There was a thing on the National last night, about the recommendation for having an extra backup in place, in case an earthquake or other disruption knocked out the main pumps. The simplified diagram just showed the one system.
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2007/12/13/chalk-river-reactor.htmlAnyway, it does seem like the system for supplying those vital short-lived isotopes hadn't been looked at in terms of resilience, at least not for some time. We should consider this a wake-up call. I recall that McMaster Medical Centre was making some of its own (using the reactor on campus), but I suppose that the demand in Canada alone has increased so much that it just wouldn't be possible for the other reactors to supply the range of isotopes required, in those amounts, for this country let alone other locations.
And there could be significant issues down the line, if a government is allowed to override safety recommendations ... I just hope that this doesn't become a routine thing.