The Challenge: What's the best way to involve communities living near energy developments in the decision-making process?
The Research: Develop a framework that planners can use to engage nearby communities to ensure they see benefits from the projects
The Players: PhD students Maggie Cascadden and Kylie Heales, working under business professor Dev Jennings
What comes to mind when you think of "energy"? Maybe wind turbines, a pumpjack or turning on a light switch? To one PhD student in the School of Business, her first thought is of people. "The whole point of getting energy is to make people's lives better," says Maggie Cascadden. But sometimes the way energy is produced can have a negative effect on people living nearby. Cascadden wants to change that by finding ways to make our energy projects more people-friendly.
Cascadden's background is in best practices for Impact Benefit Agreements. These negotiated contracts, usually between First Nations communities and resource developers, are meant to ensure communities receive tangible and, hopefully, long-term benefits from nearby resource development, rather than just incurring the costs.
In such an agreement, a community affected by a mining project, for example, could gain infrastructure, skills and jobs at all points of the project, Cascadden explains. Best-practice criteria include empowerment, respecting local land and culture, and communication and understanding.
Though Impact Benefit Agreements have been around for years, some are stronger than others. A framework for community consultation would make the process smoother and ensure communities negotiating such an agreement for the first time have a full picture of the possibilities.
"It's really important we figure out a way to adequately and appropriately involve the people who are next to big development projects," Cascadden says, "so, even though they happen to be next to it, they're not doing worse off than the people who are far away."
Currently, Cascadden, alongside PhD student Kylie Heales, is working under business professor Dev Jennings to determine how to ensure the people and communities near constructed wetlands are involved in the development and reclamation process.
Constructed wetlands are systems that simulate the properties of natural wetlands, nature's water decontamination system. Researchers in Alberta are researching constructed wetlands to reclaim tailings ponds. Heales' and Cascadden's project, in the early stages with a pilot study rolling out later this year, could lead to fresh ways of doing business - and not just for companies reclaiming tailings ponds.
The framework for consultation will provide them a guide to involve communities effectively for this project and, with some adjustments, to many types of future projects that affect local communities.
"I'm excited because I think the results of this project will help make our energy systems more people-friendly throughout the process, not just [at] the end point of having energy to power our lives," Cascadden says.
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