Owen Sound, ON – The Southwestern Ontario Isotope Coalition, a partnership between regional leaders including the City of Owen Sound and the Nuclear Innovation Institute (NII) enabled by the Isotopes for Hope Campaign, has become the newest member of the Canadian Nuclear Isotope Council (CNIC). Together, the CNIC and the Coalition will collaborate in support of a national vision to increase Canada’s role in the research, development, and production of medical isotopes.
The Southwestern Ontario Isotope Coalition was formed to unite southwestern Ontario’s isotope community and foster future opportunities to leverage the many strengths the region has to offer. To achieve this, the Coalition will develop a strategic plan to support expansion in the region, increase local awareness of the role southwestern Ontario plays in Canada’s isotope ecosystem, facilitate future public and private investment, and explore ways grow the region’s role in the global supply.
As a new member of the CNIC, the Coalition joins a growing community of companies, organizations, and institutions across the country, committed to growing Canada’s leadership in the global isotope industry. With several founding members of the Coalition already members of the CNIC, the CNIC is pleased to collaborate with the Coalition on common objectives, both regionally and nationally.
In March, the CNIC launched its newest report entitled Isotopes for Hope: Canadian Leadership Needed Now More Than Ever, which showcases Canada’s powerful isotope industry and leadership in the fight against cancer. Valued at $6 billion US in 2021 and projected to reach between $14 and $33 billion US by 2031, the growing international market for medical isotopes presents a significant opportunity for Canada to demonstrate its leadership. As the global nuclear medicine market experiences exponential growth in the coming years, Canada possesses the unique capability to maximize the potential of its supply chain and double production of isotopes by 2030.
“Southwestern Ontario is an important piece of Canada’s isotope ecosystem and contributes world-class infrastructure and expertise to our domestic production pipeline,” said James Scongack, Chair of the CNIC. “As Canada expands its international leadership, isotope communities must collaborate to explore new partnerships and promote public and government awareness about Canada’s importance to medical isotope production. The CNIC looks forward to working with the Southwestern Ontario Isotope Coalition as an example of this essential regional collaboration towards the CNIC’s national vision.”
The CNIC is open to partnering with other isotope communitiess across Canada to encourage further regional development.
For additional information about the Southwestern Ontario Isotope Coalition, contact:
Paul McGrath
Manager of Community & Business Development
City of Owen Sound
519-376-4440 ext. 1254
pmcgrath@owensound.ca
About the Canadian Nuclear Isotope Council
The CNIC is a coalition of science, healthcare and nuclear-sector organizations to ensure Canada remains a world leader in the production of life-saving isotopes by bringing awareness and supporting long-term policies at the domestic and international level that will save countless lives and support health-care innovation for decades to come. To learn more about the CNIC visit www.CanadianIsotopes.ca and follow us on, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
For more information, please contact:
Andrew Thiele
Executive Director
Canadian Nuclear Isotope Council
226-930-1869
canadianisotopes@gmail.com