Presenting on the benefits and challenges of public consultation in the energy sector

1. Managing the Public
Consultation Process
POWER MANAGEMENT IN ONTARIO
M A Y 1 3 TH 2 0 0 9
Ted Griffith, Vice President
© National Public Relations Ltd

2. NATIONAL Public Relations
 Vice President, NATIONAL Public Relations
 Canada’s largest and most successful communications
consultancy
 35 years in operations
 300 + professional staff in 10 offices
 Clients are Canada’s leading corporations, governments, and
NGOs
 Public affairs, corporate communications, media relations,
digital media, healthcare, marketing communications, public
consultation
 Developed Energy Conservation Week for OPA
© National Public Relations Ltd. Ted Griffith, Vice President

3. PUBLIC CONSULTATION EXPERIENCE
 15 years
 Transfer of blood supply management to Canadian Blood
Services
 Water & Wastewater treatment sites
 Energy in Ontario
2006: Ontario Supply Mix (Gov’t of Ontario)

2006: Enbridge Ontario Wind Farm

2008: Northern York Region – Gas Plant (OPA)

2008: SW GTA – Gas Plant (OPA)

© National Public Relations Ltd. Ted Griffith, Vice President

4. Public Consultation - NATIONAL
 International Association of Public Participation (IAP2)
 Aggregates
 Right to Draw Water
 Pipelines for Oil & Natural Gas
 Transmission Lines
 First Nations concerns
SYNENCO – Northern Lights project

ENBRIDGE – various pipelines, including Alberta Clipper and Southern Lights

SHELL – Oilsands related

IMPERIAL OIL -- MacKenzie Gas Project

AESO (Alberta Electric System Operator) – Edmonton/Calgary transmission

line
© National Public Relations Ltd. Ted Griffith, Vice President

5. Today’s Messages
“SOCIAL LICENSE” versus “SOCIAL FRICTION”
1.
2. The goal of public consultation is to foster balanced
discussion
3. It is not possible to over-communicate
4. The people you want to influence are not in the room
© National Public Relations Ltd. Ted Griffith, Vice President

6. WHY CONSULT WITH THE PUBLIC?
 Statutory Requirement
 RFP Requirement
 Information Gathering
 Public Education Opportunity
 Managing Public Opinion
SOCIAL LICENSE TO
OPERATE
© National Public Relations Ltd. Ted Griffith, Vice President

7. Social License
 Today’s society demands more accountability and
transparency – from both governments & corporations
 A by-product of this is called “Social License”
The consent of communities to develop a resource and extract value

This community consent must be acquired at the earliest possible

stages of a project and be maintained throughout its lifecycle
COMMUNITIES ARE DEMANDING THAT
ORGANIZATIONS GO WELL BEYOND COMPLIANCE IN
ORDER TO SATISFY THEIR EXPECTATIONS AND NEEDS
© National Public Relations Ltd. Ted Griffith, Vice President

8. The Opposite of Social License
Social
License
Social
Friction
© National Public Relations Ltd. Ted Griffith, Vice President

9. What Is Social Friction?
 A societal force operating on public planning processes resultant
from complex differences in the perceptions, values, and
capacities of interdependent stakeholders.
 Friction is the force that resists movement between objects in
contact.
Social friction focuses on the interaction between interdependent

stakeholders.
 It can be desirable:
When it provides traction to prevent planning or implementation from

going forth without due deliberation on stakeholder considerations;
 It can undesirable:
When it causes excessively slow or inefficient progression, or halts

planning or implementation altogether.
Denise Carpenter, EPCOR
© National Public Relations Ltd. Ted Griffith, Vice President

10. Friction Factors
REDUCES FRICTION INCREASES FRICTION
Voluntary Coerced
Natural Industrial
Familiar Exotic
Not memorable Memorable
Not dreaded Dreaded
Chronic Catastrophic
Knowable Unknowable
Controlled by individuals Controlled by others
Fair Unfair
Morally irrelevant Morally relevant
Trustworthy source Untrustworthy source
Responsive process Unresponsive process
© National Public Relations Ltd. Ted Griffith, Vice President

