Burnaby mayor presses Trudeau on safety measures if Trans Mountain expansion approved

Burnaby Mayor Mike Hurley wants Ottawa to come up with concrete measures to protect residents if the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion is approved.

“What we’re looking for is, if the expansion goes ahead, that we have a realistic way to approach how we’re going to engage that safety issue, and to assure our citizens that we’re doing everything we can to protect them,” Hurley said.

The federal government purchased the $4.5-billion pipeline system and will decide this month whether to move ahead with an expansion.

WATCH: Burnaby Mountain residents concerned about emergency response

1:51 Burnaby Mountain residents concerned about emergency response

The project would see the twinning of an 1,150-kilometre pipeline and more than a dozen new tanks at the Burnaby facility.

Hurley, a former firefighter, met with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Burnaby fire officials Saturday to discuss concerns about the potential impact on people living near the tank farm.

“My real hope would be that there was no pipeline to talk about, that would be my first preference,” Hurley said.

Hurley says he felt Trudeau listened to the concerns presented, but the mayor adds that he wants to see action from the federal government, including consultation with safety experts.

“That’s what I deal with, protecting our citizens, and that’s what I’ll continue to do,” Hurley said.