Nation Builders – Welcome to 21st Century Realities
Nation Builders – Welcome to 21st Century Realities
– Momentum Public Relations –
Energy East proponents and old-style politicians take note. It is not business as usual. Gone are the days when a small group of corporations, lobbyists, and elected politicians can stack the approval process for big projects and then let the inevitable unfold.
Investors should also take note when evaluating their options. Companies that have failed to understand the changing landscape could be a sub-optimal investment. There is a premium on listening and crafting a coherent message that connects with real people. Failure to realize the emerging power of small groups who are passionate about an issue can derail a project and compromise an investment.
When it comes to big projects, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau did not invent the concept of “social license”. He is merely among the first to acknowledge that there is an entirely new way of operating. Any organization or politician that advocates for significant change to the status quo needs to take note.
The ongoing, and increasingly rancorous, Energy East pipeline project debate continued this past week. A meeting was held this week in Montreal between the Prime Minister and the Mayor of Montreal. Edgy tweets were exchanged between various municipal and provincial politicians, each with their agenda.
One group of people, comprised mostly of politicians and corporate entities that advocate for the pipeline proposal, are asking Canadians to think like “nation builders.” Images and comparisons abound that call to mind the nineteenth-century pioneer visionaries who are alleged to have had the foresight and determination to forge a country by building the Canadian railroad. The problem is that this is a different century, and the Energy East pipeline project has precious little in common with the early days of the Canadian Pacific Railway, other than a healthy dose of hubris and the odor of corporate entitlement.
The second group of people, a somewhat diverse cohort, are generating some increasingly active opposition to the proposed pipeline project. They include mayors, provincial politicians, and environmental advocacy groups. Their concerns center around two primary issues. The first is that a valid assessment of environmental impact ought to be completed. The second is more bread and butter. There are a variety of questions about the project’s economic benefit to specific communities in places like Ontario and Quebec.
Pro-pipeline politicians and pundits suggest that tough choices must be made to cater to the greater good. Canadians are being advised that we can’t allow a collection of individual communities to dictate the pace of progress. Progress, as defined by the pro-pipeline folks, is all about a hollow pipe that carries oil from one part of the country to the other. Ironically, most agree that the oil in question is a temporary energy solution that must eventually be met by other technology because it is a finite resource that has the potential to have a significant impact on the environment in the medium term.
A great deal of horror has been expressed about the fact that a handful of small town mayors in Quebec can stand in the way of a major investment in infrastructure. Welcome to the 21st Century! This is how it done now. Real people do matter. An individual’s influence is no longer tied to their pedigree or to the office they hold. It is tied to their ideas, their ability to communicate, and their grasp of 21st-century communication tools and platforms. Companies should take note. The tone deaf way TransCanada has handled this issue should become an MBA case study for how to bungle a communications strategy.
It should be quite clear that we’ve undergone an “era-shift”. This is far more profound than a generational change. In an era shift, the many of the foundational structures of society change. This is particularly true in matters of politics. Hierarchy is not dead, but it is increasingly irrelevant. This is the era of everyone communicating with anyone they want on Facebook, Twitter, and the ubiquitous instant message. When Taylor Swift posts a photo on Instagram, a million people know all about it. Lilly Singh can put something on YouTube, and her 7.7 million subscribers lap it up. Malala Yousafzai, a girl from rural Pakistan, can win a Nobel peace prize advocating for education for young girls and millions more tune in. It doesn’t matter who you are; you can be heard. One passionate person can truly make change happen.
Sure, Canada does have some choices to make. They are choices that require leadership. The challenge is that they need a whole different kind of leadership because we are in a completely different era. Old-style leaders “declare”. Old-style leaders were trusted because they seemed smarter than us, or they simply knew more than we did. New-style leaders listen. They understand the reality that engagement and conversation work more effectively than grandstanding or lecturing. They also know how to use social media effectively.
Gone are the days of carefully crafted campaigns to influence a finite and measurable group of influential decision-makers. Welcome to a new era. It is the era of individual power. Anyone with an opinion and a cell phone can have a voice. Jenny McCarthy can claim to understand the science of vaccinations and, strangely, people believe her. Individual citizens are capable of being tsunami-like disruptors of traditional political processes; particularly if it is all about a pipe carrying oil that is slated to run past their backyard.
What is being accomplished by the current debate? The revamped approval process that the Liberal government in Ottawa announced this week bought some time for TransCanada Pipelines to fine-tune their proposal and their communication strategy. The company needs to invest in engaging all potential stakeholders. They need to recognize the changing perceptions of the public and the shift that is happening in the political landscape.
Can big projects still move forward? Is nation building still possible? Can a national consensus be achieved for Energy East? To a large extent, this all hinges on the recognition by companies and politicians that things have changed in a big way in the 21st century.
- Published in Blog, Energy, Oil and Gas
Trudeau’s Sunny Ways – Meet Tough Choices
Sunny Ways – Meet Tough Choices
– Momentum Public Relations –
Sunny Ways. Newly elected Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau loves to communicate using language that fosters little disagreement. Who doesn’t want sunshine and happiness? In politics, at some point, there is a need to set aside the happy talk and make tough choices. Tough choices can include disappointing some people to do the right thing. Tough choices require being prepared to abandon small thinking so that bigger goals can be achieved. If a country wants to be a real country, then it can’t behave like a collection of small fiefdoms. Canada has some tough choices to make. These choices will identify if Canada wants to act for the benefit of the whole country or if it is content to behave like a big family where every child can get what they want the way they want it.
