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Mid-Year Update May 2012

In the past six months, the Office has continued to build relationships with key stakeholders and raise awareness of our Office and how our review mechanism tool works. We continue our efforts to build broader public understanding of successful company-community dispute resolution processes.

Interest in the Office continues to grow: we have doubled our mailing list over the past year, held dozens of meetings with a wide array of stakeholders, and responded to hundreds of inquiries for information, interviews, expertise and advice.

In March 2012, the Office closed its second request for review, pertaining to First Quantum Minerals in Mauritania.

The Office conducted discussions with civil society, business, and governments in Canada and overseas. In addition to many smaller meetings, we held roundtable sessions in Colombia, Tanzania, Calgary and Toronto since October.

The Office's Annual Report to Parliament was tabled by the Minister of International Trade in December 2012.

The second annual meeting of the Office's Advisory Panel was held at the end of January 2012.

The World Bank Group's Compliance Advisor Ombudsman, headed by Meg Taylor, was in Toronto for two days of outreach in January. Ms. Taylor made a presentation as part of our learning partnership with Ryerson University, webcast available.

The legal community is an important constituency. The CSR Counsellor has presented at the University of Ottawa Faculty of Law, Osgoode Law School's new Certificate in Mining Law program and a Canadian Bar Association meeting.

The Counsellor has been a speaker at high-profile events, including the Next-Gen Corporate Social Responsibility Forum, PDAC conference, the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business, the Inter-Governmental Forum, the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights plenary.

About the Office of the Extractive Sector CSR Counsellor

The role of the Office of the CSR Counsellor for the Extractive Sector is to actively promote responsible practices for Canadian companies abroad and to resolve, through constructive dialogue, disputes connected with endorsed performance standards. Complete information on the Office, the review process and supporting documents for potential participants are available on the Office's website.

Fast facts: Highlights of the past six months

  • Over 100 inquiries from, and meetings with, stakeholders seeking information and advice
  • A dozen outreach events in Canada and overseas
  • Interviews with over 10 media outlets in Canada and overseas
  • Published opinion pieces in the Canadian Mining Journal, The Embassy, Vancouver Sun
  • Second annual meeting of the Advisory Panel in Toronto
  • Six stakeholder roundtables in Toronto, Calgary, Colombia and Tanzania
  • Continued the successful Ryerson University Learning Partnership, and expanded it to Simon Fraser University in Vancouver
  • Hosted World Bank Group's Compliance Advisor Ombudsman (CAO) to deepen understanding of successful collaborative problemsolving approaches

Questions?

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