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Former nuclear safety head quits board of directors

Article online since September 22nd 2008, 23:00
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OTTAWA - The former head of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission has resigned from the nuclear watchdog's board of directors.

Linda Keen sent a letter Monday to Prime Minister Stephen Harper saying she didn't want to stay on the board and continually be second-guessed by government officials.

"Given the circumstances of my demotion and the continuing court challenge, applicants, stakeholders, and even the government will be in a position to challenge my decisions on the basis of perceived bias," she wrote.

"I will be constantly second guessed as to my motivations for reaching decisions."

The Conservative government fired Keen as president of the nuclear safety commission in January after she refused to authorize the restarting of an aging reactor that produces half the world's supply of medical isotopes.

The shutdown led to a critical international shortage of medical isotopes used in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer and heart ailments.

Parliament voted to bypass the order of the safety regulator and the reactor was restarted Dec. 16.

The Tories fired Keen one month later. However, she remained a full-time member of the commission's board of directors.

Keen has been off work since January. But she used up all her time off on Monday.

Faced with returning to her new job as a commission member - which she says carries no responsibilities - Keen decided to call it quits.

"I really understood the situation that I was putting (the nuclear safety commission) - and myself - in," she said in an interview.

"All that the government has said is really that they question my leadership. What would that mean if I went forward?"

She added: "If I ever disagreed, for example. Would I have to always agree with the government?"

The isotope crisis came to light last November after Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd.'s research reactor in Chalk River, Ont., was closed for a few days of routine maintenance.

During that time, the nuclear safety commission discovered key safety measures were not in place. Inspectors found the earthquake-resistant emergency power supply wasn't connected to two pumps that prevent a meltdown.

Keen said the risk of an accident without either of the pumps connected was 1,000 times greater than the international standard.

She is suing the federal government over her dismissal.

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