PDAC – Social Impact Study

PDAC Responds to Call from National Inquiry

The Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (“PDAC”) is the leading organization of the mineral development industry in Canada and traces its origins back to 1932. It presently numbers more than 7,000 members around the world. Its annual conference in Toronto draws representatives and visitors from the mineral exploration and mining sector worldwide. As stated on their website, “PDAC’s work centers on supporting a competitive, responsible, and sustainable mineral sector.”

In keeping with their desire to support widespread advancements within the sector, in 2022 PDAC was inspired to undertake a Social Impact Study after reading recommendations made to the industry in the final report of the National Inquiry into Missing Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (“MMIWG”).  The particular section that compelled them to action called upon Canadian government and industry to recognize that “social infrastructure must be expanded and service capacity built to meet the anticipated needs of the host communities in advance of the start of projects.”

PDAC realized this spoke directly to the social impacts and subsequent demands on social infrastructure that go hand in hand with mineral resource development projects in Canada, specifically within host Indigenous communities.  They engaged SOOP Strategies Inc. to undertake the work.

SOOP had experience with the sensitive work involved with social impact assessments within Indigenous communities, having worked with many impacted by mine sites. SOOP knew that for the project to have real impact, they would need to uncover unique perspectives and information that otherwise would not be found through standard research. As such, they decided to apply a focused, intersectional lens to the research to reveal how such impacts can affect women and girls in particular, as well as the power dynamics between men and women in Indigenous communities.

Social Impact Study Identifies Areas for Improvement

The project aimed to find solutions that could mitigate negative social and cultural outcomes from interactions with mines under development.  The goals were two-fold:

• To determine specific changes to social infrastructure that could mitigate impacts as identified through this study, and propose specific recommendations that a company could take to prepare for the social changes often accompanying the development of a mine.

• To create a web-based resource to be hosted on the PDAC website that would provide guidance to companies on social impact mitigation strategies for use throughout the various stages of mineral resource development.

Methodology of the Research Project

To gather actual pertinent data, a suitable mine site was selected for the study focus, namely the Brucejack Mine in Northwestern British Columbia. At the time, it belonged to Pretivm Resources Inc. (with ownership then transitioning to Newmont via the acquisition of Newcrest Mining Limited). Brucejack Mine is a high-grade underground gold mine located on the traditional territories of the Skii km Lax Ha First Nation, and Tahltan First Nation. It was identified as a suitable case study due to the mine’s proximity to several Indigenous communities and the company’s history of engagement with local Indigenous peoples through project development.

It was determined that a gender and development approach would yield the most pertinent information. To achieve this, SOOP created a four-phase plan, as seen below.

PHASE 1: Literature Review

This provided an overview of all available written material relating to Indigenous identity in Canada and associated subject matter that had direct or indirect impacts upon Indigenous peoples.

PHASE 2: Case Study of the Brucejack Mine

This was instrumental in building an understanding of the company and the site, and provided a foundation on which to build with further information.

PHASE 3: Stakeholder Interviews with women of the local communities

Six people were interviewed to share their perspectives and experiences with the development and operation of the mine: five external, and one internal to Pretivm Resources.  The interviews supported SOOP’s goal to uncover unique perspectives and information that would not otherwise be discovered through a general review of the documentation.

PHASE 4: Analysis & Recommendations

The interview results were analyzed using qualitative research methods to extract key themes and critical information.

• PDAC commissions Social Impact Study among host Indigenous communities.
• Goals: propose recommendations for social infrastructure, and create web-based resource for guidance.

Five Categories and 17 Recommendations are Identified

Using the results of the literature review and the case study, SOOP developed recommendations for mineral resource companies designing and implementing projects. These recommendations integrate principles of sustainability to mitigate social impacts on Indigenous host communities, and allow for mutually respectful, appropriate, and effective Indigenous partnerships and programs to be developed.

From the evidence uncovered through this research project, SOOP found that mineral resource development companies can exercise several useful and practical strategies to mitigate or manage the social impacts on host Indigenous communities, as seen in the table below. They can also create opportunities to improve situations often found in these communities in remote locations.

In addition, the gender-based approach taken with this research helped to identify recommendations that are likely to be more inclusive of all community members, are holistic in their approach, and are therefore likely to be more successful when applied.

RECOMMENDED ACTIONS

1. Stakeholder Engagement

• Direct outreach to women specifically, women-only focus groups and interviews.
• Early and consistent engagement with the elderly population, including tailored programs, supports, and resources for elders.

2. Social Impact and Opportunities Assessments

• Integrate gender considerations.
• Comprehensive assessment of the socioeconomic situation.
• Apply a Human Rights-Based Approach

3. Local Expertise

• Seek out expert local Indigenous representation, with a special consideration for elders who are women.

4. Human Resources Practices

• Implement a hiring practice that educates potential employees and their families on the work-life adjustment that comes with rotational employment.
• Provide sufficient and appropriate accommodation for employees and contractors arriving to the project.

5. Program Design

• Include families and communities of employees in the provision of learning materials tools, and resources as educational aids for the promotion and encouragement of mental health management.
• Provide financial literacy courses to introduce community members to concepts and management tools for financial health, prior to, during and following the presence of a mineral resource development project.
• Assess the food security situation in the host communities where the mineral resource project is planning to develop and operate.
• Provide education on life skills.
• Promote relationship counselling to address the challenges a spike in income could bring into a family.
• Consider providing digital infrastructure to keep families connected.
• Assess childcare in the region as most small communities are lacking these services, a situation that could prevent parents or guardians of children from being able to take time off to work on a mineral resource development project.
• Target women for education and training.
• Facilitate or provide preventive or basic health services when required in the host communities.

By undertaking this study, PDAC is demonstrating their commitment to the impacts of mining developments on host Indigenous communities, and their desire to mitigate such impacts for their industry as a whole. The study identified practical steps that can be implemented, particularly as they relate to women and children in those communities.

These findings now reside on the PDAC website, available for all to access. The study is entitled Social Impact of Mineral Development Projects in Indigenous Communities and was published in the spring of 2022.

SOOP Strategies is honoured to have been selected to conduct this sensitive and impactful research.

To read the full study and to view the webinar relating to this project, please visit https://www.pdac.ca/indigenousaffairs/social-impact-report