The events surrounding the Keystone and the Northern Gateway pipelines point to the emergence of social licence as a key business consideration.

When evaluating large scale development projects, decision-makers focused on the economic and regulatory aspects of the project. If both of these conditions could be satisfied, project leaders would feel confident with the decision to proceed.

Social licence – people consenting to a project in their community – has emerged from the regulatory shadow to become the third leg in decision-making on large scale infrastructure and energy projects.

The concept of social licence is not new. Municipalities have a lot of experience in this field as do natural resource companies. Yet, what was once a secondary consideration has become a primary consideration.

Why is social licence evolving?

The evolution of social licence is a function of the convergence of social, technological and political forces overtaking mature democratic societies.

1. Our concept of community has evolved

People accept the environment as something beyond borders or jurisdictional limitations. In many respects, we are all astronauts looking down at the earth and seeing it as one. When you add the Internet and the social network to the mix, community has moved beyond the purely local/regional to include national and even international.
Securing social licence once meant working with the local communities, often indigenous, to get approval to proceed. With today’s massive energy projects, organizations seeking social licence must now engage on a mass level. Keystone’s community is North-American. Northern Gateway’s is international.

2. Web 2.0 makes it easy for people to learn, organize and mobilize

People concerned about an issue or a project have access to low-cost or no-cost social networking tools that make it easy for them to find and join like-minded groups. There are over 600+ million Facebook users and Canada is number 10 on the Facebook users by country list. If you Google “Northern Gateway Pipeline” today, you’ll find “Pipe Up Against Enbridge” on the first results page. Canadians are connected and they know how to mobilize digitally.

Decision-makers who fail to understand the web 2.0 dynamic will find themselves facing an army of David’s with web 2.0 sling shots. “Spin”, the Goliath of public relations, is no match for the social web.

3. Our public processes don’t connect with popular expectations

Our current public consultation processes are based on public meetings and submitting letters. These processes have failed to adapt to people’s expectations around communications in the web 2.0 world. The websites that do offer consultations are seldom user friendly, often constrained by the imperatives of a corporate “common look and feel” and fail to offer the opportunity for authentic and open dialogue. In today’s communications environment, when concerned citizens and organizations come up against antiquated and poorly designed public engagement processes, they can easily set up their own.

4. Our regulatory processes have become lightning rods for public policy

Governments’ failure to engage in substantive and open conversations about complex public policy issues are pose a challenge our regulatory processes. We find ourselves in a situation where people passionate about environmental, social and economic issues are looking to participate in government-led conversations. In the absence of conversations about energy policy or climate change, our regulatory processes have become the lightning rods for social licence activity.

[CIRA is a Thornley Fallis client]

Does your .CA change the world around you? Enter the 2012 .CA Impact Awards and take your place in Canada’s digital history.

The 2012 .CA Impact Awards are now open for entries.

Winners will receive $5,000 and promotional visibility in .CA communications. That would go a long way to helping a good cause!

We are looking for people who use their .CA websites to make a positive difference. Impact can be social, cultural, political, technological or economic.

There are four categories you can enter:

• Public Sector and Not-for-Profit
• eLearning
• Small Business
• Applications, including gaming and mobile

Visit our website to enter today.

[CIRA is a Thornley Fallis client]

The Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) has been hosting the second Canadian Internet Forum (CIF), a national forum for dialogue on the development, deployment and governance of the Internet in Canada since November 2011.

CIRA will be closing the online forum for the 2012 CIF on February 12, 2012 to prepare for the CIF national event. This means that you only have four days left to have your voice heard about the Internet in Canada!

We want to hear from you. Please visit http://cif.cira.ca and comment on one of our topics or start your own topic for discussion. Are you interested in security? Cost and speed of broadband? Digital literacy? The sovereignty of the Canadian Internet? Let us know today at http://cif.cira.ca.

This is the second year CIRA hosts a national dialogue on the development of the Internet with the CIF. The 2011 CIF was the first opportunity of its kind for Canadians to have a say on how they would like to see the Internet develop.

