Course

Level: Introductory

Facilitators: Karen Chovan, Enviro Integration Strategies Inc., Alistair Kent, Cementation Canada Inc. & Lynnel Reinson, Lynnel Reinson Communications Ltd.

Mining companies are expected to engage with community members and other stakeholders about very specific technical content related to their projects – a multi-faceted challenge for most organizations. Because engineers and technicians are deeply immersed in their specialties, it can be difficult to translate that technical expertise into non-technical conversations to make the ideas accessible to non-technical audiences. Similarly for engagement and communication practitioners, presenting these highly technical concepts in accessible ways, both accurately and without altering the meaning, can be challenging as well.

How do practitioners and companies avoid getting off on the wrong footing in engagement? By combining collaboration and processes to address all concerns, which include both listening and providing information and responses meant to increase understanding and offer assurance of safety and fairness. This is the collective responsibility of engineers, management, environmental, and social scientists. The overall objective of this full day workshop will be to explore the intersection of project-related technical issues and communications, including:

• Fundamentals: reviewing technical acumen and risk practices for ‘non-technical’ practitioners & social acumen, and communications practices for ‘technical’ practitioners

• Planning: exploring successful processes for integrating engagement activities with technical project development

• Critical elements: exploring the principles and relevant information that multi-disciplinary design and operations teams need to share with communications teams, and in what form, to enhance interdisciplinary, executive, and external understanding and engagement at various lifecycle stages of a mine development

• Decision-making: exploring how project decisions and designs can be enhanced with critical information from engagement rounds, to integrate, adapt, and address the concerns and requests of various stakeholders

• Case examples: presenting successful engagement cases where operators have openly communicated about impacts and risks, touching on themes such as site and technology selection, credible failure modes, dam breach analyses and inundation zones, ALARP and the safety case, emergency planning, and more

Addressing these gaps with multiple approaches will provide more methods for practitioners to utilize in their technical, engagement, and community work. Through presentations and interactive roundtables, the session will demonstrate ways to develop a common understanding around risk and mine waste management, as well as demonstrate how right-timed, planned, and informed engagement practices and collaboration with stakeholders and rightsholders can build trust and reduce fears.

Short Course Objectives:

Participants will be introduced to concepts of engagement and communications, frameworks to engage and listen for different lifecycle stages, and generally learn to better understand how and when they can engage to inform company decisions, and to be assured that companies are doing the right things through current leading practices.

Target Audience:

Engineers, operational and environmental practitioners, social and communications SMEs, as well as executives, managers, and others who may need to understand and engage around tailings and risk. We invite both experienced and new professionals in the tailings and risk management space.

About the instructors:

We are working with a team of tailings practitioners and social engagement and performance practitioners, as well as communication and training experts to build a solid workshop. We also have involvement from industry representatives in these disciplines who can bring case studies for both successes and failures. Speakers will be specifically identified in the coming months as the detailed agenda unfolds.