ENABLING DIALOGUE AMONG Diverse Interests

Brokering and facilitating dialogue and partnerships

One of Boldon Group’s strengths is our ability to convene diverse interests on issues to facilitate dialogue, identify common ground, isolate areas of divergence, and develop strategic directions or policy options.  Our President, Paul Griss, is an enabler and a highly experienced facilitator, writer and public speaker who is able to bridge the language, culture and differentiations of interpretation that often unnecessarily confuse dialogue among stakeholders on any issue.

We develop “safe house” environments in which leaders can come together for “off-line” discussions of issues.  As a founding member of the New Directions Group, and its coordinator from 1996-2011, Paul has extensive experience in bridging the business and NGO communities.  We have brought this model to the energy sector, beginning with brokering dialogue between several companies operating in the oil sands and NGOs.  This process has evolved into the Energy and Environment Leadership Initiative which provides a forum for the interaction of senior individuals from industry, government, First Nations, NGOs and academia on energy and environment issues in Alberta.

In 2013 we coordinated the Charrette on Energy, Environment and Aboriginal Issues, a group of 21 prominent Canadians drawn broadly from the energy, environmental, Aboriginal, finance and public policy communities across Canada.  The Charrette began its discussion from the premise that energy resource development in Canada must be based on shared values, shared benefits, trust, and mutual respect. Its report Responsible Energy Resource Development in Canada sets out a common vision and a set of principles for a more positive and constructive approach to the development of Canada’s energy resources.

Our Expert Forums on controversial issues such as water policy in Canada and forest carbon management bring together a wide range of government, industry and institutional partners. These benefit from numerous technical presentations from leading experts and the participation of hundreds of practitioners from government, industry, academia and NGOs. Our summary reports bring clarity to the issues and identify strategic opportunities and policy gaps.

We also design and facilitate processes which convene teams of carefully selected business and NGO leaders for confidential briefings with the senior management of provincial and federal government agencies to enable frank and open dialogue on controversial issues or new concepts and approaches.