ID: 1777
Presenting Author: Alice Nyambe
Session: 675 - Transparency to Trust: Communicating Complex Science and Data Effectively
Status: pending
This paper explores how cooperation, transparency, and digital innovation can strengthen public participation, rebuild trust, and enhance co-management in northern environmental assessments under the
Public participation has long been a cornerstone of credible environmental assessment (EA) processes and is a fundamental requirement under the Inuvialuit Final Agreement (IFA)—a principle designed to ensure meaningful involvement of northern communities in decision-making. In Northern Canada, where trust, transparency, and collaboration are central to co-management systems, these values remain essential. Yet today, the rise of misinformation, polarization, and declining public confidence increasingly challenge the legitimacy of EA processes, compounded by enduring colonial legacies that have shaped skepticism toward southern institutions and corporate interests.
Within this context, the Environmental Impact Review Board (EIRB) faces the task of upholding scientific integrity while fostering inclusive, culturally grounded, and trust-based engagement with northern and Indigenous communities—particularly within the Inuvialuit Settlement Region (ISR). To support this mandate, the EIRB has recently updated its website and public Registry to improve accessibility and transparency, making it easier for communities and stakeholders to participate meaningfully in ongoing assessments.
This paper explores innovative ways to enhance participation and rebuild trust in northern EA processes. It examines digital and interactive tools for transparent, real-time communication; participatory mapping and community-based monitoring that empower local knowledge holders; and hybrid engagement frameworks that bridge Indigenous and Western knowledge. Embracing more cooperative and co-creative a
Alice Lutaladio-Nyambe is an Environmental Programs Executive advancing trust, transparency, and Indigenous collaboration in environmental assessment and governance in Canada’s North and beyond.
Coauthor 1: Catherine Cockney