e3 Plus Was Developed With Widespread Consultation
The PDAC realized from the start that if e3 Plus - A Framework for Responsible Exploration was to be successful, the process would have to be guided by broadly based consultation. The PDAC's corporate social responsibility (CSR) committee assumed responsibility for the project.
The first step was to seek advice from the exploration community and other interested parties on how to direct the principles and guidance. The association issued an invitation to all members and key stakeholders to attend a 2-day workshop, in conjunction with the 2007 PDAC International Convention.
Armed with information from this workshop, the CSR committee developed a preliminary draft of the principles and guidance and embarked on a national consultation process through a series of workshops. The first was a focus group, attended primarily by representatives of NGOs, academia and government. In 2008, two larger workshops focussed on the exploration community.
From the comments received at these workshops, the committee developed an advanced draft of the principles and guidance. The committee held two more focus group meetings to discuss this draft, the first designed for multiple stakeholders, and the second involving Aboriginal representatives from across the country. In the meantime, the toolkits were being developed by the e3 committee, chaired by Dennis Jones, and the health and safety committee, chaired by Bill Mercer.