News & Insights

Regulation in an Era of Reconciliation

2017-11-24

Over the last two years, two national conversations have been unfolding: reconciliation (as embodied in the ‘Calls to Action’ released by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission) and the federal review of environmental assessment (as embodied in the release of the Expert Panel report). Stratos has been privileged to be involved in several projects that lie at the intersection of these two conversations, trying to understand what regulation in an era of reconciliation could look like. This has included our work to:

What's Next for Natural Resource Management in Canada's North?

2017-08-21

When it comes to managing natural resources, word on the street is that Canada’s north is doing it right. While there is always room for improvement, generally, investors are finding relative certainty and efficiency in regulatory processes; there is consideration of public interest objectives; communities are being engaged in a meaningful way; and, Indigenous peoples’ knowledge and perspectives are being integrated into governance and decision-making.

In the fall of 2016, Stratos was hired by a federal department to take stock of what has been working in the north and to identify opportunities for further improvement.

What Stratos found through its research were unique systems that are:

Unlocking the Potential of the Engineering Profession

2017-07-12

Stratos is not an engineering consultancy, but we do a lot of work with engineers and even have a few engineers on our team! A conversation that we have sometimes had at the office is the role of engineers in promoting sustainable natural resource development, and our perspectives on how that is or is not happening. Our curiosity and discussions around this topic brought us to the Engineering Change Lab, a group that is working to define the higher potential of the engineering profession and simultaneously identifying, testing and progressing initiatives to address the challenges that are holding back this potential.

Making a Splash with Marine Conservation

2017-06-26

Stratos is excited to be providing professional services to Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s (DFO) Integrated Oceans Management (IOM) and Marine Conservation Targets (MCT) programs.

In 2010, the Aichi Targets were established under the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). Under Target 11, Canada committed to conserve 10% of its coastal and marine areas through effectively managed networks of protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures by 2020. This commitment was reconfirmed in 2015, and in 2016 the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans, and the Canadian Coast Guard announced an interim target of conserving 5% of Canada’s coastal and marine areas by 2017.

Stratos Contribution to the Federal Regulatory Review Process - Cross-Jurisdictional International Review of Energy Regulators

2017-06-12

The Government of Canada is currently undertaking an important review of environmental and regulatory processes with a focus on:

Reviewing federal environmental assessment processes;
Modernizing the National Energy Board; and
Restoring lost protections and introducing modern safeguards to the Fisheries Act and the Navigation Protection Act.

This review has advanced through the work of two Parliamentary Committees and two Expert Panels. Consultation with Indigenous Peoples, key interests and the public has been an important aspect of the review process. All four of the Committee / Panel reports have been completed:

https://www.canada.ca/en/services/environment/conservation/assessments/environmental-reviews.html

What It's Like to be a Stratos Intern

2017-06-01

My internship started out in perhaps not the most conventional manner – after working for a mere 8 days I left on a 5 week trip to travel with my mom across the globe. After seeing a little slice of the world, I came back to work refreshed and ready to be thrown in to all kinds of fascinating projects.

Drafting workshop reports for a variety of public sector clients, contributing to research and comparative analyses of energy sources, learning the ins and outs of risk management in mining practices and even helping out on a few left field requests* is just a sample of the projects and tasks I was a part of during my time at Stratos.

Stratos has developed a Professional Development course for Policy Analysts - Designing Economic Instruments for the Environment

2017-04-26

What policy instruments exist for the environment? What exists beyond carbon pricing?

How can economic instruments drive integration across government environmental mandates?

Working with the GOC to enhance innovation

2017-02-15

Innovation has become increasingly important for Canadian organizations as they work to compete and respond to the Government of Canada’s innovation agenda. Being innovative means looking for new ways to add value; but what could that look like in your organization?

Stratos recently held a workshop with a federal government organization to help them identify ways to deepen their culture of innovation. The workshop provided a space to:

Congratulations to our newest intern on her award

2017-02-06

Stratos congratulates our newest intern, Elizabeth Carmichael, on being awarded the Delphi Group Graduate Scholarship in Environment and Sustainable Development Public Policy and Entrepreneurship.

At this year’s 15th Annual SIGNALS Banquet, Elizabeth Carmichael received the Delphi Group Graduate Scholarship in Environment and Sustainable Development Public Policy and Entrepreneurship. This is the first time a student from the Engineering program in the Masters of Sustainable Energy was chosen. Elizabeth excelled in the program both in the engineering and in the policy courses, and became a role model as an integrated student in this unique interdisciplinary graduate degree between Engineering and Public Policy. Furthermore, Elizabeth got involved from the start in networking and the organization of speaker events, field trips and social events by becoming an active organizing member of SIGNALS.

Happy New Year from Stratos!

2017-01-11

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NEWS & INSIGHTS

Stratos congratulates our newest intern, Elizabeth Carmichael, on being awarded the Delphi Group Graduate Scholarship in Environment and Sustainable Development Public Policy and Entrepreneurship.