Corrigan sets sights on GVRD chair

Corrigan sets sights on GVRD chair
By Dan Hilborn, Burnaby NOW assitant editor
Published Dec. 11, 2002

Newly elected Burnaby mayor Derek Corrigan is working the telephones this week in the hopes of lining up enough support to become the next chairman of the Greater Vancouver Regional District.
But before he officially throws his name into the hat, Corrigan, a long-time NDP member and criminal lawyer, wants to make sure that he has enough support to defeat rival Surrey city councillor Marvin Hunt, a fiscal conservative with a fundamentalist Christian background.
"I think clearly there is a distinction between Marvin and me ... Marvin has been identified with the right wing very strongly, while I'm considered to be from the moderate left," said Corrigan, who has served as either a GVRD director or alternate throughout his 15- year career in civic politics.
"I think the middle-of-the-road directors will have to really seriously consider what direction they want the GVRD to go in."
Corrigan said the differences between himself and Hunt are best exemplified by their two-year fight over the tendering of the contracts to build a new Seymour water filtration plant - a facility that Corrigan believed was best operated by the regional district, while Hunt, the chair of the GVRD water committee, was in favour of making a private-public partnership.
"Marvin and I went nose to nose for a number of months on that, mainly over two issues," Corrigan said this week. "On the financial side, I asked if it was a good investment for the GVRD, and on the impact of opening our water would have on international trade agreements. Eventually, the public came onside in opposing the water filtration plant, and Marvin had to back down.
"It's kind of funny in a way," Corrigan said. "I tend to represent the more conservative element, and Marvin tends to represent the more radical view of how to conduct business."
The election for the GVRD chair's position will take place early Friday morning during the inaugural meeting of the new GVRD board.
Hunt, interviewed Tuesday morning, said he has not been tagged a 'radical' since his first days in politics, and the Seymour filtration plant debate proves that he does listen to public opinion.
"The GVRD is a group of 21 member municipalities all trying to work together, and I think that's the most important issue - working together and finding consensus," Hunt said.
He noted that politics should not be a factor at GVRD board table, where directors oversee the provision of water, sewage, garbage and air quality services in the region.
"These aren't exactly left-right issues," Hunt said. "It doesn't matter what your political perspective is, you still need water, you still need to have to deal with your garbage and the sewage needs to be dealt with. And it's those sorts of things I believe the GVRD should stay focused on.
"I think the most important part of the GVRD is to focus on things that we agree on and sort of stay away from the stuff we disagree on. I think that's how the GVRD will be most effective."
But Corrigan believes Hunt has a predilection towards making provocative statements that could affect detract from his suitability as chair.
"There are a number of people (on the GVRD board) who are going to be disinclined to go to any extreme, and they'll be looking for a middle of the road alternative and I think that's my track record.
"Everyone knows I'm a fiscal conservative. There's very few issues that I'm considered a radical on."
Corrigan also agreed with Hunt's contention that the GVRD works best when it sticks to its core mandate, which is providing services to the member municipalities.
"I don't see it (the region) as another level of government. I see it as a big utilities cooperative for the benefit of the whole region," he said.
Meanwhile, Corrigan admitted he is the likely underdog in the race because the chairman's election is conducted on a one- director, one vote basis. If the election were held on a weighted vote (with each director having a proportional number of votes to his home city's population), Corrigan would stand a much better chance of winning because of the recent NDP-COPE victory in the Vancouver city election.
While Corrigan said he will not make a final decision on running for the post until later this week, he does believe his experience make him the logical best choice.