The Nuclear Innovation Institute, City of Owen Sound and Canadian Nuclear Isotope Council held an event in Owen Sound today to mark the newly formed Southwestern Ontario Isotope Coalition.
The event held on Monday at BWXT, a provider of components used in nuclear technology, welcomed a number of businesses and dignitaries to talk about the potential and future of medical isotopes.
Bruce Power Executive Vice President and Chief Development Officer James Scongack says the event was all about the launch of the new coalition in an effort to bring together municipalities, regional governments and organizations to align on how they deliver on doubling Canada’s isotope producing by 2030.
“It’s about coming together as a region and sending a strong message to the world that as demand increases for medical isotopes used to fight and treat cancer, that this is a region that is poised to bring our assets together to step up to that challenge,” says Scongack.
He describes medical isotopes as a form of energy used to sterilize medical equipment, as well as diagnose and treat cancer.
“As cancer treatments are expanded, the demand for medical isotope continues to go up. There is a massive demand for medical isotopes around the world,” says Scongack.
He adds Bruce Power has, over the last number of years, stepped up its production of isotope production. They have eight nuclear reactors in the region which all have the ability of producing medical isotopes, a production capacity not seen anywhere else in the world.
“The world needs those isotopes and it’s an important role that we look forward to play for decades to come,” says Scongack.
He says the event also focused on starting the collaboration between the various businesses in attendance who bring different elements to the table.
“By bringing these organizations together we are going to really look at an assessment of what we have available in the region,” says Scongack. “Really looking at the region and saying what are all the existing abilities that we have and working to strategically put together an integrated vision of how all those pieces can work together.”