ID: 2110
Presenting Author: Faiza Waheed
Session: 759 - Railroading the Assessment of Health and Social Valued Components in Impact Assessment
Status: pending
Mis/disinformation can distort health and social impact assessments, making ongoing community engagement vital in supporting informed decisions and community wellbeing during major projects.
Mis/disinformation in IA negatively affect the wellbeing of communities who can be impacted by major projects going through IA. Health and social impact assessments are particularly susceptible to misinformation, as public fears and misconceptions can distort scientific evaluations and influence regulatory decisions. By spreading fear or mistrust, misinformation and disinformation can stop projects in their tracks. Health concerns that aren't based in facts can take over conversations, making it hard to explain real risks, further challenging the risk communication process. In the age of social media, Google PhDs, and AI hallucinations, the current Canadian regulatory regime aims to get major nation-building projects through the federal Impact Assessment process in two years. So, do more and in less time. Hence, it is now even more pressing that we acknowledge the ways in which disinformation and misinformation affect major projects and come up with new and innovative ways to dispel misinformation and disinformation before they take root during engagement with communities.
Dr. Faiza Waheed is a Senior Environmental Health Scientist, specializing in conducting health assessments & engagement for major projects, working for & with Indigenous communities, government, & pri