On February 27, the results of the online discussion forum will be presented at a national event in Ottawa. The event will also be webcast. We are very excited that star of CBC’s The Dragons’ Den Robert Hejavec will be delivering the keynote presentation at the CIF event. A panel that draws from a diverse section of the Internet community will also be part of the event. Panellists include Micahel Geist (University of Ottawa), Steve Anderson (Open Media), Bill Graham (Internet Society), Bertrand de la Chapelle (OpenWSIS Initiative), and Frédérick Gaudreau (Sûreté du Québec).

Registration for the CIF national event is free and open to all Canadians. More information is available athttp://www.regonline.ca/builder/site/Default.aspx?EventId=1049659.

The result of the 2012 CIF will be a white paper for presentation to the international Internet Governance Forum (IGF), a United Nations entity where nations, the private sector and non-governmental organizations convene to discuss Internet-related issues.

If you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact me at mark.buell@cira.ca.

[The following is the event notice from Third Tuesday Ottawa]

Third Tuesday is back with another blockbuster speaker: President of the Treasury Board, Tony Clement on Tuesday, February 7^th at the National Arts Centre.

Tony Clement is well-known as a politician who maintains an active Twitter presence, sharing what is on his mind and what he’s doing, and engaging in conversations with Canadians.

Tony Clement is also the President of the Treasury Board of Canada. That puts him in charge of Canada’s public service and makes him responsible for setting the standards and rules by which social media is being introduced into the Government of Canada.

As a Minister, Clement has pushed forward with initiatives to enable Canada’s public servants to use social media in the workplace and a broader initiative to introduce open government principles to the Government of Canada.

In just the past three months, Mr. Clement

• unveiled the Guideline for External Use of Web 2.0, the reference document that will be used by Canadian Public Servants in determining whether and how they should use social media in the workplace.
• announced that completed access to information requests now will be posted online.
• announced the addition of 4,000 data sets to the Open Data Portal.
• initiated a public consultation on Open Government. (The consultation closed in mid-January and the Treasury Board site promises that a final report on the findings will be posted in March 2012.)
• participated in a Twitter Chat on Open Government to give people a chance to raise issues, ask questions and engage with him online.

That’s a lot of action in a short period of time. But, what’s happening now? How are the Web 2.0 Guidelines being applied by Canadian public servants? What did Canadians tell the Minister during the consultation? What’s on the agenda for 2012?

Third Tuesday participants will get a chance in February to ask these questions and talk directly to the Minister when he appears as our featured guest.

If you’re interested in open government and the use of social media by government, this session will be of real interest to you. I’m looking forward to a great evening of discussion with a man who has matched his actions to his convictions. I hope to see you there.

Thank you to our sponsors

Third Tuesday is a community-oriented, volunteer-driven event. And we wouldn’t be able to bring great speakers to Third Tuesdays across the country without the support of some like-minded sponsors. We’ve been lucky to have some great companies step up over the past several years to help us make Third Tuesday happen. Big thanks are due to CNW Group, Rogers Communications, Canadian Internet Registration Authority, Radian6 and Cision Canada for making the 2011/12 Third Tuesday season possible.

Student Admission

We want students to be able to participate. So, if you’re a student, simply present your valid student ID at the registration desk and we’ll refund your admission fee. Courtesy of Thornley Fallis.

This should be a great event! See you there…

When ? Wednesday, November 30th, 2011 at 11:45am-1:15pm
Where ? Sheraton Ottawa Hotel, 150 Albert Street – Rideau Room
Cost ? $35 for members, $60 for non-members

About the presentation:
The social media wave has taken all communicators by storm. Each sector and industry has felt it to different degrees, but none have been riding it bigger and better than the Sports sector. International competitions, the Olympic Games, all garner worldwide attention and the hopes of millions of fans. Who better than to educate the NCR’s communication and PR professionals than the people working in the sector themselves??

