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CVADA Quarterly Community Collaboration Session on Wind Turbine & Hydrogen Projects - June 13th, '23

Writer's picture: Ron LaudadioRon Laudadio

St. Ann’s Centre, June 13th, 2023 - 6:30pm - 9:30pm


Introduction to the Community Session


This is a community engagement event hosted by CVADA, aimed at understanding Codroy Valley's community sentiments towards the Wind Turbine Projects. The event provides the community the opportunity of participating in small open-group informal discussions, anonymous polling and contributing their perceptions and questions. It's a space for the community members to express their thoughts, raise questions, and get involved in a non-confrontational, time-efficient, and effective manner that will help shape the future of their community.


This session will be a major component to Step 1 of our Wind Energy Project Action Plan which is "Community Opinion" and is preparation for Step 2 to "Achieve Clarity". This is based on the premise that the procedure the government has provided offers communities the 50 days during the Public Comment Period to provide official statements for the government to consider as they make their decision. We also intend to engage with all of the government offices prior to the Public Comment Period as needed during Step 3 "Research & Prepare".

The CVADA Wind Energy Project Action Plan

As the CVADA, this is our first attempt to tune into the community's feelings about the Wind Turbine Projects as a whole. Our informal chats with those we know in the community suggest there is a significant variance in opinions and have reservations about what they have heard about the Wind Turbine projects. We remained neutral to ensure we were listening to everyone's perspectives as we felt it would have been irresponsible to have taken a position representing the community based on a hunch instead of real data. This session will provide us with data to define what actions the CVADA's Wind Turbine Projects Sub-Committee can take to support the community best.


The six things Community Members get from the event are:

  1. Opportunity to Express Sentiments about the Wind Turbine Projects: Community members have the opportunity to express their thoughts, concerns, and questions about the Wind Turbine Projects to the CVADA and the rest of the community.

  2. Opportunity to Learn of the Fellow Community Members’ Sentiments about the Wind Turbine Projects: Community members have the opportunity to read and see what the rest of their community think about the Wind Turbine Projects.

  3. Understanding of the Projects: Through reading and discussions, participants gain more clarity about the perceived advantages and drawbacks of the Wind Turbine Projects, aiding in their overall understanding to complete their own assessments.

  4. Direct Impact on CVADA's Actions: By providing feedback to CVADA, participants can directly influence the support they receive from CVADA concerning these projects.

  5. Anonymous Polling: For some, this is a heated concern, and participants can learn more, express their sentiments towards the Wind Turbine Projects, and share discussions with others through anonymous polling and facilitated group contributions ensuring their opinions are heard without potential repercussions or confrontation.

  6. A Published Report: Soon after the event, the CVADA will publish a report of what was captured during the event so the community can learn more about what the community perceives are the advantages, disadvantages and questions they have of the potential project.


The four things the CVADA Board Members get from the event are:

  1. Community Sentiment: Board members can gauge the community's overall sentiment towards the Wind Turbine Projects, guiding future decisions and defining how to support the community for or against the Wind Turbine Projects.

  2. Recruitment: They meet community members as potential volunteers who can help us through this process, getting the necessary community support to support the community's interest.

  3. Community Feedback: Board members get first-hand feedback from the community about how the CVADA has supported and can support the community on all facets of the CVADA's mandate.

  4. Facilitate Discussions: Through facilitating the discussions, board members gain a deep understanding of the concerns and ideas of community members, leading to more informed decision-making.


The CVADA’s Objectives

  • Ascertain the Codroy Valley community's general sentiment, opinions and questions.

  • Enable the community to discuss the Wind Turbine projects amongst themselves.

  • Determine the next steps that CVADA can take to support the community for the following steps of the action plan.


Event Structure


No Agenda - An Open, Structured Format

This event has an open, structured format and has no agenda. It's designed for community members to drop by, learn from others, share their thoughts, and chat informally. Community members can arrive and leave whenever they wish, and not worry about missing anything as everything shared will be documented and made public, so their insights won't be lost and they can read up on what was contributed after they go.


