"U.S. Firm Sheds Liability for Canadian Nuclear Peril"

"One of the world's largest nuclear plant suppliers has ordered its Canadian division to hermetically seal itself off from its U.S. parent, going so far as to forbid engineers at the U.S. wing from having anything to do with Canadian reactors.

The move by GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy is spurred by concerns about liability – if an accident at a Canadian plant spreads damage across the border, Americans might be able to sue the parent company. The result is a Canadian company cut off from the technical advances of its parent, a leading player in the industry.

The company also won't allow any equipment built or designed by the U.S. parent to be used in Canadian reactors for the same reason."

Martin Mittelstaedt reports for the Toronto Globe and Mail November 28, 2009.