Business View Magazine | September 2022

41 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 9, ISSUE 9 issues. “Supply disruption has pushed up prices,” he says. “Although we are not a manufacturer, we build specialty tooling and custom fuel simulators for research and development labs, which require specialty materials and are effected by supply chain disruptions. We are warning customers that supply chain issues may cause prices to fluctuate and delays in product deliveries, although we have not yet seen delays as bad as those effecting other industries like the auto industry.” Stern Laboratories might be in the business of reliability and safety testing, yet, as part of the nuclear industry, its mandate reaches outwards to educate and sensitize the public about nuclear energy’s benefits. “We support the Canadian Nuclear Society, which prepares a lot of papers and provides public education,” says Hadaller. “We also belong to the Organization of Canadian Nuclear Industries (OCNI) and Canada Nuclear Agency (CNA), which also do a lot of outreach programs.” At a more personal level, the company encourages staffers to advocate for nuclear in their spheres of influence. “I encourage our staff to have these discussions at the dinner table with their children and grandchildren. We need to do this kind of one-on-one advocacy so that people hear about it from people they know,” Hadaller adds. “For example, nuclear is the only industry that knows where all its waste is, which is not the case with other energy sources. Whenever fuel comes out of a reactor, specific steps are followed to dispose of it in secure storage facilities, where they are stored for a hundred years. These are details the public should know to understand that the nuclear industry is very well regulated and takes deliberate steps to ensure safety throughout the energy generation cycle.” Stern Laboratories also works closely with CANDU Owners Group, addressing emerging issues and providing ongoing research for members like Bruce Power and Ontario Power STERN LABORATOR I ES INC .