Mining and metals, Canada Assessment of community engagement platforms for a metal refining facility

Summary

The metal refining facility wanted to assess the effectiveness of its community relations platforms. Being a significant industrial player in the region, the facility had well-established platforms for engaging with stakeholders in the community. The question was: were the platforms meeting the expectations of those stakeholders and how did they compare to best practice in the industry?

Approach and Solution

To conduct the assessment, EEM began by identifying the local stakeholders and their concerns to ensure that all the material issues were being addressed in the existing community dialogue. The team then consulted with stakeholders, both inside and outside the organisation, to understand their perception of the issues, how they were being addressed by the company and the level of engagement at the different forums.
Using its in-depth knowledge of the mining sector, as well as a survey of emerging practices, EEM then conducted a gap assessment comparing current community relations practices to those considered best practice, taking into account environmental, social and economic issues. This assessment allowed key performance areas to be defined and placed priority on actions to address weaknesses in those key areas.
EEM then drew up a series of recommendations to optimise the performance of the existing dialogue forums as well as to set up other initiatives for on-going constructive dialogue with regional stakeholders.

Results

The assessment provided the framework that the company needed to structure its future community engagement and to ensure its future community investments correspond to the real needs of the community. The interviews also allowed the company to assess its reputation in the community and identify potential challenges.