Bruce Power is the world’s largest nuclear operating site with the ability to generate 6,300 megawatts and is Ontario’s largest independent power generator, currently providing over 30% of Ontario’s electricity supply. Bruce Power’s facility includes two nuclear power generation stations, each containing 4 CANDU reactors. The facility, located in Tiverton Ontario on the shores of Lake Huron, directly employs 4,000 people. Safety first, coupled with environmental stewardship, community involvement and investment have been key priorities for the facility.
Our journey with Bruce Power started in the Fall of 2013, when Bruce Power became one of the Sustainability Toolkit’s first Ambassador. As explained by Emily Johnston, Environmental and Sustainability – Corporate Affairs at Bruce Power, the main way in which the Toolkit was used at Bruce Power was to “focus our Corporate Sustainability planning process and develop our first Sustainability Report.” And so, in the summer of 2014, Bruce Power released its first Sustainability Report, using the Sustainability Toolkit’s four sustainability criteria (i.e., Environment, Operating Practices, Products & Services, and Community) to organize each section of its report.
When asked how the Toolkit helped Bruce Power’s sustainability program, the results, although always progressing, were significant.
On sustainability planning:
“The Toolkit has provided us with an excellent framework and is helping keep things on track and avoid distraction. It is also allowing us to define priorities with the confidence that these are based on and in alignment with industry standards and guidelines and allowing us to focus effort on specific areas and workgroups.”
On stakeholder engagement and breaking down organizational silos:
“The Toolkit has helped advance the dialogue with different groups who have influence on the metrics. We are able to show them where they fit into the overall plan, and also often that we are not necessarily asking them to do additional work, but rather just enhance one aspect of the work they are already completing or even just share information with us.”
On why the Sustainability Toolkit has been a successful tool for Bruce Power:
“Compared to other “toolkits” the Sustainability Toolkit does not force you to conform to a specific standard but rather allows you to complement the standards your business already has in place. The Sustainability Toolkit outlined each of the metrics and gave us tangible examples of where we could start – I would consider it a bit of a launch point with open ended opportunity. It’s a launch point to gain buy-in from the wide variety of internal stakeholders. Our plan needed to be successful, and the Toolkit is a good reference to check back on when things got a bit hectic. The simplicity of this Toolkit is something that has allowed it to work in our facility.”
On how the Sustainability Toolkit is different than other products on the market today:
“Based on a review of various toolkits…there is a bit of a gap on addressing Corporate Culture and Change. Most toolkits discuss and outline all the metrics that have been researched and concluded necessary to make up a “Sustainable Business” but don’t provide specific guidance on how implementation can best be accomplished.”
Fast forward to the Fall of 2017, where Tavares Group Consulting (TGC) Inc. was retained by Bruce Power to develop a strategy that would refine the management of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program, specifically as it pertained to their Environment and Indigenous Relations program.
Using the Staarsoft® software, TGC helped consolidate the Indigenous Relations program into one online location that allows departments across the organization to locate information and contribute to the program. One of the biggest challenges for any large organization is breaking down silos to properly incorporate a CSR program and Staarsoft® provided the tools to do so. By consolidating the processes from various departments, there was a more complete picture of the Environment and Indigenous Relations programs.
As Staarsoft® provides immediate feedback on the status of the programs, it allowed the company to better understand, communicate, and improve their CSR story. For both the Environment and Indigenous Relations programs, next steps were clearly identified to better explain the objectives and results of these programs to stakeholders and the company’s Indigenous partners.
“Results-oriented companies depend on metrics to manage and navigate progress towards goals. At Bruce Power, we have engaged Tavares Group Consulting to assist us in taking our grassroots community goals and objectives and translate it into a tool that will further improve our Corporate Social Responsibility Program vision,” said Francis Chua, Manager of Environment, Community, and Indigenous Relations at Bruce Power.
This was an enormous level of support during several of Bruce Power’s Licence Renewal Engagement Sessions held September, October, and November 2017, and January 2018, to inform the community about major component replacement and renewal of Bruce Power’s operating licence, involving issues relevant to each Indigenous community, including thermal, cumulative, and predictive effects, including assessments, climate change, fisheries act application, and impingement and entrainment (related to fish loss caused by Bruce Power’s regular operations). Other issues addressed included an Indigenous Relations Supplier Network (IRSN) as part of the Site’s commitment to continue to increase employment and to leverage a range of potential business development opportunities as a way to create new economic opportunities for the local Indigenous communities of the Saugeen Ojibway Nation (SON), Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO), and Historic Saugeen Métis (HSM).
Staarsoft® assists organizations of any size and from a wide range of sectors achieve their sustainability goals, from risk analysis and materiality assessments, establishing stakeholder programs, developing, and implementing various sustainability programs, and verifying and reporting strategy results. Let us assist you in creating innovative and proactive solutions to your sustainability challenges with the goal of improving performance. Contact us today!
References:
https://tavaresgroupconsulting.com/case-studies/bruce-power/
https://tavaresgroupconsulting.com/case-studies/bruce-power-csr-environment-and-indigenous-relations-program-strategy/
Sandra Tavares
Staarsoft® Founder
