Nuclear meltdown
Scape @ Wed Jan 16, 2008 8:22 am
Anyone watching Lunns tapdance?
ziggy @ Wed Jan 16, 2008 8:24 am
Yup,then the lawsuits will start.
Should be a good one this afternoon,watch the shit run downhill.
hurley_108 @ Wed Jan 16, 2008 8:34 am
This is why shit never gets fixed in this country. Every time someone in a position of responsibility exercises their reponsibility to make sure things get done right, they get punished for it. This is complete bullshit.
hurley_108 @ Wed Jan 16, 2008 8:47 am
$1:
Government fires head of Nuclear Safety Commission
Updated Wed. Jan. 16 2008 9:25 AM ET
CTV.ca News Staff
The Tories have fired the president of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, Linda Keen, just hours before her scheduled appearance at a Commons committee probing the Chalk River isotope crisis.
A press released posted on the CNSC website late Tuesday said Keen "received a letter from the Privy Council Office indicating that the government adopted an Order in Council terminating her designation as President of the Commission, effective immediately."
The letter further indicates that she remains a full-time permanent member of the Commission. The statement also said Keen intends to still appear before the committee Wednesday.
Keen has been engaged in a very public dispute with Natural Resources Minister Gary Lunn over the shutdown of the Chalk River nuclear reactor in Ontario late last year -- which prompted a shortage in the supply of medical isotopes.
In a press release posted late Tuesday on the Natural Resources Canada website, Lunn said "the government is not satisfied that she demonstrated the leadership expected."
Updated Wed. Jan. 16 2008 9:25 AM ET
CTV.ca News Staff
The Tories have fired the president of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, Linda Keen, just hours before her scheduled appearance at a Commons committee probing the Chalk River isotope crisis.
A press released posted on the CNSC website late Tuesday said Keen "received a letter from the Privy Council Office indicating that the government adopted an Order in Council terminating her designation as President of the Commission, effective immediately."
The letter further indicates that she remains a full-time permanent member of the Commission. The statement also said Keen intends to still appear before the committee Wednesday.
Keen has been engaged in a very public dispute with Natural Resources Minister Gary Lunn over the shutdown of the Chalk River nuclear reactor in Ontario late last year -- which prompted a shortage in the supply of medical isotopes.
In a press release posted late Tuesday on the Natural Resources Canada website, Lunn said "the government is not satisfied that she demonstrated the leadership expected."
What, they wanted her to "lead" by allowing the AECL to continue to operate the reactor without the required backups?
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"The extended shutdown of the reactor was threatening to cause a national and international health crisis. The President was aware of the importance of maintaining Canada's and the world's supply of medical isotopes," he said.
"However, given the growing crisis, she did not demonstrate the leadership expected of the President
"However, given the growing crisis, she did not demonstrate the leadership expected of the President
What did they want her to do? What would constitute "leadership"? Lunn's saying absolutely nothing here, just throwing out loaded terms in a vague attempt to discredito Keen without actually making any hard statements. He's weaseling out.
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Quick Facts
Linda J. Keen is an Albertan. She received her B.Sc. (honours in chemistry) and M.Sc. (agriculture sciences) from the University of Alberta. After working as a chemist, she continued her career in three science-related fields: agriculture and agri-food, mining and currently, in the nuclear area.
--Canadian Nuclear Safety Commissionunder the existing legislative provisions of the Nuclear Safety and Control Act to put the Commission in a position to address the situation in a timely fashion."
Lunn is also set to appear before the natural resources committee on Wednesday. CTV's Robert Fife said there will be fireworks coming from both sides.
"She's a very strong woman and I think she'll come in with all barrels firing at the government -- accusing them of political interference," he said.
"Mr. Lunn will respond for the government this afternoon."
Assistant deputy industry minister Michael Binder has been appointed interim president of the CNSC.
Chalk River Timeline
The reactor stopped production for scheduled repairs on Nov. 18 and was expected to restart within five days.
But the CNSC -- responsible for setting licensing, health and safety rules for the country's nuclear facilities -- refused to allow the reactor to restart after finding it had been operating without a backup emergency power system for cooling pumps for 17 months.
Linda J. Keen is an Albertan. She received her B.Sc. (honours in chemistry) and M.Sc. (agriculture sciences) from the University of Alberta. After working as a chemist, she continued her career in three science-related fields: agriculture and agri-food, mining and currently, in the nuclear area.
--Canadian Nuclear Safety Commissionunder the existing legislative provisions of the Nuclear Safety and Control Act to put the Commission in a position to address the situation in a timely fashion."
Lunn is also set to appear before the natural resources committee on Wednesday. CTV's Robert Fife said there will be fireworks coming from both sides.
"She's a very strong woman and I think she'll come in with all barrels firing at the government -- accusing them of political interference," he said.
