 | | | Community & social performance |
|  |
| |  | |
| | |
Community engagement
Community engagement is an essential part of our approach to helping us understand stakeholder concerns and build and maintain strong relationships. This engagement takes many forms, including individual meetings, community presentations, open houses, newsletters and electronic media. Most of this effort is carried out locally by operations and project staff.
Since 2004, we have applied a company-wide model for community engagement called “Best Practices in External Affairs.” The model provides site managers with practical tools to design community engagement for their operations and make continuous improvements.
Highlights of community engagement activities in 2006 include:
> community outreach at refineries At our refineries, we have formal community outreach programs that enable us to communicate effectively with neighbours about operations and important issues. At Strathcona, for example, we sent a letter to 4,000 residents, giving advance notice about a plant turnaround project and the likelihood of increased traffic, noise and flaring as a result of plant activities. We also encouraged the use of the refinery’s 24-hour telephone information service to answer questions or concerns about the project.
A number of communities in Canada and the United States close to Sarnia refinery draw drinking water from the St. Clair River. As a result, maintaining clean water quality is of critical importance. In 2006 and early 2007, we met with members of the Wallaceburg Advisory Team for a Cleaner Habitat (WATCH) to update them on spill prevention plans at the plant. We also reviewed these plans with a co-chair of the former Industrial Pollution Action Team, a provincial unit established to develop recommendations for preventive measures to help protect the river and Ontario’s air and drinking water.
> Cold Lake operation Each year the Cold Lake operation hosts a Neighbour Night to meet with community residents and local landowners. In 2006, more than 120 attended this meeting. We also regularly share information about the operation and its environmental and safety performance through our participation in the Lakeland Industry and Community Association (LICA), a regional multi-stakeholder organization.
> Responsible Care® Community dialogue is a major part of our Responsible Care® commitment, an international program that calls for responsible management of chemical products from their creation to their eventual disposal. Our Sarnia site is a member of the Bluewater Community Advisory Panel, a group of industry and community representatives that meets regularly to discuss issues related to health, safety and the environmental impact of local industry. In addition, we participate, along with other companies, in open houses that provide an important opportunity to discuss operations and emergency response plans with the public.
Community engagement advances sour gas project
Our consultation efforts are designed to address public concerns and strengthen our licence to operate through successful relationship-building. A case in point is our recent effort to develop a new sour gas well at Quirk Creek, a rural area south of Calgary where we have safely operated a sour gas processing plant for more than three decades.
Early and effective public consultation, starting in 2004, has been critical to the success of the project. Imperial leveraged its role in a long-standing multi-stakeholder group, the Quirk Creek Gas Processing Community Committee, to engage the public and address issues and concerns related to the project. Based on this effort, we selected a project site and implemented a plan that met community concerns relating to tree removal, line of sight, work hours and safety and environmental impact. As a result of extensive public consultation, the application was filed in 2005 with no unresolved objections, and did not require a public hearing.
Once drilling began in 2006, it was discovered that the flow rate for the well would be higher than originally anticipated. This meant re-evaluating emergency planning zones and amending licences. Well completion operations were put on hold while surrounding communities were consulted regarding this new reality. Ultimately, open and transparent communications with the project’s stakeholders resulted in no objections or additional concerns raised, and the well was successfully brought on stream in the fall of 2006.
| |
|
|
