ID: 1978
Presenting Author: Sarah Plank
Session: 542 - Are We Living in the Post-Consultation Era?
Status: pending
The community advisory committee for Cariboo Gold’s assessment offers practical solutions to common engagement issues and lessons for building legitimacy, trust and better impact mitigation
Growing expectations for community involvement in decision-making have challenged impact assessment practitioners to develop more effective engagement approaches. In Canada, when the provincial government of British Columbia (B.C.) updated its environmental assessment process in 2018 - with enhanced public engagement as a key objective - it introduced a requirement for a community advisory committee to be established for any assessment where there is sufficient interest.
B.C.'s novel legislated requirement to include community voices in major project assessments offers opportunities for meaningful engagement but it is not being used to its full potential. The assessment of the Cariboo gold mine in Wells, B.C. - the first to feature a community advisory committee under the new legislation - offers important lessons for meaningful consultation. Our research explores whether this format offers a way to achieve inclusive, representative citizen engagement and build public confidence in project decisions.
Made up of local residents, these advisory committees can provide a way to learn about local impacts not available through other channels. But differing understanding of their purpose by participants, assessment teams and proponents has led to frustrations across the board. Drawing from our case study data, we share practical solutions to common engagement challenges and explore this engagement method's potential for rich dialogue and co-learning to help realize the benefits of public engagement in impact assessment: legitimacy, trust, inclusion and improved impact mitigation
Practitioner Sarah Plank leads public engagement at British Columbia’s Environmental Assessment Office. Her recent master’s research focused on community engagement in impact assessment.
Coauthor 1: Heather Castleden