Obtaining full legal compliance with provincial and federal regulations is no longer considered sufficient to support the establishment of major resource development projects in Canada. In addition to obtaining regulatory and legal approvals via consultation — otherwise known as the duty to consult — industry have developed their own engagement processes to achieve a social license to operate (SLO). My research suggests that the concept of Free Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) can enable the establishment of a holistic framework by acting as a bridge between these parallel processes of consultation and engagement.

Pulla, Siomonn. 2020. Building a Holistic Framework to Support Informed Consent. British Columbia Forest Professional. Summer: 16-18.

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