Corporate Social Responsibility | Project

Bruce Power CSR – Environment and Indigenous Relations Program Strategy

In the fall of 2017, Tavares Group Consulting (TGC) Inc. was retained by Bruce Power, a large organization in the energy sector to develop a strategy that would refine the management of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program, specifically as it pertains to their Environment and Indigenous Relations program.

Using the Staarsoft™ software, TGC helped consolidate the Indigenous Relations program into one online location that allows departments across the organization to locate information and contribute to the program. One of the biggest challenges for any large organization is breaking down silos to properly incorporate a CSR program and Staarsoft™ provided the tools to do so. By consolidating the processes from various departments, there was a more complete picture of the Environment and Indigenous Relations programs.

As Staarsoft™ provides immediate feedback on the status of the programs, it allowed the company to better understand, communicate, and improve their CSR story. For both the Environment and Indigenous Relations programs, TGC clearly identified next steps that would better explain the objectives and results of these programs to stakeholders and the company’s Indigenous partners.

“Results-oriented companies depend on metrics to manage and navigate progress towards goals.  At Bruce Power, we have engaged Tavares Group Consulting to assist us in taking our grassroots community goals and objectives and translate it into a tool that will further improve our Corporate Social Responsibility Program vision,” says Francis Chua, Manager of Environment, Community and Indigenous Relations at Bruce Power.

In addition to the work completed using the Staarsoft™ tool, Tavares Group Consulting provided their support during several of Bruce Power’s Licence Renewal Engagement Sessions held to inform the community about the upcoming Major Component Replacement and renewal of Bruce Power’s operating licence. A Key Stakeholder’s Meeting to discuss relevant issues with the MCR and Licence Renewal was held in January of 2018, and was organized using TGC-identified key stakeholders.

Through support of Bruce Power’s Indigenous Relations (IR) program, a TGC Sustainability Associate managed and maintained the database of all IR communications and attended several meetings with the local Indigenous communities with whom Bruce Power is involved. TGC aided in the identification and summary of issues relevant to each Indigenous community, including concerns about the following areas: thermal effects, climate change, cumulative effects assessment, predictive effects assessment, fisheries act application, and impingement and entrainment (related to fish loss caused by Bruce Power’s regular operations).

In June, Bruce Power and its supplier partners launched an Indigenous Relations Supplier Network (IRSN) as part of the Site’s commitment to continue to increase employment and to leverage a range of potential business development opportunities as a way to create new economic opportunities for the local Indigenous communities of the Saugeen Ojibway Nation, Métis Nation of Ontario, and Historic Saugeen Métis. All participants in the IRSN recognize and share a desire to work with the local Indigenous communities and a commitment to establish new wealth creation opportunities for these communities and increase further employment.

A TGC Sustainability Associate organized and participated in meetings for the Bruce Power IRSN and participated in the development of strategy documents to drive the mandate for the sub-committees of Training, Education, and Employment and Business Opportunities. TGC participated in local Indigenous community engagement through the support of the Bruce Power Indigenous Career Expo which was hosted in the Saugeen Ojibway Nation communities, an event to introduce community members to the many career opportunities in the nuclear industry.

Through the physical presence of a TGC Sustainability Associate at Bruce Power, the company was given support for several events ranging from electro-fishing surveys to IRSN meetings.

Electro-fishing Event

• Supported the Hepworth Angler’s Club in performing an electro-fishing survey to quantify the fish species in Spring Creek

Engagement Sessions

• Participated in four engagement sessions to discuss MCR and Licence renewal with the public in September, October, and November 2017, and one in January 2018
• Participated in a Key Stakeholders meeting on January 29, 2018 to discuss relevant issues with the MCR and Licence Renewal with Bruce Power’s key stakeholders

Indigenous Community Meetings

• Managed and maintained the database of all Indigenous communities’ interactions with Bruce Power; able to provide information to supervisors on the date, content of meetings, and issues discussed
• Attended several meetings with the local Indigenous communities that Bruce Power is involved with, including the Saugeen Ojibway Nation (SON), Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO), and Historic Saugeen Métis (HSM)
• Aided in the identification and summary of issues relevant to each community, including concerns on thermal effects, climate change, cumulative effects assessment, predictive effects assessment, fisheries act application, and impingement and entrainment
• Attended meetings with the SON and MNO where there was a discussion of strategies to minimize concerns moving forward. Joint environmental monitoring programs, separate for each community, are the proposed path forward and will incorporate traditional environmental knowledge into Bruce Power’s ERA

Indigenous Relations Supplier Network (IRSN)

• Organized and participated in two meetings for the Bruce Power IRSN (October 2017 and March 2018)
• Created two strategy documents for the IRSN to drive the mandate for the sub-committees of Training, Education, and Employment and Business Opportunities

Indigenous Career Expo

• The Expo provides unions, suppliers, and contractors at Bruce Power an opportunity to engage with local Indigenous communities
• Aided with the setup of the event and liaised suppliers with community members

At Tavares Group Consulting, we assist organizations of any size and from a wide range of sectors achieve their sustainability goals. Our sustainability services include risk analysis and materiality assessments, establishing stakeholder programs, developing and implementing sustainability programs, and verifying and reporting program results. Let us assist you in creating innovative and proactive solutions to your sustainability challenges with the goal of improving performance. Contact us today!