The CPRS Ottawa-Gatineau chapter is proud to host a panel discussion on the use of social media by representatives from the Ottawa Senators, CanoeKayak Canada, and the Canadian Soccer Association.

Join us for lunch for what should be a truly remarkable session, whether you are a sports fan or not!

Moderated by: CPRS Ottawa-Gatineau

Agenda:
11:45am Registration and networking
12:00pm Lunch, standing buffet
12:15pm Panel discussion
1:00pm Q&A

This session will feature a brief presentation by each panel member, followed by a Q&A from the audience.

Panel members:
Jeff Kyle, Vice President Marketing, Ottawa Senators
Lorraine Lafrenière, Director General, CanoeKayak Canada
Michèle Dion, Communications Manager, Canadian Soccer Association

Spaces are limited, please register by Tuesday November 29th on the EventBrite website: http://cprsnovember2011.eventbrite.com/

76design is looking for a talented and experienced Senior PHP Web Developer to join our team and help make our agency even greater.

Interested candidates should email their CV and/or portfolio to laura@76design.ca.

Candidates should be prepared to work in collaboration with other developers, graphic designers, marketers and public relations experts towards the development and implementation of industry-leading communications solutions.

Here is an overview of the experience, qualifications and abilities we are looking for.

Leadership

• Maintain visibility and respect in the online community
• Contribute to the development of the Studio’s culture and quality standards

Strategic and Analytical Thinking

• Understanding of fundamentals of new marketing and communications principles
• A solid understanding of informational architecture practices
• Gathering, reviewing and validating project requirements

Skills and Assets

• Demonstrated experience with the following: Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP5
• Experience with a modern MVC web framework like Zend Framework, Java Spring, etc.
• Background in web API programming; do you prefer api.twitter to twitter.com? code.google to google.com?
• Polylingual programming beyond PHP considered an asset (Java, .Net, Ruby, etc)
• Comfortable with use and function of a variety of modern CMS: WordPress, Drupal;
• Direct experience with social media tools and platforms, such as WordPress, Google+, Twitter, etc.
• Work with tiered deployment environments.
• Experience with a version control system like SVN.
• Experience with automated deployment using tools like Phing, Ant considered an asset.
• University degree in computer science or software engineering
• Use of OO and design patterns
• Working knowledge of web standards, SEO and accessibility
• Front end development experience working with XHTML, CSS, Javascript, Ajax
• Agency experience an asset
• A relentless and visible passion for and participation social and community engagement
• Experience and confidence presenting to clients

Bonus Points

• Unix system maintenance, shell scripting
• Apache web server configuration, virtual host management

Super Bonus Points

• Experience with Microsoft SilverStripe CMS
• Experience with modern ORM such as Doctrine
• Knowledge of Apache Software Foundation Projects: Lucene / Mahout

About Us

Thornley Fallis Group, which consists of Thornley Fallis Communications, 76design and Corum, provides organizations with the tools, platforms and methods to succeed in the Connected Era.

Thornley Fallis Communications helps organizations solve business problems using leading-edge communications tools and practices.

76design creates the tools and online spaces that lead to remarkable experiences.

Corum provides a platform and methodology to build public engagement online.

What we offer our employees:

• The opportunity to create amazing work and solve our clients’ problems in the coolest ways possible.
• Coaching, training and career growth.
• Centrally-located, well-appointed office space that is easy to get to.
• A relaxed, collaborative and creative work environment.
• When you are here, we want you to be comfortable, so we provide Herman Miller chairs and large 24″ to 32″ flat screen monitors.
• You’ll never wonder how fresh that pot of coffee is. Our Starbucks coffee machine grinds fresh Starbucks coffee beans for every single cup and makes a tasty cup of cocoa.
• TGIF starts first thing in the morning with breakfast treats. In the afternoon, the team caps off the week by kicking back with a few drinks in office. Frequently, this spills over to one of the many nearby pubs and restaurants.
• You work hard, so we provide our team with a little extra time off to recharge the day before all long weekends and stat holidays, and between Christmas and New Year’s. Of course, this is in addition to your regular vacation time.
• While we expect everyone to arrive at the office at a reasonable hour, we don’t ask you to use an hour of vacation time to go to the dentist.  We’ll trust you to make good decisions and organize yourself to get your work done on time.
• Oh yeah, and we’ll pay you too. We offer competitive salaries, attractive bonuses, recruitment and referral incentives, rewards for extra effort as well as a comprehensive medical and dental benefits program.

