Public involvement: A Canadian government manual for planning and implementing public involvement programs

Abstract

The Canadian federal government has recently developed a manual on public involvement to be used by senior level civil servants. The Cabinet requested that departments undertaking Initial Environmental Evaluations (lEEs in the Environmental Assessment and Review Process) include public input at this early stage. While public input has been part of the formal, large-scale project review process, many smaller-scale public and private sector projects have only required an interdepartmental committee review unless the committee(s) established the need for a formal review. The majority of these projects have been small-scale, ranging from airport expansions, new buildings, and waste treatment plants to building additions and renovations in national parks. Normally, such projects would not warrant a formal process let alone a major public involvement program. However, there are some projects which generate significant public concern. To cope with these, the federal government decided to develop a manual on public involvement to be used by senior level managers and line managers in a number of federal departments. Due to the continued expectations of limited resources being available to these managers, it was realized that, in most cases, they would have to carry out their own public involvement programs without external assistance, either from other departments or from the private sector. In December 1986, Praxis, a consulting firm based in Calgary, Alberta, was contracted to undertake this year-long project. Praxis was awarded the project for two basic reasons. First, the company was capable of assembling a comprehensive team of leading North American practitioners and theoreticians. Second,