"Mr. Lunn will respond for the government this afternoon."
Assistant deputy industry minister Michael Binder has been appointed interim president of the CNSC.
Chalk River Timeline
The reactor stopped production for scheduled repairs on Nov. 18 and was expected to restart within five days.
But the CNSC -- responsible for setting licensing, health and safety rules for the country's nuclear facilities -- refused to allow the reactor to restart after finding it had been operating without a backup emergency power system for cooling pumps for 17 months.
And that's AECL's problem, not the CNSC's, and certainyl not Keen's. What's the message in all this? That operators of potentially dangerious facilities can go their merry way in complete contravention of safety requirements. That the regulators aren't allowed to do anything to make them comply. Why should the AECL clean up their act if Parliament is just going to overrule the CNSC and fire its cheif?
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In December, emergency legislation passed by Parliament side-stepped the CNSC's objections and allowed the Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. (AECL) to restart the reactor for 120 days in order to alleviate the isotope shortage.
In a letter dated Dec. 27, which was later leaked to the media and then posted on the CNSC website, Lunn threatened to fire Keen for her involvement in keeping the reactor closed.
Keen responded with a scathing letter, telling Lunn that "the allegations which have been made, coupled with your threat to have me removed as President, seriously undermine the independence of the CNSC."
Opposition leaders called last week for the resignation of Lunn, accusing him of improperly interfering with an arm's-length nuclear regulator by sending the Dec. 27 letter to Keen.
Meanwhile, an auditor general report released last week indicates Lunn may have known in September that the Chalk River reactor needed improvements to protect public safety -- months before it was shut down.
In a letter dated Dec. 27, which was later leaked to the media and then posted on the CNSC website, Lunn threatened to fire Keen for her involvement in keeping the reactor closed.
Keen responded with a scathing letter, telling Lunn that "the allegations which have been made, coupled with your threat to have me removed as President, seriously undermine the independence of the CNSC."
Opposition leaders called last week for the resignation of Lunn, accusing him of improperly interfering with an arm's-length nuclear regulator by sending the Dec. 27 letter to Keen.
Meanwhile, an auditor general report released last week indicates Lunn may have known in September that the Chalk River reactor needed improvements to protect public safety -- months before it was shut down.
So Keen's being scapegoated because the government sat on its hands for almost three months.
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Auditor general Sheila Fraser said she presented a report on Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. (AECL) to the corporation's board on Sept. 5, 2007.
The cover page of the audit says: "We would like to draw your attention to a significant deficiency related to the unresolved strategic challenges that the Corporation faces ... it is our view that this report contains information that should be brought to the attention of the Minister of Natural Resources. Accordingly, following consultation with the Board, we will be forwarding a copy of the report to the Minister."
The report goes on to highlight "three strategic challenges" AECL faced, including "the replacement of aging facilities at Chalk River Laboratories (CRL)."
Liberal MP Omar Alghabra, the natural resources critic, had asked Fraser's office to audit AECL. He has suggested Lunn was slow to take action on the aging Chalk River reactor.
However, Fife said Wednesday that new questions were also being raised about how early the CNSC knew about the problem.
"There are indications this morning that AECL lawyers have filed briefs that indicate that the nuclear commission (CNSC) was aware in July that there was problems with the two pumps and that they only raised the alarm bells in November," said Fife.
The cover page of the audit says: "We would like to draw your attention to a significant deficiency related to the unresolved strategic challenges that the Corporation faces ... it is our view that this report contains information that should be brought to the attention of the Minister of Natural Resources. Accordingly, following consultation with the Board, we will be forwarding a copy of the report to the Minister."
The report goes on to highlight "three strategic challenges" AECL faced, including "the replacement of aging facilities at Chalk River Laboratories (CRL)."
Liberal MP Omar Alghabra, the natural resources critic, had asked Fraser's office to audit AECL. He has suggested Lunn was slow to take action on the aging Chalk River reactor.
However, Fife said Wednesday that new questions were also being raised about how early the CNSC knew about the problem.
"There are indications this morning that AECL lawyers have filed briefs that indicate that the nuclear commission (CNSC) was aware in July that there was problems with the two pumps and that they only raised the alarm bells in November," said Fife.
What action was the CNSC supposed to take? Shut down the reactor in July instead of November? Do people need fewer tests in July than in November? How is the CNSC supposed to make the AECL comply with safety regulations when the Government / Parliament will just overrule them? Lunn and the government and all of Parliament have a lot of explaining to do.
ziggy @ Wed Jan 16, 2008 8:51 am
This is the age of information and everyone documents everything these days so I'm confident the truth will come out at these hearings.
You cant hide anything these days.
Scape @ Wed Jan 16, 2008 9:42 am
Will this have any effect on the election do you think?
