One might have expected Mayor Derek Corrigan to immediately jump on Vancouver's bandwagon and protest the expansion of the Kinder Morgan pipeline (see story on page 3). After all, the pipeline is running through Burnaby, and this city has a long and sometimes bumpy experience with oil.
The rupture of a Kinder Morgan pipeline in a Burnaby neighbourhood in July 2007 was traumatic for residents, and, while seepage into the inlet was limited, it was still very hard on local wildlife.
The thought of nearly three times as much oil running through Burnaby should make one pause.
But Corrigan is wisely gathering his facts before jumping into the fray with both feet. He has asked staff to do a thorough report, and he is actively involved in trying to find out what the city may be able to do if it decides to oppose the expansion.
Some pundits may think he is holding back because of his civic political party's relationship to the NDP. The union-allied party always has a tough balancing act where industry and jobs and the environment are concerned.
And perhaps that is one of the reasons he's treading a bit more carefully than he often does. But we don't think party politics will be the deciding factor in this case.
Corrigan has set his, and the city's, sights on a "green" city. This pipeline represents, both practically and symbolically, one of the biggest potential threats to a clean environment in the Lower Mainland.
If the city does come out against the pipeline, it will need to have all its ducks in order.
And, if it has any chance at all of impacting the pipeline plans, it will need to have a public relations and legal strategy that can take on both big industry and big government.
Not an easy thing to do.