Energy East, the proposal by TransCanada Pipelines is precisely the sort of issue that provides Canada with an opportunity to make tough choices and behave like a country. It is a project that has an overall national economic benefit. It can be completed with little impact on the environment. It is far less risky than transporting trainloads of oil through the center of densely populated cities and towns. The proposed 4,600-kilometre pipeline will stretch from central Alberta to a terminal in New Brunswick and could carry slightly more than one million barrels of crude oil per day. The current proposal calls for an existing natural gas pipeline to be converted to allow for oil transportation, and it includes some new pipelines in a few areas to complete the route. It will provide Canada with the ability to supply western oil to eastern markets and, additionally, bring its oil to the world market.
Mr. Trudeau has argued that the role of the Canadian Prime Minister is to avoid the trap of becoming a “cheerleader for pipelines” but to ensure that an effective process for reviewing proposals is followed. This is easier said than done. Therefore, this file may prove to be the first serious test for the honeymoon period that the Mr. Trudeau is enjoying with Canadians.
On January 26, 2016, Mr. Trudeau held a meeting in Montreal with Mr. Denis Coderre, the mayor of Montreal. The stated purpose of the meeting was to have a discussion about the proposed pipeline. The underlying purpose, however, was to ensure that the mounting opposition in Quebec did not continue to grow and to ask the mayor of Montreal to moderate the tone of the comments that he had been making as the spokesman for 82 Quebec municipalities that oppose the pipeline proposal.
Based on the post-meeting news conference, it would appear that rational thought, or good political skills, prevailed. Both politicians are reasonably astute at reading the public mood. Both understand the need avoid taking extreme positions. Neither man is inclined towards political suicide. Furthermore, the mayor of Montreal and the Prime Minister of Canada are political allies, so they probably agreed, behind closed doors, that it was unwise for either of them to paint the other one into a corner. Given that they are both staunch federalists, they also likely agreed that any public rancor between them plays directly into the hands of PQ leader Pierre Karl Peladeau and would provide the somewhat dormant separatist issue with a rallying cry. This is something that neither of them is keen to do, preferring to avoid giving Mr. Peladeau an issue that could allow him to claim that Quebec is being marginalized.
In their discussion on Tuesday, it is likely that Mr. Trudeau underlined his belief that business propositions, like pipelines, are subject to due process and a comprehensive environmental assessment. It is also likely that Mr. Coderre shared that Quebec municipalities are questioning some elements of the approval process. He also may have repeated comments made by Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard that, without a terminal in Quebec, there appears to be no way to assess the economic impact of the proposed project for the province. Furthermore, there was certainly some discussion of how to address some of the shrill concerns that are being raised by environmental groups, many of whom are opposed to anything that involves fossil fuel extraction, transportation or marketing.
What did this meeting accomplish? It may have bought some time for TransCanada Pipelines to fine-tune their proposal. The company may have underestimated the importance of engaging all potential stakeholders. They need to recognize the changing perceptions of the public and the shift that is happening in the political landscape. It may have also bought some time for Mr. Trudeau to make a few adjustments to the overall approval process. He has been stridently critical of the way these projects were reviewed in the past. Now he has the opportunity to do something about it. Finally, it bought some time for some behind the scenes discussions with a variety of municipal and provincial politicians that will allow the rhetoric to be dialed down and good sense to prevail.
Any project of this scope needs to be thoroughly assessed. A full understanding of the environmental impact must be considered. The business metrics must also be evaluated in the light of an understanding of the changing worldwide market for petroleum products. In the end, however, countries are built when the interests of the whole matter more than the preferences of regions or special interest groups.
What tough choices will Canada make? Let’s hope they are the right ones. If they are, we will likely continue to enjoy “Sunny Ways”.
- Published in Blog, Business, Energy, Oil and Gas
International Wastewater Systems Featured by Export Development Canada
IWS Featured by Export Development Canada
– Momentum Public Relations – Jan. 22, 2016
International Wastewater Systems Inc. (“IWS” or the “Company”) (IWS:CSE)(FRANKFURT:IWI) is pleased to announce that the Company was recently featured by Export Development Canada (www.edc.ca).
Exportwise is Export Development Canada’s online magazine for Canadian exporters and investors, covering global trade, export and investment issues. International Wastewater Systems is highlighted in a feature article available at: http://exportwise.ca/turning-sewage-into-heat-and-potable-water-b-c-company/
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD
Lynn Mueller, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
About International Wastewater Systems Inc.
International Wastewater Systems Inc. (CSE:IWS)(FRANKFURT:IWI) is a world leader in wastewater heat recovery technology. IWS designs and develops renewable energy systems that extract thermal energy from wastewater, generating the most energy efficient and economical systems for heating, cooling & hot water for commercial, residential and industrial buildings. Visit us at www.iwhes.com or follow us on Twitter @sewageSHARC
- Published in Energy, Green Technology, International Wastewater Systems, News Home, Technology