11. Social Friction & Power Generation
REDUCES FRICTION INCREASES FRICTION
Voluntary Coerced
Natural Industrial
Familiar Exotic
Not memorable Memorable
Not dreaded Dreaded
Chronic Catastrophic
Knowable Unknowable
Controlled by individuals Controlled by others
Fair Unfair
Morally irrelevant Morally relevant
Trustworthy source Untrustworthy source
Responsive process Unresponsive process
© National Public Relations Ltd. Ted Griffith, Vice President

12. What Effective Consultation Will Do…
REDUCES FRICTION INCREASES FRICTION
Voluntary Coerced
Natural Industrial
Familiar Exotic
Not memorable Memorable
Not dreaded Dreaded
Chronic Catastrophic
Knowable Unknowable
Controlled by individuals Controlled by others
Fair Unfair
Morally irrelevant Morally relevant
Trustworthy source Untrustworthy source
Responsive process Unresponsive process
© National Public Relations Ltd. Ted Griffith, Vice President

13. Consultation Attempts To Achieve Balance
Social
License
Public Consultation Process
Social
Friction
© National Public Relations Ltd. Ted Griffith, Vice President

14. What Activists Will Do…
REDUCES FRICTION INCREASES FRICTION
Voluntary Coerced
Natural Industrial
Familiar Exotic
Not memorable Memorable
Not dreaded Dreaded
Chronic Catastrophic
Knowable Unknowable
Controlled by individuals Controlled by others
Fair Unfair
Morally irrelevant Morally relevant
Trustworthy source Untrustworthy source
Responsive process Unresponsive process
© National Public Relations Ltd. Ted Griffith, Vice President

15. The Evolution of Social Friction
Creative Crooked
Honest
© National Public Relations Ltd. Ted Griffith, Vice President

16. WHY CONSULT WITH THE PUBLIC?
 Statutory Requirement
 RFP Requirement
 Information Gathering
 Public Education Opportunity
 Managing Public Opinion
© National Public Relations Ltd. Ted Griffith, Vice President

17. The Principles of Public Consultation
 You cannot over-communicate
 Whatever you say …
Can and will be used against you

 Listen
 Be seen to listen
 Let it be known that you are listening
 Respond, thoughtfully
The People You Want To
Influence Are Not In The
Room
© National Public Relations Ltd. Ted Griffith, Vice President

18. The People You Want To Influence
• Views can be
For strongly held
• Hard to influence
• Views are often
strongly held
Against • Not easily
influenced
• Views are not
strongly held
Quiet • Most able to be
influenced
© National Public Relations Ltd. Ted Griffith, Vice President

19. Tools of the Trade
Assessment Action Plan
Stakeholder
Key When will Team
How How How How will we
issues, we member
supportive? affected? influential? engage?
concerns engage? responsible
Stakeholder
A
Stakeholder
B
Stakeholder
C
© National Public Relations Ltd. Ted Griffith, Vice President

20. Tools of the Trade
© National Public Relations Ltd. Ted Griffith, Vice President

21. Tools of the Trade
© National Public Relations Ltd. Ted Griffith, Vice President

22. Tools of the Trade
© National Public Relations Ltd. Ted Griffith, Vice President

23. Tools of the Trade
© National Public Relations Ltd. Ted Griffith, Vice President

24. Tools of the Trade (2)
© National Public Relations Ltd. Ted Griffith, Vice President

25. Thank you
Ted Griffith
Vice President
NATIONAL Public Relations
310 Front Street West 5th Floor
Toronto ON Canada M5V 3B5
Direct (416) 848-1373
Main (416) 586-0180 x 273
Fax (416) 848-1413
www.national.ca
© National Public Relations Ltd. Ted Griffith, Vice President