February 28, 2013 – Joe Oliver, Canada’s minister of natural resources, announced the next steps in plans to engage the private sector in the management of Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd.’s (AECL) nuclear laboratories.

“To ensure the best possible management, we are restructuring the management of our nuclear laboratories by bringing in private sector rigour and efficiency,” said Oliver in a speech at the 2013 Canadian Nuclear Association Conference & Tradeshow. “We will ensure that funding is directed to national priorities, ensure cost recovery for services provided to users, and reduce the financial cost and risk for Canadian taxpayers over time.”

In the coming months, the Government of Canada will engage in a competitive procurement process to restructure the management and operation of AECL’s nuclear laboratories. It seeks to implement a government-owned/contractor-operated (GoCo) model.

The government says it is still assessing the value of investing federal tax dollars in longer-term nuclear innovation.

CLICK HERE for more information AECL’s nuclear Laboratories restructuring.