this can always be something that drives their organizations forward, but most importantly this is about medical care, healthcare and improving the lives of people across the world.”