Only non-urgent communications to be sent to Trans Mountain ahead of time: City of Burnaby

When Burnaby announced its new agreement with Trans Mountain on Oct. 1, the Beacon contacted the city's public affairs department with questions about how it would affect public communications. One question was whether the agreement means Burnaby must seek Trans Mountain approval before informing the public about leaks, spills, fires, or other emergencies. 

After the Beacon’s previous story about the Trans Mountain agreement was published on Oct. 2, the City of Burnaby’s public affairs department responded, saying these requirements only apply to planned communications such as press releases. 

“This section of the agreement refers to a public announcement or press release, which are formal, pre-planned communications. It has nothing to do with time-sensitive, emergency communications,” said Chris Bryan, public affairs manager at the city. “In an emergency situation, the City’s priority would be to get reliable information out to the public as urgently as possible.”

Bryan’s reply also included some of the same information the city previously provided regarding the agreement, such as its importance for emergency preparedness and ensuring the safety of residents. He said that part of the city’s emergency preparations include equipping fire stations 4 and 8 with wildfire firefighting equipment and personnel such as ATVs and large sprinkler systems.

“The Community Contribution Agreement signals our commitment to public safety, recognizing that the most effective way to ensure the safety of our residents is to work collaboratively with Trans Mountain. Additionally, this agreement secures more than $20 million in funding towards emergency planning and safety enhancements in Burnaby,” Bryan said. “It’s also important to note that this agreement does not restrict Mayor and Council from voicing their opinions on matters concerning Trans Mountain. As part of the agreement, a communications protocol has been established to work constructively and collaboratively on emergency issues impacting the community.” 

Bryan did not reply to the Beacon’s question about what information constitutes “negative public communications about Trans Mountain, its operations, shareholders, and Affiliates.” The agreement says that Burnaby must now delete all “negative” information about Trans Mountain from its official communications channels, including its website. Bryan also did not clarify whether Trans Mountain will be the one to decide what constitutes negative communications. 

The Beacon also asked whether there will be any public consultation or engagement regarding the new agreement with Trans Mountain, however Bryan did not provide a response to this. He also did not say whether the agreement would affect the city’s decision to join the Sue Big Oil campaign. 

The city’s reassurances do not clarify what would be considered an emergency situation under the agreement and how much the mayor and council members will be allowed to share publicly without violating the agreement.

This piece was made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.

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