On-line engagement

Management of Used Nuclear Fuel

Ann Dale, Trudeau Fellow CRC in Sustainable Community DevelopmentProfessor, Royal Roads University

What is an e-Dialogue?

• 6-year research program at RRU• synchronous real-time conversations around

critical public policy issues• bring the best minds in the country together in

the same virtual place• access to leading-edge research

• inter- and transdisciplinary space• increase literacy• supported by a website• actively moderated by researchers• ‘living archive’

NWMO e-Dialogues

• research/NWMO partnership• website design (literacy)• 3 e-Dialogues, 1 public forum and an on-line

interview• sustained from October 2004 to July 2005

Risk and Uncertainty

• Dr. William Leiss, Queen’s University• Norm Rubin, Energy Probe• Dr. David Shoesmith, University of Western Ontario• Dr. Andrew Stirling, University of Sussex• Dr. Kai-Lee, Williams College (USA)

Decision-Making Framework

1. Is the assessment framework comprehensive and balanced. Are there gaps, and if so, what do we need to add?

2. Are there specific elements that you feel must be built into an implementation plan?

Decision-Making under Risk and Uncertainty

• Dr. Jim MacNeill, World Bank• Chris Henderson, The Delphi Group• Dr. Andrew Stirling, University of Sussex• Norman Rubin, Energy Probe

On-line Public Forum

• asynchronous discussion • comments on draft study report• NWMO staff on-line to ask any questions• posed questions • passively moderated

Outreach

• summary research report published on-line• over 10,000 unique visits to the website • engaged over 1400 Canadians in total• attracted visitors from USA, the Far East,

several European countries and South Africa• each e-Dialogue attracted over 100 new

registrations• download of on-line interview over 100 times

• critical literacy required• Who gets to frame the questions?• dialogue of the deaf• homophily• tyranny of expertise• social process of meaningful engagement

through deliberative dialogue

Lessons Learned

• Louise Comeau, former FCM policy • Elizabeth May, Sierra Club • Dr. John Robinson, UBC• Ralph Torrie, Torrie, Smith & Associates• Jeffry Ardon, Scientific Advisor, German

Federal Agency for Conservation• to be announced

www.postcarbonsociety.com