Service Archives

Studies indicate Canadian CEOs devote almost half of their time (49%) to communications, both with external stakeholders such as investors, government, the media or customers, and internal audiences such as employees and management.

Government relations (or lobbying) is not what you think it is anymore. Checks and balances within our government systems, including regulatory officials with statutory decision-making authority, mean that convincing a single political figure to make a change is no longer sufficient.

Securing indigenous support is critical to the success of major infrastructure projects. Working in line with indigenous communities’ social and economic goals, organizations need to build strong, respectful and productive working relationships with indigenous groups.

Modern times are very much about the hyper social amplification of risk.

“…social and individual factors act to amplify or dampen perceptions of risk and through this create secondary effects such as the stigmatization of technologies, economic losses or regulatory impacts.”

Despite its growth and its inherent advantages, social media and communications through media will never replace effective “on the ground” communications. Humans remain social creatures and the connections we make at a personal level, while more time consuming, are inevitably much stronger than any communication via social media. Face-to-face discussions are the foundation of our communication. Effective community relations allow us to build trust, clearly articulate our ideas and minimize misunderstanding.

Regulatory Affairs is the next step in effective government relations. It deals with the myriad of regulations that govern your project or company and the vast number of civil servants who administer and make decisions about those regulations.

Sedgwick Strategies’ leadership has spent years working in the realm of subjective and political risk in Canada. As leaders in the natural resource and infrastructure sectors, we understand that comprehending the risks, their likelihood of occurrence, and their potential impact is crucial for any significant major project investment in Canada.