76design is looking for a talented and experienced WordPress Web Developer to join our team and help make our agency even greater.

Interested candidates should email their CV and/or portfolio to laura@76design.ca.

Candidates should be prepared to work in collaboration with other developers, graphic designers, marketers and public relations experts towards the development and implementation of industry-leading communications solutions.

Here is an overview of the experience, qualifications and abilities we are looking for.

Required:

• Experience customizing WordPress development, themes, and plugins
• Front end development experience working with XHTML, CSS, Javascript, Ajax
• 4+ years with strong core PHP related development  
• Ability to work with and modify existing code
• Ability to develop applications from scratch
• Ability to work successfully in a team environment
• Ability to understand and work with people in a creative environment
• Strong attention to detail
• Demonstrated experience with MySQL

Bonus Points:

• Familiarity with object-oriented programming style
• Understanding and awareness of web application security
• Self-motivated and excellent problem solver
• Self-manageable with an ability to multi-task
• Experience with WordPress VIP a plus
• Direct experience with social media tools and platforms, Google+, Twitter, etc.
• Working knowledge of web standards, SEO and accessibility

About Us

Thornley Fallis Group, which consists of Thornley Fallis Communications, 76design and Corum, provides organizations with the tools, platforms and methods to succeed in the Connected Era.

Thornley Fallis Communications helps organizations solve business problems using leading-edge communications tools and practices.

76design creates the tools and online spaces that lead to remarkable experiences.

Corum provides a platform and methodology to build public engagement online.

What we offer our employees:

• The opportunity to create amazing work and solve our clients’ problems in the coolest ways possible.
• Coaching, training and career growth.
• Centrally-located, well-appointed office space that is easy to get to.
• A relaxed, collaborative and creative work environment.
• When you are here, we want you to be comfortable, so we provide Herman Miller chairs and large 24″ to 32″ flat screen monitors.
• You’ll never wonder how fresh that pot of coffee is. Our Starbucks coffee machine grinds fresh Starbucks coffee beans for every single cup and makes a tasty cup of cocoa.
• TGIF starts first thing in the morning with breakfast treats. In the afternoon, the team caps off the week by kicking back with a few drinks in office. Frequently, this spills over to one of the many nearby pubs and restaurants.
• You work hard, so we provide our team with a little extra time off to recharge the day before all long weekends and stat holidays, and between Christmas and New Year’s. Of course, this is in addition to your regular vacation time.
• While we expect everyone to arrive at the office at a reasonable hour, we don’t ask you to use an hour of vacation time to go to the dentist.  We’ll trust you to make good decisions and organize yourself to get your work done on time.
• Oh yeah, and we’ll pay you too. We offer competitive salaries, attractive bonuses, recruitment and referral incentives, rewards for extra effort as well as a comprehensive medical and dental benefits program.

[CIRA is a client of Thornley Fallis]

CIRA’s Board of Directors has a unique role to play in setting policy and strategy to help CIRA continue to be a leading-edge organization that strives for excellence as a registry and supports Canadians in building their presence in the global digital economy.

Becoming a CIRA Board Member is a unique opportunity to work with Canada’s Internet leaders as they develop strategy and policy that position .CA for operational excellence. You’ll gain valuable insight and experience around technical innovation, Canada and international Internet policy and organizational governance.

Members of CIRA’s Board of Directors are remunerated for their time and reimbursed for expenses. For more details visit http://cira.ca/board-compensation

The yearly commitment from Directors include five in-person meetings in various cities across Canada and committee work.