All contributions and questions from the community members will be documented on Post-it Notes so everything will be captured. Responses to questions posted to the CVADA in the Feedback Topic Area will be made after the session in a statement from the CVADA.


Topic Discussions

  • Much like what we did at our first highly-successful Quarterly Community Collaboration Session, we will organize the room into four distinct topic areas for community input, each facilitated by CVADA Board Members.

  • There will not be any speeches or presentations by the CVADA or any community member or other group, as this is an event for the CVADA and community to listen and learn from each other. Soon after this event, we will host additional events to support the community, such as events that will invite those representing other groups (such as the Gov’t, WE GH2, etc.) to provide answers to the questions this community has.

  • Board members will assist in documenting the community member’s topics and ideas on large Post-it notes, facilitating discussions, and help community members express their sentiments towards topics or ideas already recorded they feel strongly about.

  • Participants can contribute their sentiment using the coloured dots on topics that matter to them.

  • There will be four Group Topics for the community:

    1. Wind Turbine Project Advantages - How the Wind Turbine Projects will benefit the community. Contribute points and sentiments on the possible advantages the Wind Turbine Projects may bring to the community. As well, gather additional questions of what still needs to be known.

    2. Wind Turbine Project Disadvantages - How the Wind Turbine Projects will detriment the community. Contribute points and sentiments on the possible disadvantages the Wind Turbine Projects may bring to the community. As well, gather additional questions of what still needs to be known.

    3. Feedback to CVADA: Collect feedback and suggestions on how CVADA can support the community more effectively.

    4. Sentiment Poll: As community members depart, they will provide their current opinion of the Wind Turbine projects. They will provide us their feedback about if they are for the projects, against the projects, or still undecided.


Room Setup


Entrance

  • There will be two tables at the front door for the four Board Members to welcome the new arrivals.

  • Each person joining the event will sign in with their name and what community in the Codroy Valley they are from.

  • This list allows the Board Members from those communities to know who from their community attended the session.

  • We would also know how each community was represented during the event.

  • Summary data such as how many attended and from what communities will be posted in the final report, never the names of each individual.

  • The four Board Members will guide the new arrivals on how to participate.

  • When community members depart, the Board Members will invite them to contribute to an anonymous poll about their opinions of the Wind Turbine Project.

The 4 Topic Areas

  • There will be four distinct topic areas in the room.

  • Each area will be defined by a poster title on the wall and two facilitating Board Members. Chairs will be provided for those with disabilities.

  • The Board Members will capture what is discussed in an unbiased manner as what is recorded will be reviewed by those who contributed it before it is posted on the wall.

  • We will use the wall to document all of the community contributions so everyone is able to read them.

  • The topic areas covering the benefits and detriments of the Wind Turbine Projects will also document the community's questions on those matters, especially for topics that spark a variety of opinions.

  • During the event, everyone will be able to read what the CVADA has captured from other community members.

Refreshments and a Small Discussion Area

  • There will be coffee, tea and snacks from local providers.

  • We will have a few tables accompanying chairs close to the refreshments so people can sit, rest, and foster small discussions among themselves.

The Community Sentiment Report

The report we will publish will capture what the community contributes so community members can get a sense of where their community is at with the Wind Turbine Projects, and will have the following Table of Contents:

  • Introduction

  • Community Sentiment (Poll Results)

  • Community's Perceived Project Advantages

  • Questions About the Potential Advantages

  • Community's Perceived Project Disadvantages

  • Questions About the Potential Disadvantages

  • CVADA’s Action Plan to Achieve Community Clarity

The report will be published on the TheCodroyValley.com website.


The "Achieve Clarity" step of our Action Plan

In the CVADA action plan, the "Achieve Clarity" step involves collaborating with accountable individuals to validate the community's perception of the advantages and disadvantages. We aim to address the community's questions and ensure they are fully informed about the two possible scenarios of the Wind Energy Project.


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