Human Environment

Our Human Environment team emphasizes three foundational items: community, communication, and competence.

Overview

Our Human Environment team emphasizes and enacts three foundational items: community, communication, and competence.

The Indigenous Interests and Human Environment field is interconnected and rapidly evolving, and this can create significant complexities and uncertainty in the regulatory affairs space. Falkirk understands that successfully navigating to positive outcomes for project owners, Indigenous communities and civil society takes thoughtful and meticulous strategy execution that considers short-term milestone goals, as well as long term operational commitments. We place a focus on the development of strong linkages to community input and Indigenous interests, to foster shared prosperity and reconciliation. Using our deep understanding of community and Indigenous structures (i.e., governance, health, economy, well-being, population, culture), we apply an Indigenous lens and community-centric approach to this work, while concurrently integrating western science.

Our approach to leading projects in the Indigenous Interests and the Human Environment fields involves focusing on community, communication, and competence through the facilitation of effective communication between all involved parties. This shortens the life cycles of any concerns and miscommunications among proponents, communities and technical specialists. The science is not the challenge when dealing with experienced professionals who have worked extensively in this environment; rather, the challenge lies in listening to the voices of the community and integrating Indigenous and community interests into regulatory processes, including the selection of valued components, socio-economic indicators (including community-based indicators), baseline study design, selection of mitigation measures (including project design mitigations), and effects assessment.

Highlights

Innovate BC Sessions

Measuring What is Meaningful - Integrating Indigenous Knowledge into Socio Economics and Community Based Indicators

Innovate BC Sessions - Cando (edo.ca)
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"Using our deep understanding of community and Indigenous structures (i.e., governance, health, economy, well-being, population, culture), we apply an Indigenous lens and community-centric approach to this work, while concurrently integrating western science."

Services

Key services we provide include the following:

  • Socio-economic baseline information gathering and report development, impact assessment, and mitigation development and management;
  • Indigenous knowledge and Indigenous interests’ assessments;
  • Incorporation of Indigenous knowledge and values in regulatory processes and corporate decision making;
  • ESG+I strategy development, reporting, and assessments with a focus on the inclusion of Indigenous rights and interests;
  • Development of diversity and inclusion policies for companies, agencies and non-governmental organizations;
  • ESG+I financing strategy development and portfolio management;
  • UNDRIP action plan and strategy development;
  • Free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC) action plan development and evaluation;
  • Reconciliation Action plans and strategy development;
  • Development and assessment of Indigenous-led climate change adaptation and mitigation, net-zero, and sustainability action plans;
  • Taskforce on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) and Taskforce on Nature-Related Financial Disclosures (TNFD);
  • Economic development strategy and financial model development;
  • Gender based analysis;
  • Cutting edge and collaborative EA document development and writing, incorporating Indigenous worldviews and western systems
  • Traditional knowledge and land use studies and mapping;
  • Collaborative community-based indicator work; and
  • Investor due diligence and materiality assessments.

Project Team

Jake Stemeroff
01 / 05
Jake Stemeroff
Human Environment Practice Lead

Jake Stemeroff leads Falkirk’s human environment team and is a socio-economic consultant and project manager with a diverse background in environmental, social, and governance (ESG) consulting, economic and financial modelling, economic development, and community engagement.

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Paula Salter
01 / 05
Paula Salter
Senior Social Analyst

Paula has a Masters in social work with a focus on communities, policies, planning, and organizations. For over 15 years, Paula has supported transformative system change initiatives to advance equity and social justice for those that have been traditionally socially excluded.

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Randy Sunderman
01 / 05
Randy Sunderman
Senior Economist

Mr. Sunderman is an economist and member of the Economic Development Association of Canada, the Association of Professional Economists of British Columbia, and the International Association for Impact Assessment Western and Northern Canada.

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Jen Gebert
01 / 05
Jen Gebert
Environmental and Indigenous Engagement Specialist

Jen is a naturally curious ally to Indigenous communities who has worked with various groups managing projects in the social services, education, and planning sectors of First Nations governance.

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Jake Stemeroff
Paula Salter
Randy Sunderman
Jen Gebert
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Project Profiles

Shasta Baker Project

Client — TDG Gold Corp.

Falkirk is the Lead Consultant with overall responsibility for project management, study coordination and the final deliverables for baseline studies, procurement, and leading environmental compliance and permitting. Falkirk also functions as the Indigenous Advisory team for this company, including negotiations with Indigenous communities and governments, consultation, development of engagement plans and strategies, and policy development.

The Falkirk team has also supported water quality impact assessment and gap analysis of the current water quality information to support regulatory applications.

Bralorne Gold Mines / Spences Bridge

Talisker Resources Ltd.

Talisker Resources Ltd. has utilized Falkirk as an Owners’ Representative for project permitting, water treatment, Indigenous Engagement and Negotiations on multiple projects throughout British Columbia.

At Talisker’s Bralorne Gold Mine, Falkirk has undertaken the development and negotiation of mutually beneficial agreements between the company and relevant Indigenous communities, facilitation of quarterly Environmental Monitoring Board meetings (permit condition), growth of relationships through appropriate cultural lenses, and ongoing updates and communication between the company and the Indigenous communities in its project areas.

Falkirk has been instrumental in establishing both business and community partnerships associated with Talisker’s projects across British Columbia. Sensitive to Indigenous ways of knowing and interacting with the land, Falkirk’s Christy Smith has facilitated authentic and long-standing relationships between Talisker, and a number of Indigenous Nations, including Nation-led capacity building and community support initiatives.