The Globe and Mail reports in its Wednesday edition that the World Nuclear Exhibition, an industry event under way in Paris this week, will feature Atkins Réalis, formerly known as SNC-Lavalin, unveilling a new reactor dubbed the Monark. The Globe's Matthew McClearn writes that if built, Monark would be the largest-ever exemplar of Canada's Candu reactor technology. On the same day as that announcement, however, Ontario Power Generation, the world's largest owner and operator of Candus, made its own: It had entered discussions with Electricité de France to explore the possibility of building a European model known as the EPR in Ontario. OPG says the discussions are not exclusive, but the fact that they are happening at all marks a departure from decades past, when building reactors in Canada from foreign makers would have been almost unthinkable. Ken Hartwick, OPG's chief executive officer, hinted at the utility's reasoning earlier this year. "We love the Candu technology," he said. "But the technology, outside of refurbishments, has not kept up-to-date." That widely held perception is a serious liability for AtkinsRéalis just as OPG and other utilities around the world are suddenly shopping for new large reactors.