Canadian Nuclear Association Celebrates 50th Anniversary

Canadian and International Energy Experts Address 2010 Nuclear Industry Conference and Trade Show

OTTAWA, Feb. 18 /CNW Telbec/ - From February 24-26, 2010, the Canadian Nuclear Association (CNA) will hold its annual Nuclear Industry Conference and Trade Show in Ottawa. This year's conference is particularly special as it marks a significant milestone for the CNA - celebrating 50 years of promoting the peaceful use of nuclear energy for Canadians. The Honourable Christian Paradis, the Minister for Natural Resources Canada will kick off the event with remarks at a Welcome Reception on Wednesday, February 24th.

"This conference has become much more than a typical annual industry gathering", states new CNA President & CEO Denise Carpenter. "It has become a fully integrated and interactive trade show, career fair, education symposium and energy policy discussion for all attendees."

The conference has drawn over 700 registered delegates from across Canada and internationally, including members of the nuclear and energy sectors, politicians, Members of Parliament, Senators, government officials, diplomats, investors, business analysts, environmentalists, international delegations, media and over 100 upcoming student graduates.

The Conference will be host to an accomplished lineup of speakers covering numerous disciplines in business, government, international policy, social media, and even the arts, including, to name a few:

    
    -   Jason Grumet, Executive Director of the U.S. National Commission on
        Energy Policy; Top Advisor on Energy and Environment for the Obama
        Presidential Campaign
    -   Joel Cohen, Writer and Co-Executive Producer of The Simpsons
    -   The Right Honourable Malcolm Wicks, MP (UK), British Prime Minister's
        Special Representative on International Energy Issues
    -   Jeff Rubin, renowned Canadian Economist and Author
    -   Hugh MacDiarmid, President and Chief Executive Officer, Atomic Energy
        of Canada Limited
    -   Patrick Moore, Co-Founder, Greenpeace; Chair and Chief Scientist,
        Greenspirit Strategies Ltd.
    -   Robert Dixon, Former International Energy Agency G-8 Energy Advisor,
        Leader, Climate and Chemicals Team, Global Environment Facility,
        World Bank
    

Educating Canadians about nuclear technology and energy has become an important priority for the CNA, forging valuable links and collaborating with educators and students from across Canada. As part of the conference, an Educator Symposium will bring together science educators, teacher associations and curriculum advisors from ministries of education from across Canada to review and update high school curriculum-linked materials and resources. "We have been working successfully with the CNA in developing innovative and interactive resources for science, biology, physics, chemistry, environmental science, geography, history, social studies and world studies. The range of applications in nuclear technology from medicine to food irradiation to energy, provide rich learning contexts for Canadian students to make informed decisions on issues that impact our lives." stated Marietta Bloch, Director of Education Services for Let's Talk Science. Numerous resources are accessible at no cost for educators including lesson plans, games, videos, and a searchable database, all of which are accessible through a robust website www.cna.ca/curriculum/default.asp .

A CEO-Student Briefing on February 24th will bring together company executives and over 100 university students from 11 universities to discuss careers in the industry. The interactive session will be followed by a job fair where students will leave with real job offers from leading nuclear companies.

"Today, there are over 71,000 jobs in Canada's nuclear industry and another 5000 jobs in the uranium industry. We bring our brightest young stars from Canadian universities together with industry experts to ensure that we keep important high-skilled jobs in Canada and secure a successful future for nuclear energy in Canada for generations to come", says Denise Carpenter.

"The CNA CEO-Student Briefing creates real job opportunities for upcoming Canadian graduates," stated Dr. John Luxat, Professor, McMaster University and NSERC/UNENE Industrial Research Chair in Nuclear Safety Analysis. "Our under-graduate and graduate students in nuclear engineering have an excellent employment record, with almost 100% of them obtaining jobs in the nuclear industry upon graduation," added Dr. Luxat.

The Canadian Nuclear Association (CNA) is a non-profit organization established in 1960 to represent the nuclear industry in Canada and promote the development and growth of nuclear technologies for peaceful purposes. The CNA has about 95 members including power utilities, labour unions, manufacturers, uranium mining and fuel processing companies, engineering companies, universities and associations.

For further information: Claudia Lemieux, Director of Communications and Media Relations, Canadian Nuclear Association, [phone] Ext. 104, [email protected]; To book media interviews with conference speakers/attendees: Evan Zelikovitz, [phone], [email protected] or Sheila Roy, [phone], [email protected]