CIRA is looking for professional Canadians with Board experience and/or an interest in technology and the Internet. Expertise in one of the following would be an asset: accounting, law, marketing and communications or technology.

Submit an application by June 10. CIRA’s nomination committee will review applications and select the Final Nomination Committee Slate, which will be voted on by CIRA Members during the September.

For more information and to apply visit: www.ciraelections.ca

Should you have any questions, please contact Julie Lepine at nominations2011@cira.ca.

About CIRA

The Canadian Internet Registration Authority is the member-driven organization that manages Canada’s .CA domain name registry, develops and implements policies that support Canada’s Internet community, and represents the .CA registry internationally.

.CA’s growth since CIRA’s founding just over 10 years ago has been dramatic. More than 1.6-million .CA domain names have been registered and we continue to experience a healthy annual growth rate of 18 per cent.

As stewards of the .CA domain space, CIRA plays a mission-critical role in ensuring that key parts of the Internet’s infrastructure in Canada are continuously and securely available. We do this for the benefit of all Canadians.

CIRA continues to grow and mature as it moves forward from its early goal of establishing Canada’s key Internet infrastructure, to a longer-term vision of being the preferred domain choice of Canadians. This vision is underpinned by our commitment to a world-class .CA product, best-of-breed customer service and internal processes and policies that characterize a mature and professional organization.

CIRA’s Board of Directors plays a key role in this.

To learn more, visit www.cira.ca.

While RIM is a client of Thornley Fallis, I was under no obligation to purchase a Blackberry Playbook or blog about it.

I purchased my Playbook from Staples last week and, to date, have been thrilled with it.

Here I am reading a document on my Playbook in my office this morning.

First off, it was really easy to set-up, figure out and start to use right out of the box. Setting up Internet tethering and a bridge to my Blackberry Torch was also really easy – I was able to access my business email on my Playbook within minutes of taking it out of the box.

Here is what I like about the playbook so far:

• The interface and navigation are great, as is the touch screen.
• The screen delivers super rich images and pictures.
• The audio was very clear and loud, surprisingly so in fact.
• The Browser is fast and easy to use.
• Downloading and installing apps from App World takes only seconds.
• I have never been able to type effectively on smartphone touch screen keyboards due to the small screen size and my fat fingers, but typing on the Playbook (with the larger screen and very responsive touch screen keyboard) has been a breeze.
• The 3MP 1080p HD forward-facing and 5 MP 1080p HD rear-facing cameras take great pictures and video.
• The HDMI port.

Great screen, interface and navigation!

One of the frequent criticisms I have seen about the Playbook is the lack of apps currently available from App World. I find this to be an odd criticism given the Playbook launched less than a week ago. Obviously, more and more apps will come. That said, there were already quite a few apps in App World. In fact, more than I expected to find given this frequent criticism.

[as stated above, RIM is a client of Thornley Fallis, the communications agency that I am President of]

[CIRA is a Thornley Fallis client]

Winners of  a .CA Impact Award will receive $5,000 and the visibility that comes with winning a national award.

Entry submissions can be completed in less than 15 minutes.

There are four broad categories to enter: E-Learning, Small Business, Not-For-Profit and Web Technologies.

There is no entry fee.

The deadline for entries is March 25, 2011.

Winners will be announced at an awards reception at mesh in Toronto, May 25, 2011.

With over 1.5 million .CA domain names and counting, the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) understands that the Internet is more than technology – it is a significant force, a catalyst, and a powerful agent of social change. That’s why the first ever .CA Impact Awards has been created to celebrate the impact of .CA websites and applications.

The .CA Impact Awards are designed to recognize youth, educators, not-for-profit organizations, small businesses, technology developers, and web designers for their innovation, quality of work, and the impact of their .CA websites and applications.

More About .CA

.CA is Canada’s Internet identity, reserved for Canadians, recognized and trusted worldwide. The Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) manages the registry for CA’s over 1.5 million domain names.