Transparency, Risk Communication and Stakeholder Engagement for a Diverse Audience in the 21st Century Ruth Hull & Josephine Archbold

Intrinsik Environmental Sciences Inc, Toronto, CanadaMay 16th, 2012

Presentation Outline

• Transparency• Risk Communication• Stakeholder Engagement • Tools and Approaches • Conclusions

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Effective Stakeholder Participation in Decision-

Making

Stakeholder engagement

Risk communicatio

n

Transparency

Transparency• Transparency is critical to fostering TRUST

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PUBLIC PERCEPTIONS ABOUT HYDRAULIC FRACTURING

%Very

concerned Somewhat concerned

Not very concerned

Impacts on the environment

40 44 16

Impacts on water quality

35 40 25

Lack of disclosure

56 32 12

Source: Energy Institute, Univ. of TX@ Austin, Feb,. 2012

“Trust arrives on foot and departs on horseback”.Alexander Pechtold, Minister for Government Reform and Kingdom Relations, The Netherlands

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Transparency – Case Study• Smelter risk assessments: two very similar risk

assessments, in two jurisdictions (different regulators, different industrial companies)

• No disclosure of data to public until study complete;

• PAC (selected);• Adversarial positioning;• Lack of trust between

stakeholders.

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• Full disclosure of data throughout the process;

• PAC (open), TAC;• Co-operative positioning;• Broad trust and support from

stakeholders.

Risk Communication ResourcesATSDR. 1993. A Primer on Risk Communication: Principles and Practice. http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/risk/riskprimer/index.html

Bennett and Calman. 1999. Risk Communication and Public Health. Oxford University Press. New York.

Centre for Disease Control and Prevention. 2011. Gateway to Health Communication & Social Marketing Practice. http://www.cdc.gov/healthcommunication/Risks/index.html

Fitzpatrick-Lewis et al. 2010. Communication of Environmental health risks: A systematic review. Environmental Health. 9:67

Health Canada. 2006. Strategic Risk Communications Framework. http://www.riskcommunications.gc.ca

Risk Communication

• Key principles:• Delivered by trusted source• Tailor messages to audience(s)• Based on best available evidence• Use visuals and text• Use multiple channels to reach audience(s)• Provide opportunity to interact (Qs and As)• Clear and accessible language

6Fitzpatrick-Lewis et al. 2010. Communication of Environmental health risks: A systematic review. Environmental Health. 9:67

Stakeholder Engagement National Institute of Health. 2011. Principles of Community Engagement. 2nd Edition. http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/communityengagement/index.html

Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency. 2008. Public Participation Guidance. http://www.ceaa.gc.ca/

Health Canada Public Involvement Policy and Resources. 2007. http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ahc-asc/public-consult/res-centre/poli-eng.php

International Association for Public Participation. (IAP2). www.iap2.org

Stakeholder Engagement Core Values: • Those who are affected by a decision have a right to be involved in

the decision-making process.• The public's contribution will influence the decision. • Promotes sustainable decisions by recognizing and

communicating the needs and interests of all participants. • Seeks input from participants in designing how they participate. • Provides participants with the information they need to participate

in a meaningful way. • Communicates to participants how their input affected the

decision.• Seeks out and facilitates the involvement of those potentially

affected by or interested in a decision.

8 International Association for Public Participation.

Stakeholder Engagement “It’s not about silencing the vocal minority, it’s about raising the participation of other stakeholders…sometimes the hard to reach groups are easily overlooked”.

Amelia Shaw, President, IAP2 Canada, 2011

• Stakeholders are diverse• Know your audience• Be sure to reach vulnerable sub-

populations• Use multiple approaches

• Independent facilitator• Focus on the goal (desired outcome)9

Tools and Approaches • Traditional channels

– Nothing can completely replace traditional channels and the value of face-to-face dialogue when building relationships, trust and tackling challenging issues.

– e.g., newsletters, newspapers, public meetings, focus groups, advisory committees, workshops, phone in, advertisements, tours, surveys, feature article, journal publication

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Engaging in the 21st century

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Engaging in the 21st centuryGo to where your stakeholders are:

• Traditional approaches still have their place• On-line and social media expand reach and scale

• Social media• Creating community• Dialogue and transparency• New opportunities for relationships• Facebook, wikipedia, twitter, LinkedIn, blogs

• On-line • YouTube – entertaining • On-line surveys and feedback

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Conclusions• Need to use a combination of approaches to reach

diverse stakeholders• Guidance exists for traditional “best practices”• Be open-minded to new approaches• Tailor each strategy to:

• the objectives of the outreach, • the audience(s), and • the unique circumstances of the program/project.

• Keys to success - Transparency, clear and frequent communication, and strategic engagement

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