Labour capacity is a determining factor in the ability of workers in a particular jurisdiction to meet the demands of a project. SCI has considered the best available information and developed a reasonable set of parameters for determining the effective capacity of labour in a jurisdiction. These parameters have been validated by industry and presented to government through project development plans and environmental impact studies.

The methodology involves using published statistical sources of data (i.e. the theoretical supply of labour) and adjusting these figures to estimate an “effective” labour capacity available in a jurisdiction. The adjustments included:

• a demographic trend adjustment, to estimate how the base data may look during the time period the project is developed based on the age profiles contained in statistics;
• a new graduate adjustment, to account for the addition of new graduates to the labour force;
• a newly certified journeypersons adjustment, to account for the addition of new journeypersons to the labour force;
• a retirement adjustment, to account for the reduction in the labour force from retirements;
• an outmigration adjustment, to account for interprovincial migration;
• a mobility factor, to adjust for the extent to which the labour force is mobile; and
• an experience adjustment, to account for those positions where specialized skills may be required and to adjust for workers which may contain some cross-skilled workers.

The results of this process is not intended to be an absolute measure of labour capacity, but provide a range of values that can be used as a guide to support decision-making prior to the start of construction and to provide an understanding of the risks associated with labour capacity.

SCI has considerable experience in monitoring the availability of labour in a particular jurisdiction. Since 2005 it has developed labour capacity studies for Chevron, ExxonMobil, Iron Ore Company of Canada, Vale, Alderon and Husky. These reports track wages and union agreements, labor statistics and model labour demand against supply using four digit NOC codes. A database of all known industrial projects and their demand for labour is maintained by SCI.

SCI offers its clients support in advocacy, profile building and positioning with key stakeholder groups including senior government officials, political advisors members of Parliament and cabinet ministers, through its network of consultants. SCI’s approach to building and managing highly-targeted successful advocacy campaigns begins with a comprehensive understanding of the campaign’s goals. These goals should be clear and measurable with well-defined outcomes. The second key component of the campaign development is building an understanding of the target audience, i.e. who the audience is comprised of and determining what moves them. The third element is designing and implementing messages that connect and move the target audience to achieve the desired outcomes. The overall key to building successful advocacy campaigns is understanding the strategic elements of the issues at hand and then using that knowledge and understanding to build and implement a successful engagement strategy. Our strategies are often supported by our work on economic models and presented through the preparation of key messages, briefing notes and presentations.

In addition to this particular management consulting service, SCI has developed software designed specifically to monitor and record stakeholder engagement activities. The software incorporates a variety of functions, including:

• Media monitoring, the ability to view relevant media articles in real-time, and to archive articles of particular interest
• Manage contact information; photos, demographics, associations, groups, etc.
• Communications history; record interactions with individuals or groups,
• Record notes and commentary about individuals or groups
• Record and schedule activities and stakeholder interactions (which can be shared among users via Outlook or other calendaring software)