Earlier, we reported Wal-Mart Canada Corp. would be revisiting its proposal to setup shop in Vancouver following the election. Of course, the multinational might have raised some eyebrows if it had continued to be assisted in those efforts by Reputations Corp. - which has close ties to Non-Partisan Association and Terminal City Mayor Sam Sullivan. But, in an interview with Public Eye, Wal-Mart public affairs director Andrew Pelletier confirmed his company is looking for another firm to represent its communications interests in the Big Smoke. Said Mr. Pelletier, "We will continue to work with Reputations on other projects outside of the Lower Mainland. We've worked with the firm for a number of years. And they've shown themselves to be a top firm - an extremely capable firm and a firm with very sound ethics and integrity...We don't believe there's any conflict on the Vancouver file currently. However, both Reputations and Wal-Mart Canada have agreed the best approach going forward is that Reputations not work on this particular file in Vancouver."

Mr. Pelletier added "Reputations volunteered to bow out of this particular file. We hold ourselves at Wal-Mart to extremely high standards of integrity with all of our deals with outside suppliers as does Reputations. And neither Reputations nor Wal-Mart Canada want even the perception of a conflict. We don't believe there's a conflict. But we don't even want the perception of a conflict." He declined to comment on rumours that Palmer Jarvis DDB is on the short-list to replace Reputations.