Ripcat @ Wed Jan 16, 2008 10:37 am
There they are scapegoating, blaming and refusing to take accountability....again...
ziggy @ Wed Jan 16, 2008 11:15 am
Ripcat Ripcat:
There they are scapegoating, blaming and refusing to take accountability....again...
Wonder why she didnt show up this morning?
The plot thickens.
Arctic_Menace @ Wed Jan 16, 2008 11:17 am
Wow. What bullshit...
ridenrain @ Wed Jan 16, 2008 1:28 pm
This is pathetic tunnel vision hurley_108.
This reactor provides a critical product that the world needs and it's mainenance and replacement were pushed to the bottom of the list by the Liberals. To suddenly decry that these systems are faulty now and pretend they were perfect 2 years ago is ignorant and misleading.
The minister who let this vital mainenance slide was the one who should be fired, but the election solved that problem.
hurley_108 @ Wed Jan 16, 2008 1:44 pm
ridenrain ridenrain:
This is pathetic tunnel vision hurley_108.
This reactor provides a critical product that the world needs and it's mainenance and replacement were pushed to the bottom of the list by the Liberals. To suddenly decry that these systems are faulty now and pretend they were perfect 2 years ago is ignorant and misleading.
The minister who let this vital mainenance slide was the one who should be fired, but the election solved that problem.
This reactor provides a critical product that the world needs and it's mainenance and replacement were pushed to the bottom of the list by the Liberals. To suddenly decry that these systems are faulty now and pretend they were perfect 2 years ago is ignorant and misleading.
The minister who let this vital mainenance slide was the one who should be fired, but the election solved that problem.
Pull your head out of your ass, riden, I never excused the Liberals for their part in it. Hell, even my beloved NDP was an active participant in doing the wrong thing by voting to approve the restart.
I am well aware that this reactor has had problem going back decades. It just so happens that it was on the Conservatives' watch that the regulator finally decided enough was enough and shut the reactor down.
Yes, the Liberals had 13 years to fix it. Mulroney had a chance before them. But for the last two years, it's been the Conservatives' responsibility. I completely agree with you that this reactor performs critical function for the entire world, but given that staggering level of importance, why did Lunn sit on his hands for two years about it? Why wasn't he in the AECL's face from the day he was sworn in asking about the reliability of the reactor, what maintenance was needed that wasn't being done, and if this would lead to a problem in the future?
Yes, the Liberals did nothing about this in their 13 years, but they handed over to the Conservative a reactor that kept going for almost two years.
The only way this is definitevely the Liberal's fault is this: If Lunn had got on the phone to AECL, asked them if anything needed to be done, and if they told him everything that needed to be done and started on it and the reactor would still have shut down because there wasn't enough time. If that was the case, then it's the Liberals' fault because they would have left the Conservatives with a problem they wouldn't be able to fix.
However, if Lunn had taken action and would have been able to fix it, then it's Lunn's fault. Given that the restart order was to give the reactor 120 days of operation, I presume that this means it's a 120-day fix. The Conservatives have been in office far longer than that. Since they're in government right now, it's their problem.
For 120 days they could blame it on the Liberals. This game of blaming everything on the previous Liberal governments is, day by day, becoming an ever more pathetic attempt to sidestep their own accountability.
Zipperfish @ Wed Jan 16, 2008 1:52 pm
Yeah--a nice message to all bureaucrat sluggos who dare to speak up when the public's safety is at risk: "Prepare to be publicly humiliated and fired."
Still , this one will probably be slpit ddown party lines. Unless there is a problem with the plant and it melts down without access to cooling water. Then everyone will be pissed at the Conservatives. Except for the dead ones. They'll just be dead.
Scape @ Wed Jan 16, 2008 1:56 pm
I serve at the pleasure of the Prime Minister and I have his confidence.
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Ms. Keen was scheduled to appear before the committee Wednesday afternoon and confirmed that plan at 9 a.m. EST. But she apparently changed her mind an hour later. An e-mail sent by a CNSC official on her behalf said it would be inappropriate for her to testify now due to her demotion. It's unknown if and when she'll appear.
ziggy @ Wed Jan 16, 2008 2:02 pm
Scape Scape:
I serve at the pleasure of the Prime Minister and I have his confidence.
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Ms. Keen was scheduled to appear before the committee Wednesday afternoon and confirmed that plan at 9 a.m. EST. But she apparently changed her mind an hour later. An e-mail sent by a CNSC official on her behalf said it would be inappropriate for her to testify now due to her demotion. It's unknown if and when she'll appear.
Did she not know she was to be fired? I think under consultation from her lawyer she decided to not show as this was going to be a roast and I dont blame her.
The truth will come out though.
sasquatch2 @ Wed Jan 16, 2008 6:07 pm
A swiveller servant on a power trip, gets into a pissing contest with what she assumed was lesser authority and then was suddenly reminded who really she worked for.