Program Themes
Program Area One:
Indigenous-led EA/IA Processes
Exploring Indigenous and community-led assessments processes, what does the process look like and how does it differ from Federal, Provincial and Municipal processes.
Program Area Two:
Streamlining Processes, Prioritizing Information, & Asking the Right Questions
If the process is too cumbersome and when we don’t collect the right information we slow down. Continued streamlining efforts are imperative, however we need to ensure this is done while adhering to the core principles (transparent, inclusive, informed and meaningful). An important and often overlooked component of improving efficiency is ensuring we get the right information at the pre-planning stage and pre-permit stages, not later during the decision-making stages. We need to look at the big picture at the onset of assessments and ask the correct questions early-on to help focus our efforts. We also need to ensure these questions are in fact answered through the assessments and projects we deliver.
Program Area Three:
Value Relationships
If we don’t engage the right regulators, stakeholders, and Indigenous communities, at the outset of the project, we slow down. If we want to improve IA/EAs, we need to initiate, develop, and foster relationships for the long term. When we don’t take the time to develop relationships, we lose the chance to develop trust. Without trust it is hard to effectively move forward.
