CANADA: CanWEA Releases Best Practices for Community Engagement
The Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA) is helping its members enhance their communications about proposed wind energy developments with the introduction of Best Practices for Community Engagement and Public Consultation. The guidelines are designed to support wind energy project developers in continuously improving their work with local communities while ensuring that they meet and strive…
The Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA) is helping its members enhance their communications about proposed wind energy developments with the introduction of Best Practices for Community Engagement and Public Consultation. The guidelines are designed to support wind energy project developers in continuously improving their work with local communities while ensuring that they meet and strive to exceed provincial requirements for public consultation.
“CanWEA’s commitment to enhanced public consultation and stakeholder engagement recognizes the right of citizens to have a meaningful role in discussions about developments that affect their community,” said CanWEA president Robert Hornung. “Effective and meaningful community engagement is fundamental to the success of a wind energy project, and our new Best Practice guidelines represent an important step in our continued effort to improve and strengthen our practices as interest in wind energy development grows across Canada. We are confident that our members will see the guidelines as a valuable tool to help them involve the local community at an early stage, ensure there is a clear understanding of their project and facilitate an effective dialogue about the project based on the facts.”
The Best Practices for Community Engagement and Public Consultation was developed with input from experts in the field of communications and public consultation, as well as discussions with dozens of municipal leaders.
CanWEA is committed to reviewing and updating the guidelines as new information and other successful practices are introduced. The association also plans to support implementation of the Best Practices through several training sessions in 2011.
The guide is available online at: http://www.canwea.ca/about/communityengagement_e.php
Source: CANWEA
