Webinar Title: Regional Project Readiness Planning
Description: Northern, rural, and remote regions are exposed to risk throughout the project cycle, whether projects are focused on resource extraction, industrial development, or infrastructure construction. Project-induced growth is difficult to predict – projects themselves can take up to 20 years before market conditions are appropriate for development. Then, once projects come on stream, population growth and service demands can easily overwhelm local communities. Market fluctuations also affect the pace of growth within established regions, resulting in boom-and-bust growth cycles. In boom times, pressure is exerted locally to accommodate population influx. Pressure on land, resources, and services can lead to local conflict. Without sufficient attention to economic diversification, project closure or slowdowns can have detrimental impacts upon communities (a bust economy).
This webinar will describe how communities can mitigate some of the risks that accompany major development projects while realizing long-term community goals by developing region-based readiness plans early in the project cycle. An effective readiness strategy can help ensure a development project demonstrates environmental, social, and economic sustainability throughout its lifecycle and project investment helps to build transferrable skills and knowledge within the local economy to benefit communities for many years following project closure.
Speaker: Jason Petrunia
Jason Petrunia is an experienced strategist, regional and urban planner, and social performance specialist. He assists his clients realize innovations in region and city building, benefit sharing, and management of risk and impacts within resource, industrial, infrastructure, and urban investments projects. He brings experience from across Canada and internationally in environmental and social governance, urban planning, and community development. He is adept at working in a collaborative, technically informed framework that allows for effective decision making.
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