Shell Canada files lawsuit in pipeline rupture

Brooke Larsen
Burnaby Now
Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Shell Canada has filed the first lawsuit stemming from Burnaby's recent oil pipeline rupture.

The company filed court documents earlier this week in B.C. Supreme Court naming pipeline owner Kinder Morgan Canada, the City of Burnaby and Cusano Contracting, Shell spokesperson Denita Davis said.

The company - owner of the Shellburn Distribution Terminal at 201 Kensington Ave. - wants to recover costs from 11 days of lost production after the spill.

"As a result of the spill, we incurred some costs," Davis said, although she wouldn't say how much the company is seeking.

The company has not yet made specific allegations, Davis said.

"It's really just part of the process. ... This just helped us meet the deadline," Davis said. "More information will become known as the investigation is completed."

Thousands of litres of oil sprayed onto Inlet Drive when a Cusano Contracting backhoe hit a Kinder Morgan Pipeline July 24. Cusano had been hired by the city to do sewer work.

Fifty homes were evacuated, and oil seeped into the ground and Burrard Inlet through storm drains.

The Transportation Safety Board is now investigating the rupture, and WorkSafeBC is doing its own investigation to find out if Cusano followed safety regulations.

Last month, several residents affected by the spill met to discuss their legal options.

At the time, Mayor Derek Corrigan said he expected several lawsuits to follow.

A statement released by the City of Burnaby Tuesday says seven residents remain out of their homes.

The city and Kinder Morgan are still working to repair "heavily impacted properties," the release states.

"Remediation of less impacted lands (lawns, shrubs and trees) is completed but cleaning of external impacted surfaces is continuing."

© Burnaby Now 2007

See also:

Huge Burnaby Oil Spill