Yes, I do, sir.
Good afternoon, Mr. Chair and members of the committee. I want to start by thanking you for inviting me to appear before the committee. I'm glad to be able to bring Ontario's voice to the table, and I'm here because I am concerned. Our province has relied upon the National Research Universal reactor at Chalk River for 95% of our supply of medical isotopes, but over the past few years, we have become increasingly anxious about the sustainability of the supply. As I believe you all know, it can be disrupted suddenly and with little warning, and because of the just-in-time way that isotopes are produced and delivered, health care providers feel the effects of critical disruption almost immediately and, of course, the effect on health care patients.
As you can imagine, the shutdown of the Chalk River nuclear reactor on May 15 has had significant implications for Ontario patients and Ontario health care providers. Since the week of July 26, supply has been cut in half, and now even as low as 40%. As a province, we have been challenged. That said, I want to assure the members of this committee that Ontario is doing everything it can to respond to this disruption.
We are taking action to ensure that we can continue providing patients with the high-quality scans that they depend upon. For example, in June of this year, we provided $1.4 million to fund the production of an alternative isotope called 18F sodium fluoride. Using PET technology, this alternative allows Ontario to provide 2,000 patients with needed bone scans. It's an innovative solution that is ensuring that Ontarians have access to important diagnostic procedures during this challenging time.
We are also providing guidance to the nuclear medicine community to make sure health providers are maximizing available isotopes. By modifying scanning techniques, prioritizing patients, and using alternative diagnostic tools, I am very proud to say that we have been able to minimize the effects of the disruption. We have done that by being responsive and proactive and by anticipating the challenges to come.
Ontario has one of the most comprehensive medical isotope disruption plans of any of Canada's provinces. It is a plan developed based upon the advice of the Ontario Isotope Working Group. The working group is made up of key stakeholders and physician leaders, including the Ontario Association of Nuclear Medicine, Cancer Care Ontario, and the Cardiac Care Network.
Our plan establishes three levels of response, with tier one representing a minor reduction in supply and tier three representing a critical disruption. Ontario is currently operating at a tier two response level. There has been a significant reduction in isotope supply, but our providers have been able to continue managing the disruption locally and we have been offering guidance to our health care professionals.
Tier two triggers the partial activation of the ministry's emergency operations centre. The operations centre monitors isotope supply with the federal government and ensures that all of our health care providers have the tools and information they need to be able to respond.
I want to stress the importance of coordination and collaboration with our federal government colleagues, because Ontario, like all provinces, is relying upon advice, guidance, and information from the federal government as we develop our own response plans, and I want to assure this committee that we are in regular communication with Health Canada officials, because we depend upon them to keep us up to date on the status of the NRU and to share best practices and contingency planning. These, however, are short-term measures.
I am present here today because I'd like to seek clarification about the federal government's plans. By sharing Ontario's story, I hope to foster a federal understanding of the difficult situation I'm sure many provinces now face.
Ontario is operating under the assumption that the Chalk River nuclear reactor will be repaired and that it will continue to produce medical isotopes until a suitable and affordable alternative can be arranged. It's disappointing that Chalk River will remain closed, we are told now, until the spring of 2010.
I would like the government's assurance that it is committed to repairing the NRU. To help us plan, I would ask for regular updates from the government on the progress of the repair, as well as clarification about when we might again expect the nuclear reactor to resume producing isotopes.
Also, given that we are now reliant on international isotope suppliers, I would ask for regular updates on outages at other international reactors.
Finally, our front-line health care partners have informed us of higher-than-normal costs for medical isotopes. Clearly the federal government should compensate Ontario health providers for these additional costs that they are currently facing as a result of the shortage.
I want to finish my formal remarks by emphasizing my willingness to work with health care partners and all levels of government to ensure that we can find solutions to this problem. Chalk River is a valuable national resource, providing a critical diagnostic tool to all Canadians who need it. It is important that the federal government show leadership and develop a comprehensive, clear, and coordinated plan. Our health care providers, indeed all Canadians, deserve and depend on access to a stable and affordable supply of radioisotopes.
I want to reiterate my thanks to this committee for offering me this opportunity to be able to present, and I eagerly await any questions or comments that committee members might have.
Thank you very much.
