SUSTAINABILITY SESSION

Geologists and explorationists do not necessarily have the stakeholder engagement experience nor the luxury of having in-house community relations professionals to guide field staff. Given that they are the first point-of-contact with communities and landowners, the relationships that are established at the exploration stage are a critical, yet controllable variable in developing a successful project. Through practical examples ranging from international best practices to local experiences, this session is intended to provide participants with an understanding of the steps and tools to foster and sustain engagement with stakeholders and interest groups during the early stages of the mining cycle. The take-away for the session will be an outline of the do’s and don’ts and specific user-friendly tools of stakeholder engagement and community relations to apply to early stage exploration and mineral project development.

This technical session will consist of one overview presentation and two facilitated panel presentations and discussions focusing on the following stages of the mining cycle: 1) Early Stage Exploration and 2) Advanced Exploration.

The session will begin with an overview of the key elements for effective engagement, expectations management, and building foundations for future project success through sustainable and responsible practices. The overview will be followed by a panel discussion and conclude with a summary wrap-up of the discussions. Examples and panelists will be drawn from domestic and international projects. The panel discussions will begin with brief overviews of the projects and approaches to engagement and sustainability. Facilitated discussion will follow, examining the strategies and tools used for effectively moving towards sustainability and project success. The discussions will be interactive and designed to not only develop an understanding of constructive engagement and its importance in project success, but also to yield tangible and transferable tools for participants to utilize day to day and throughout the life cycle of a project. Participants will take away a more detailed understanding of the specific tools and methods used to be effective in community engagement and for achieving sustainable project success. The session will compliment the release of AME BC’s community planning and engagement toolkit.