Space agency head Steve MacLean quitting to go to Perimeter Institute: sources

MONTREAL - The head of the Canadian Space Agency is moving on.

Several sources tell The Canadian Press that Steve MacLean is quitting to go to the Perimeter Institute in Waterloo, Ont.

The news was apparently announced to officials at the space agency south of Montreal earlier today.

It is not immediately clear when the resignation takes effect. MacLean's five-year mandate began in 2008 and is set to expire this September.

Perimeter was founded by Mike Lazaridis, former CEO and co-founder of Research In Motion.

An official at the institute would only say that he expected to have something to say later.