Our Services, Our Expertise

Study on the Factors that Influence the Social Acceptability of Waste Management Equipement: a First!

The Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal (CMM) would like to equip each of its five geographical areas with the facilities to treat their waste, in an effort to encourage waste reclamation as well as regional autonomy. Fully aware of the many obstacles such projects can be met with, such as a negative public opinion or resistance in the community, the CMM wanted to ensure that its projects would be seen as acceptable and that implementation would not thus be compromised.

So Transfert Environnement got down to work on a study that underlines the series of elements that constitue social acceptability in the area as well as those specifically related to waste management. The study is documented with cases from the area of Montreal as well as the rest of Quebec, Canada and Europe, and has become an extra tool for municipal managers looking to consider the communities' main environmental, social, governance, location, economicand technological concerns in order to ensure the harmonious integration of these waste management facilties on their territory.

Social Acceptability, Good Governance and Sustainable Development : Principles to be Applied

During the development of a project to implement two run-of-the-river hydroelectric plants, the Société de l’énergie communautaire du Lac-Saint-Jean (SECDULSJ) called on Transfert Environnement’s services in strategic communications to establish itself as a model in social acceptability, good governance and sustainable development. Carrying out the various means and activities described in the strategy will naturally bring SECDULSJ to commit to the organizational principles they promote, that is fostering social acceptability, acting in all transparency during project development and aiming for project sustainability.

Members of the community ensure close follow-up of the development of a waste management site in Saint-Nicéphore

Waste Management (WM) initiated a preconsultation process upstream of the public review of the project planned on its Saint-Nicéphore property. Under the recommendations of Transfert Environnement, this process has taken the form of information sessions and dialogue workshops on various themes related to the expansion of the waste management area and the development of the property. As such, the role of Transfert Environnement has been to support WM managers in the preparation, facilitation and follow-up of meetings with stakeholders. Each meeting is designed to share the information required to gain a good understanding of the project, while leaving sufficient time for exchanges between participants and project representatives. Following this, a feedback session is held with the community to validate the results and then incorporate them into the impact assessment and improve the environmental evaluation as well as the project design itself. A similar approach had led to good results in the context of the development of the Waste Management Project in Sainte-Sophie in the Laurentides area.

The customized information and consultation process upstream of an open-pit mine project: an unusual approach in the mining sector

Royal Nickel Corporation (RNC) is currently developing an open-pit nickel mine project in Abitibi-Témiscamingue. In order to foster the social acceptability of its project, RNC seeks to position itself as a model corporate citizen for future host communities and potential investors. To meet these objectives, RNC awarded Transfert Environment the mandate of completing a diagnosis of the situation (social profile) and design a social integration strategy for the project being developed. Transfert Environnement presently assists RNC in implementing the various activities of the public information and consultation process in preparation for the prefeasibility study. Thus, well ahead of the granting of development permits, many meetings have been held to inform and consult the stakeholders affected and interested by the project. Such activities have allowed RNC to gather comments, concerns and recommendations about the project and its development. This information is highly valuable to RNC as it will enable the company to improve the project and the forthcoming impact assessment. Thematic workshops, open-door events and feedback sessions will also be organized to complete the information and consultation process designed by Transfert Environnement.

Montreal’s Strategic Plan for Sustainable Development 

In recognition of the importance of integrating sustainable development to ensure the city’s prosperity, the City of Montreal called on Transfert Environnement’s expertise to advise and support them in developing the Deuxième plan stratégique de développement durable de la collectivité montréalaise 2010-2015. This second plan was the subject of consultations and review by more than 160 stakeholder partners involved in the process. Transfert Environnement was asked to plan and organize three meetings and working groups with stakeholders in preparation for the integration process. Our team also acted as moderators during the meetings and ensured follow-up and monitoring activities. During the half-day meetings, the consultation results of every sub-group were projected live onto a wide-screen to the participants’ great satisfaction.

The 2010-2015 Sustainable Development Plan thus reflects the concerns of all partners involved and their contributions can now be widely disseminated by the City of Montreal’ administration.

Applying the ITHQ’s Sustainable Development Plan

Inspired by their slogan, « Doing what we teach…teaching what we do! », the Institut de tourisme et d’hôtellerie du Québec (ITHQ) aims to deploy its sustainable development action plan as a model and source of inspiration for future managers working in this Quebec industry. In this context, the ITHQ hired Transfert Environnement to support them in carrying out their action plan, in line with government objectives to apply environmental management practices and develop an environmental purchasing policy among all ministries and governmental organizations. Transfert Environnement acts as a strategic counsellor in establishing a diagnosis on local and organic purchasing as well as environmental and best practices in the hotel and restaurant industry. Finally, the firm is helping to identify appropriate actions and targets and define how to carry out, operationalize and systematize the various aspects of their sustainable development plan.

Uniprix: An Industry Leader Among Retail Pharmacies

The Uniprix Group vouched to take the environment seriously and walk the talk, both in affiliated pharmacies and at the Group’s head offices. Their objective was to be the industry leader on the environment in retail pharmacies in Quebec. To attain this goal, the Uniprix Group hired Transfert Environnement to help 12 affiliated pharmacies in the Estrie and Mauricie regions implement good waste management practices. In phased I of the project, all 12 participating pharmacies earned the highest level of recognition from RECYC-QUÉBEC’s ICI ON RECYCLE! Program. The process that began as pilot project was a complete success as witnessed by phase II in 2009-2010 with activities deployed on a provincial level in more than 60 pharmacies. Transfert Environnement is proud to have been an active contributor to this major mandate by organizing the diagnostic tour as well as offering personalized and in-store training and implementation of sound waste management.

Sustainable waste management in Uniprix pharmacies is constantly evolving and more and more branches are joining the wave of thos who already have ICI ON RECYCLE! recognition!

Maximizing Returns on the Public Hearing Process for a Wind Farm Project

In June 2010, Hydro-Québec retained Kruger Energy’s Montérégie Wind Farm Project in the call for tenders to purchase wind powered electricity. The project planned to implement 44 wind turbines for a total capacity of 100 MW on land located in municipalities of the regional municipal counties of Roussillon and les Jardins-de-Napierville.

Transfert Environnement was hired to support, counsel and train the Kruger Energy team before, during and following the BAPE public hearings. In other words,  Transfert Environnement was active during the information and consultation period, during preparations and the actual public hearings as well as strategic follow-up after the BAPE. At every step of the process, the team was active in drawing up and reviewing public information documents, training spokespeople in communications, organizing simulations, monitoring public sessions and media coverage, supplying the proponent with feedback and following-up on communities’ concerns.