Event Date: January 24, 2017 - 11:30am to 12:45pm
Location: Faculty of Social Science 4006, 120 University Private, Ottawa

Presented by CIPS

Community engagement drives economic development, so including the goals, concerns and needs, values and aspirations of communities and marginalized groups in all sectors in policy development, decision-making, and service delivery in mining communities is essential. Effective community engagement enables inclusive public and private sector development by fostering relationships based on mutual understanding and shared responsibility.

Incorporating best practices for community engagement into development policy and practice also works towards achieving the UN Development Goal of promoting inclusive and sustainable growth.

As more development and economic initiatives incorporate strong community engagement mechanisms into their practice, what can we learn from them about how they deepen our understanding of successful community engagement?

The panel discussion will highlight innovative forms of community engagement in the mining sector from the perspective of government, artisanal mining communities, and industrial mining. Panellists will also examine tools for engagement, policies, and practices that build community trust; the resources required; and the characteristics of communities that benefit from good engagement.

Discussion will be followed by a question period.

Panellists

Paul Haslam is an Associate Professor in the School of International Development and Global Studies at the University of Ottawa. His current research focuses on corporate social responsibility, state-firm relations in Latin America (particularly Argentina and Chile), the international regulation of foreign direct investment in Latin America, and resource nationalism. In 2011-2012, he was Director of the School of International Development and Global Studies.

Catherine Peltier Mavin is a member of the Wikwemikong Unceeded Indian Reserve on Manitoulin Island and belongs to the Odawa and Pottawatomi nations. She has worked on Indigenous issues for over 20 years, having served in national Indigenous political and health organizations in Canada. She has extensive experience in policy research, analysis and development, project management, community engagement, and consultation. She also serves as Co-Chair of the Indigenous Employee Network and manages the Circle of Nations Learning Centre at Natural Resources Canada, where all Natural Resources Canada employees, both indigenous and non-indigenous, can come together to take part in traditional ceremonies, learn more about the diversity of Canada’s Indigenous Peoples, their history, culture, and political systems.

Ainsley Butler is an international development practitioner focused on economic development and international trade. As program director at the Diamond Development Initiative, Ainsley manages the Maendeleo Diamond Standards, a certification process to connect artisanal diamond miners to responsible supply chains. She is a board member of the Organization for Women in International Trade (OWIT-Ottawa) and Artistri Sud. Ainsley is a graduate of the Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris, was a visiting graduate fellow at New York University, and holds a B.A. (Hon) from Carleton University.