Companies sometimes experience organized community resistance led by certain individuals or groups who champion their causes based on fear and misinformation. The objective of these special interest groups and individuals who align with them is to increase outrage among the other members in the community, encouraging them to join the battle against your project.
A project often faces resistance when people express the statement of "Not in my backyard" (NIMBY). This often results in the general public being encouraged to promote outrage based causes and do battle against project development.
Certus will assist you in preparing for conversations about the real risk and hazard of your project when the potential for anger, fear and anxiety is high. Certus’ risk and crisis communication strategies assist your project team to assess and mitigate the risks of community outrage and works with you to design together outrage management and conflict management plans.
Certus helps you identify the potential for organized community resistance early in the project and establishes ways to engage in difficult conversations to lessen the impact of special interest groups influence on the community at large so that your project can meet its goals and regulatory timelines in parallel with your resolution efforts.
Certus delivers a new approach to positioning your project that keeps public resistance to a minimum. Certus identifies special interest groups early and manages their impact to reduce potential influence on the community. Certus uses information architecture and crisis communication theory to help you explain your project's real risks and hazards in all your project documentation.
Certus has experience in transmission line sites, sour oil and gas developments, telecommunications cell tower siting, waste to energy facilities and well drilling programs.
Issue: A community became concerned when a number of fish were killed in their recreational lake. Prior to filing applications for a number of heavy oil wells close to the lake, concerns about quality and quantity of water, property values and protection of groundwater among many others were raised. Certus brought all the parties together to manage the conflict and reduce community outrage.
Tools and Processes: Facilitated Conversations, Workbooks, Project Description Updates, Issues and Concerns Chronologies, Negotiated Agreement Tool, Project Correspondence and Communication with Objectors
Issue: The proposed siting of a cell tower in an urban setting led area residents to be concerned about the potential health impacts. Over 80 people petitioned the proposed project gaining significant media attention. Certus designed, managed and facilitated an event that allowed for constructive dialogue and creative options for proceeding with the project.
Tools and Processes: Project Illustrations, Community Consultation Event Design and Management, Media Strategies and Tactics and Event Summary Report
Issue: A midstream gas company was proposing a conversion and expansion of a sweet gas plant to a sour gas processing plant, an area acid gas injection well and associated pipelines in an agricultural area. Local residents became concerned after a couple of poorly managed flaring events led to distrust and ultimately resistance to the proposed project. Certus designed and managed a consultation program using Appropriate Dispute Resolution (ADR) strategies. The process culminated in an ADR meeting that resulted in a resolution of the issues, improved area relationships and communication.
Tools and Processes: Sour Gas Area Development Plan, Project Updates, Community Consultation Events, Appropriate Dispute Resolution (ADR) Session, Facilitated Conversations and Mediation
Issue: An oil and gas exploration company proposed to develop a sour well in a highly contentious area of Alberta. Community issues were focused on emergency response planning, road egress and health and safety. Certus assisted the company by developing a more inclusive criteria building approach that provided alternatives for surface locations that involved the community more effectively prior to making the decision for surface locations, an approach now required by the regulator in sour gas development.
Tools and Processes: Project Bulletins, Criteria Gathering Tools, Early Stakeholder Consultation Tools, Community Consultation Events, Decision Report Analysis and Action Plans, Criteria Evaluations Reports and Hearing Preparation
