Norman Wells impact funding: boon or bust?

Article Abstract:

The Norman Wells project involved a tenfold expansion of the Norman Wells oilfield and construction of a 324-mm (12-inch) pipeline extending 870 kilometres up the Mackenzie Valley to northern Alberta. Completed in May 1985 after years of controversy, Norman Wells expansion was the first of several large hydrocarbon production and transportation projects likely to be completed in the Mackenzie Valley by the end of the century. Because of a highly innovative approach to project management, Norman Wells has been heralded as a model for future northern development projects. Construction was delayed for seventeen months from the time of project approval in part to permit effective planning and the use of "special measures" during the construction phase. A major component of these special measures was the unique Norman Wells impact funding program set up to help manage negative effects and enable native involvement in the project. This paper assesses the planning and administration of two socioeconomic components of the impact funding program, using seven criteria drawn from the literature on socioeconomic monitoring and management. The subject programs failed to satisfy all but one criterion. Indeed, the administrative mechanisms used proved to be a serious impediment to effective socioeconomic impact management. This failure was rooted both in the politics of the impact funding package itself and in the historical modus operandi of the federal government, particularly the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, in the north. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

Economic aspects, Economic development, Oil fields, Alberta, Canada. Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development

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Comprehensive regulatory consultation in Canada's food processing industry

Article Abstract:

The food processing industry in Canada has been heavily regulated for the following reasons: (1) concern about abuses in the early years of the industry, (2) the desire of the industry to control competition, and (3) the service to consumers in product information and standardized grades. The costs of such regulation have been high and changes are being sought. The government departments most involved in the regulations are Fisheries and Oceans, Agriculture Canada, Consumer and Corporate Affairs and National Health and Welfare. It is recommended that each of these departments consider comprehensive regulatory consultation. This would include effective newsletters to communicate with concerned parties, informal product committees and such formal consultative processes as permanent regulated advisory committees and agendas. Included would be processes for early identification and notification of needed regulatory change, a process to evaluate the effects of proposed regulatory changes, regular consultation with industry sector committees and a process for review and evaluation of regulatory impact after standards are utilized. Comprehensive regulatory consultation promises to create a more cooperative and pluralistic atmosphere in the Canadian political system.

FOOD AND KINDRED PRODUCTS, Laws, regulations and rules, Food industry, Deregulation, Labels, Food processing plants

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Tech change: boon or bane for professionals, supervisors and middle managers

Article Abstract:

The Management and Professional Employees Society (MAPES) of British Columbia Hydro studied the effects of technology on company managers, supervisors, and professional employees. Primary data sources were two case studies, one of which focused on a CAD-CAM system used for operations and engineering and the other examining a job control and distribution construction system. Interviews were held with staff, and society membership was surveyed by mail-in questionnaire. Survey results revealed that MAPES members understand that new technology may mean fewer positions at most company levels, and respondents indicated that job security was a concern. The overall experience of MAPES members with technological change was positive, however. Members indicated that technological changes enriched their work, making more information available for decision-making, and increasing opportunity for creativity.

Research, Management, Usage, Surveys, CAD-CAM systems, Tracking systems, Tracking systems (Navigation), British Columbia, British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority

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