Ottawa’s Best Theratronics misses nuclear decommissioning guarantee deadline

Best Theratronics in Kanata, a manufacturer that has missed a deadline to provide a financial guarantee for nuclear decommissioning. Photo by JULIE OLIVER /PostmediaArticle content

A Kanata company that produces nuclear medical equipment has failed to meet a June 9 deadline set by Canada’s nuclear safety watchdog.

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Best Theratronics Ltd. manufactures external beam therapy units, blood irradiators, and cyclotrons for hospitals and medical research centres outside Canada. It’s part of the Virginia-based TeamBest Global Companies empire headed by Krishnan Suthanthiran, who purchased the company from MDS Nordion in 2007 for a reported $15 million.

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Last November, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) ordered Best Theratronics to provide a $1.8-million financial guarantee to cover the costs of decommissioning the plant on March Road, should that be necessary.

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However, Best Theratronics has failed to meet the deadline, the CNSC said in response to questions from Postmedia.

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Given that the deadline has passed, “CNSC staff will be contacting Best Theratronics to determine the next steps,” said the commission, which regulates nuclear energy, facilities and materials.

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“The financial order is still in place and Best Theratronics has not yet fulfilled the conditions of the order.”

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Best Theratronics is required to re-establish an overall financial guarantee of $1.8 million acceptable to the commission, which is calculated based on the estimated costs of decommissioning, the CNSC said.

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“As Canada’s nuclear regulator, our rigorous oversight of this facility is ongoing, and we continue to monitor Best Theratronics Ltd. and all nuclear licensees for regular compliance to ensure the safety of workers, the public and the environment.”

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The financial guarantee is a condition of Best Theratronics’ operating licence. According to a CNSC decision, Best Theratronics failed to maintain the financial guarantee, gave inaccurate reports to the CNSC about the validity of its financial guarantee and was inattentive to updating its preliminary decommissioning plan. That was cause for “significant concern,” said the decision signed by CNSC president Pierre Tremblay.

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Under the CNSC order, among other conditions, Best Theratronics can’t operate a cyclotron or possess nuclear substances for manufacturing radiation devices and radioactive source teletherapy machines. It also can’t possess a radioactive source teletherapy machine for the purposes of developing and testing radioactive source teletherapy machines.