Natural Resources Committee on Feb. 24th, 2009

[Hugh MacDiarmid]

I have to say that being involved in that process at the time, when we looked at the materiality and said one one-thousandth of the allowable release limit, we said, “Does this pass the test? Does it merit this kind of treatment?” The choice we made at the time...we can always look back and wish we had done it differently, and clearly--

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Just on that, do you wish you had done it differently?

[Hugh MacDiarmid]

The degree of attention that has been paid to this in the past two months would suggest we have been wise in our statement to commit to a lower level of disclosure, a lower threshold for disclosure.

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Which is what happened this weekend. There was another leak. You folks chose to declare, to say this has happened.

[Hugh MacDiarmid]

We voluntarily disclosed the information, yes.

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

I'm new to this issue and I'm just trying to get more clarity. The MAPLE reactors were in a sense meant to provide up to 100% of the world's need of isotopes. Is that correct?

[Hugh MacDiarmid]

One of the project goals of the dedicated isotope facilities was indeed that it would replace the NRU and become the prime supplier of isotopes.

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

It was thought of in the 1980s, it began in 1996, was finished in 2000-01, it stumbled along, and then eventually it stopped in 2008. Is that right?

[Hugh MacDiarmid]

I won't agree with the “stumbled along”, but nonetheless it was before my time.

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

But it's no longer.

[Hugh MacDiarmid]

It is no longer.

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

How much did that cost?

[Hugh MacDiarmid]

The total cost to Canadian taxpayers? I believe we took a provision for roughly $250 million in our financial statements last year when we wrote off our investment in that project.

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Over the total life of the project, $250 million is what we sunk into it.

[Hugh MacDiarmid]

I'm going from memory, but I believe that's the order of magnitude.

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

How much did AECL put in?

[Hugh MacDiarmid]

That was our writedown.

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

That was all of it?

[Hugh MacDiarmid]

That was ours. This was a project that was funded under a joint agreement with ourselves and MDS Nordion, which of course is the subject of some dispute.

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

That's in the courts.

[Hugh MacDiarmid]

That is correct.

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

This year's budget of $351 million is public money going to AECL. Over the 50-year history of AECL, do we have any sense of how much money has flowed from the public?

[Hugh MacDiarmid]

I couldn't give you a precise answer to that, but it's certainly more than $1 billion.

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

With $350 million in one year, one would imagine over 50.... It hasn't been $350 million every year, but it's been significant.

[Hugh MacDiarmid]

Certainly not. The last two years have been very significantly higher than in the previous decade.