February 25, 2019
Dear interested stakeholders,
On behalf of Parks Canada and the Trent-Severn Waterway, I would like to take this opportunity to provide you with an update on the action items which were discussed during the Community Meeting held in Ennismore on November 3, 2018. At that meeting, it was concluded that a forum would be organized for the purposes of discussing and gathering greater input related to Wild Rice (Manomin) and that a Summary Report from those discussions would be developed and shared broadly. Also noted at the meeting, was that the ongoing work of the Parks Canada and Williams Treaty First Nations Steering Committee would continue as it was previously established.
Since the Community Meeting, Parks Canada has solicited three rounds of comprehensive bids to hire a consultant to help establish an Organizing Committee and to, along with the Organizing Committee, plan and facilitate the delivery of a Stakeholder Workshop from which a Summary Report would be developed. This contracting process is now complete and we are pleased to welcome Mr. René Drolet as Consultant and Facilitator.
René Drolet is an independent consultant located in eastern Ontario. His main fields of expertise relate to public policy analysis and development in a broad range of environmental issues, as well as multi-stakeholder consultation and engagement, process facilitation and strategic planning. He has worked with Indigenous communities in various roles across Canada over the past 30 years, including recent work with communities in Ontario and Nova Scotia. During his tenure as Director of Policy and Research for the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy (NRTEE) from 2008 to 2012, convening stakeholders with different and often conflicting views, and facilitating open discussion towards practical solutions were at the center of his work on a daily basis. During that period, he facilitated dozens of meetings and workshops with small and large groups. Mr. Drolet has proven experience in the design and delivery of workshops, both as a federal employee and as a consultant. In the past year only, he did so for the International Joint Commission (Great Lakes Office), the Standards Council of Canada and the National Capital Commission in Ottawa/Gatineau.
While contracting was underway to select Mr. Drolet, Parks Canada staff began the process of soliciting members for the Organizing Committee. It is important to note that the Organizing Committee, under Mr. Drolet’s guidance, will act solely to develop an inclusive and meaningful Stakeholder Workshop as a next step toward the development of the Summary Report. The members of the committee are specialists in the fields of law, environmental sciences, provincial and federal permitting as well as representatives from property owners, and the local municipality. By drawing on the expertise of these specialists and representatives, a Stakeholder Workshop can be developed in such a way as to allow for a broad base of knowledge to be reviewed, understood and discussed.
To date, the Members of the Organizing Committee are;
Janice Lavalley, CAO, Selwyn TownshipJewel Cunningham, Parks Canada
Ian Attridge, Lawyer
Mark Majchrowski, CAO, Kawartha Conservation Authority
Larry Wood, Save Pigeon Lake
Josh Feltham, Professor Environmental and Natural Resource Sciences, Fleming College
TBC, 1 additional member previously invited
The Organizing Committee will be meeting in the next few weeks to begin their work in formulating an agenda, time, location and background materials for the Stakeholder Workshop. Parks Canada will announce the schedule and details of the Workshop, as soon as possible, after the inaugural meeting of the Organizing Committee takes place.
In the meantime, should you have any questions, or wish any additional information, please feel free to contact Karen Feeley via email at karen.feeley@canada.ca or by phone at (705) 750-4930.
Sincerely,
Jewel CunninghamDirector, Ontario Waterways / Directrice, voies navigables de l’Ontario
Parks Canada | Parcs Canada
P.O. Box 567, 2155 Ashburnham Drive | C.P. 567, 2155, promenade Ashburnham
Peterborough Ontario
K9J 6Z6
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Telephone | Téléphone: 705-750-4919
Facsimile | Télécopieur: 705-750-4934
Email | Courrier électronique: jewel.cunningham@canada.ca