Mapping the Context of the Proposed Skeena LNG Project

Steps for Completing the Assignment

In this assignment you will practice "Mapping the Context" of the proposed Skeena LNG project in northwest BC. Follow these directions to complete this assignment: 1. Read the assigned sections of Chapter 3 in The Policy Process. See 'Readings' for these details. Pay particular attention to the sections noted. You will need to refer to the information in these sections to complete the assignment. 2. Read the article Skeena LNG: Five things you need to know about the proposed project in Terrace, BC. I recommend reading the article in full to get a general idea of the topic before proceeding to step #3. 3. Map the Social Context of the proposed Skeena LNG Project. Information about the project is in the Skeena LNG article, and details on how to map the social context is in the selected readings from The Policy Process. Remember, in this exercise you are focusing on the social aspects of this project, not the physical details of the project. Go back through the article carefully and "map" (see note below) the following components of the social context: Participants: These are the groups that have a stake or interest in the project. For example, paragraphs 3, 4 and 5 of the Skeena LNG article mention Top Speed Energy and the BC Oil and Gas Commission - these are two of the many participants that are discussed in the article. For this part just note down the names of the different participant groups. Perspectives: How the different participants see the problem at hand. Each participant will have a slightly different perspective on the proposed project. Perspectives include different demands (what participants want), expectations (assumptions about past and future), and identifications (for whom/what are the demands being made). Situation: This includes ecological or geographical information (e.g., Terrace to Prince Rupert, northwest BC), temporal dimension (e.g., a decades long project, seasonal weather considerations), institutionalization (e.g., is power centralized in the Provincial Government? Federal Government? Industry? Other groups?), Crisis (e.g., protest by blocking highway 16) you could think about how different groups might respond if this were to escalate to a "crisis", but this is speculative. Crisis isn't addressed in the article, and you can ignore it here. Base Values: What values motivate the participants? Power, wealth, enlightenment, well-being . . . are examples of base values that motivate people. Refer to Table 3.1 and the reading from Chapter 2 for more on different values. Strategies: What are the different participants proposing to do, or doing, to pursue what they value? There are four main strategies, three of which apply here: Diplomatic strategies - communication, negotiation, compromise; Ideological strategies - communication of knowledge, values, information to a wider audience; Economic strategies - strategies that rely on production or withholding of goods and services (e.g., a boycott, or providing power to a rural community). NOTE: There are two more parts to "Mapping the Context" that you can ignore in this exercise (Outcomes and Effects). This is because these steps take place after a particular policy is put in place. How to "map" the context: To map the context I recommend using either a table or a point form outline. However, you can choose to "map" the context however you like (feel free to be creative!), but just know that I want to see details of each of the five components listed and described above. DO NOT write a long discussion in full sentences. You only need to map the key details! There are many participants, the situation is quite well described in the article and easy to determine, and there are a few key strategies discussed. The perspectives and base values are not as explicit in the article, and you will need to make some assumptions about the perspectives and base values of the different participants.