Report Date January 29, 2020 File: To Council From Megan - PDF document

Report Date January 29, 2020 File: To Council From Megan Jordan, Manager, Communications & Public Endorsed: Engagement Subject Presentation of the Draft Engagement Plan for Community Engagement on the Future of the Municipal Forest Reserve. Purpose To seek Council’s approval of the proposed draft engagement plan put forward by the engagement consultant, Lees and Associates, to undertake community engagement on the future of the Municipal Forest Reserve (MFR). Background In early 2019 Council directed staff to carry out meaningful public engagement, both deep and broad, on the future management of our forests to determine the highest and best use of our Municipal Forest Reserve. On July 3, 2019, after receiving a report on the implications of collaborating with the UBC, 3GreenTree Consulting, and Coastal Douglas Fir Conservation Partnership, Council decided to support a collaboration with UBC et al. The purpose of this collaboration would be to perform a technical review of our forest management practices and provide a recommendation for future forest management with input from the public. On August 21, 2019, Council reviewed and endorsed proposed deliverables presented by staff, and directed staff to prepare a Request for Proposals (RFP) to seek an engagement consultant to undertake engagement on development of an interim and long-term forest management strategy. Several strong proposals were received, Lees and Associates scored the highest in the evaluation process and were awarded the contract. Now that a draft engagement plan has been created, Council can consider approving the plan and moving forward with public engagement. Discussion Lees and Associates have prepared a draft engagement plan for Council to consider and approve before public engagement on the future of the MFR can begin. The draft engagement plan is based on the two agreed upon phases of engagement: 1) Engagement on development of an interim forest management strategy for the estimated period between September 1, 2020 and December 31, 2021. 7030 Trans-Canada Highway | Duncan, BC V9L 6A1 138 Ph 250.746.3100 Fax 250.746.3133 www.northcowichan.ca

Page 2 2) Engagement on the long-term forest management plan for implementation on January 1, 2022. It is important that the Community engagement and the forestry technical review be coordinated and aligned. As a result, this plan has been developed collaboratively with input from staff, and the UBC partnership group. Engagement is aligned with UBC et al ’s timeline and forestry review demonstrating a thorough understanding of the project. The proposed engagement clearly lays out the methodology public engagement. The draft engagement plan is supported by a communications plan (not attached) which works in tandem with the engagement plan to support obtaining engagement key objectives and deliverables like providing information to residents. Options Option 1: Should Council decide to proceed with the draft engagement plan , as presented, engagement will begin hereafter in the manner put forward in the draft engagement plan. Option 2: Should council decide to request amendments to the draft engagement plan , it is recommended that Council direct staff to incorporate the discussed changes and proceed with the amended engagement plan Implications Financial – While the contract with Lees and Associates covers one round of amendments and revisions on all deliverables, a second round is not currently within the scope of the budget and could result in additional expenses which would be taken from the Forest Reserve funds. Communication – Some members of the community have been asking for engagement on the future of the forest reserve for a number of months. Despite selecting an engagement company and announcing the project kick-off, engagement has not yet begun. Some community members may be confused by a further delay in beginning public engagement. Personnel – Staff from the Forestry Department and Communications and Public Engagement Department have invested a significant portion of their capacity into reviewing the draft plan and meeting with UBC et al and Lees to aid in formulation of the draft engagement plan. Further staff time and resources will be required should there be any significant changes to the proposed engagement plan. Time – Revision(s) to the draft engagement plan could delay the piblic engagement, and impact the level of participation and public interest. 7030 Trans-Canada Highway | Box 278 | Duncan, BC V9L 3X4 139 Ph 250.746.3100 Fax 250.746.3133 www.northcowichan.ca

Page 3 Recommendation That Council endorse the draft engagement plan as attached to the January 29, 2020 staff report and direct staff to move forward with public engagement. Attachment(s): Draft Engagement Plan Draft Timeline 7030 Trans-Canada Highway | Box 278 | Duncan, BC V9L 3X4 140 Ph 250.746.3100 Fax 250.746.3133 www.northcowichan.ca

District of North Cowichan Municipal Forest Reserve Management Plan DRAFT Public Engagement Strategy and Communications Plan DRAFT Public Engagement Strategy and Communications Plan January 23, 2020 141

Contact Information: 509 ‐ 318 Homer St, Vancouver Vancouver BC Canada, V6B 2V2 | p: 604.899.3806 | f: 604.899.3805 51 Wolseley St, Toronto Toronto ON Canada, M5T 1A4 | p: 416 645 7033 | f: 415 645 7046 8 Boswell Crescent, Whitehorse Whitehorse YT Canada, Y1A 4T3 | p: 867.332.3806 | f: 604.899.3805 info@elac.ca | www.elac.ca 142

District of North Cowichan – Municipal Forest Reserve Management Plans: Public Engagement Strategy CONTENTS Project Description ....................................................................................... 1 1 First Nations Consultation .......................................................................................... 2 1.1 Project Details .............................................................................................................. 3 1.2 Decision Statement ..................................................................................................... 3 1.3 Decision-Makers .......................................................................................................... 3 1.4 Desired Engagement Outputs and Outcomes ........................................................... 4 1.5 Policy Context .............................................................................................................. 5 1.6 Opportunity for Public Influence ................................................................................ 5 1.7 Engagement Program .................................................................................. 6 2 Target Audience ........................................................................................................... 6 2.1 Summary of Engagement Approaches by Round ..................................................... 8 2.2 Engagement Techniques .......................................................................................... 10 2.3 Outreach Strategies ................................................................................................... 15 2.4 Evaluation .................................................................................................................. 16 2.5 Issues, Challenges and Opportunities ..................................................................... 17 2.6 Communications Plan ................................................................................ 18 3 Communications Objectives ..................................................................................... 18 3.1 Internal Communications .......................................................................................... 19 3.2 External Communications Techniques .................................................................... 21 3.3 Key Messages ............................................................................................................ 24 3.4 Communications Risks ............................................................................................. 27 3.5 Strategies for Managing Misinformation .................................................................. 28 3.6 143