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THE VOICE of VANCOUVER NEIGHBOURHOODS
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MIDWEEK EDITION
WEDNESDAY, MAY 8, 2013 Vol. 104 No. 37 • Established 1908
OPINION: Consent to see production on date rape 9
KinderMorgan sponsoring meetingofcivic politicians
FEE GUARANTEES OIL PIPELINE COMPANY FIVE MINUTE ADDRESS MIKE HOWELL Staff writer
T
photo Dan Toulgoet
A JUMP ON THE DAY: Matthew Geczi, a Grade 1 student at Queen Elizabeth elementary, takes part in a P.E. class at his school Monday afternoon. The long jump is one of his class’s favourite gym activities.
he oil pipeline company proposing to twin its pipeline from Alberta to Burnaby has paid $3,500 to be the official opening sponsor of an annual conference this week for municipal politicians. Kinder Morgan Canada’s sponsorship fee guarantees the company a five-minute address to delegates during Wednesday night’s opening of the Lower Mainland Local Government Association in Harrison Hot Springs. But Lexa Hobenshield, a spokesperson for Kinder Morgan, said the company has sponsored the conference for several years and the purpose is not to buy support for the pipeline expansion project. “That’s not what we’re there for,” Hobenshield said. “As a sponsor, we’re there as an organization that supports this event, and it’s an event of stakeholders that are important to us.” She said the delegates are important to Kinder Morgan because many are from municipalities where the pipeline traverses their communities. The company, she added, is in regular touch with municipalities and will be at the conference to answer questions from politicians. Barbara Steele, the president of the Lower Mainland Local Government Association, said there was “serious debate” by the association’s board about Kinder Morgan’s sponsorship this year. But Steele, who is a Surrey city councillor, said the public shouldn’t view Kinder Morgan’s participation as an endorsement of the company’s pipeline proposal. “We do have people on both sides and in the middle of this whole discussion,” she said. “It’s not meant to be an insult to anybody by having them. We think all people should be able to attend and hear all sides. We obviously don’t want anybody boycotting, or anything like that.” Steele pointed out Telus, B.C. Hydro and the B.C. Lottery Corporation are sponsoring other events at the conference. And, she said, some of those agency’s proposals for cell towers, smart meters and casinos have divided local governments over the years. See FREQUENT on page 4