Article content

OTTAWA — Mayor Naheed Nenshi is in the nation’s capital, urging mayors across the country to support pipelines while learning how soon federal cash will bolster Calgary’s infrastructure.

He also met with his fiery Montreal counterpart.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Nenshi urges big city mayors to work together to get pipelines built Back to video

“Rather than an inflammatory conversation pitting energy advocates against environmental advocates, we need to work together as communities, as a nation, to get this right,” Nenshi told a coalition of mayors on Thursday morning.

His remarks came just hours before a two-day round of talks between the federal government and 21 mayors.

During a Thursday lunch break, Nenshi exchanged a brief hug and a joke with Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre, whom he spoke with for the first time since the two loudly criticized each other’s views on the Energy East pipeline.

“We had a very pleasant conversation, that’s it,” a grinning Nenshi told the Herald.

Coderre said he’s not against pipelines, but feels TransCanada Corp. needs to answer local safety concerns.