Now that the Panel has completed its work, can I get a briefing about the Panel’s Final Report or the review process carried out by the Panel?
Yes, to get further information about the Final Report or the review process please contact the Chair, Dr. Ray Gosine, at contact@nlhfrp.ca or (709) 864-3104.
Will the Panel’s report be made available to the general public?
The Newfoundland and Labrador Hydraulic Fracturing Review Panel issued its Final Report on Tuesday, May 31, 2016. It can be found at Final Report
In the Terms of Reference it states: “The Panel is seeking submissions from members of the general public and stakeholder groups on the 14 topics under consideration by the Panel and described in further detail in the Terms of Reference.” Notably absent from the list are Human Health, Climate Change, Tourism and Fisheries. Can the original list of 14 topics be expanded?
The Panel believes that the topic areas outlined in the Terms of Reference provide scope for the topics noted in the question to be included in any submission and for these to be considered by the Panel. For example, the web site includes a number of submissions related to human health, climate change and the impacts on other industries, including tourism.
Not all residents are comfortable with written presentations. Will oral submissions be accepted?
The Panel is committed to making all information that is brought to bear on the Panel’s recommendations widely available to the public. In addition, the Panel wants to ensure that all submissions are widely available to the public in a form that accurately reflects the input of the person making the submission. This is the reason why the Panel is asking for written submissions and why all submissions are being posted on the Panel web site.
An individual or group that wishes to make an oral submission should contact the Panel Chair to discuss how this may be accommodated while respecting the Panel’s requirement to make all submissions and information material to its work publicly available.
Is it possible to send a submission anonymously?
The Panel requires that the submissions not be anonymous. In weighing the information provided to the Panel, the Panel does need to know the source of the information since the credibility of the source is also an important consideration for the Panel. In the interest of transparency, the Panel also believes that the source of the submission must also be made public.
On the matter of submissions on behalf of others, the Panel will need a process to confirm the source of any submission before posting it to the web site. Individuals wishing to make a submission on behalf of another person should contact the Panel Chair to discuss how this can be accommodated.
After the Public Consultation Sessions or meetings can submissions be modified?
Following a presentation/meeting and the Panel’s clarification questions, the Chair, in agreement with the individual/group making the submission, may determine that the original submission needs to be modified to reflect more accurately the salient points which were brought forward during the presentation/meeting. If so, it will be the responsibility of the individual/group making the submission to make the necessary changes to the submission and to submit the updated submission to the NLHFRP web site within 14 days after the public consultation session or meeting.
There is a great deal of information to be presented to the Panel. Will there be adequate time for each group or individual to make their presentation at the public consultation session or at meetings?
The Panel is expecting submissions to be provided in written form to ensure that all submissions are available to all interested parties and to ensure that the panel has accurate and complete information from anyone wishing to have the Panel consider information.
The presentation at the public consultation sessions and meetings with the Panel are opportunities for the salient points of a more substantive submission to be emphasized. The amount of time available for a presentation will depend on the number of individuals or groups that make a submission and request to present or meet as outlined on the web site. Please note that the Panel is prepared to meet one-on-one with individuals or groups that wish to discuss their submission with the Panel in more detail.
On the website, it states submissions must be received by June 1, 2015. The public consultations will be held at least 45 days later. If a draft or summary of the presentation is submitted by the June 1 deadline, will the presenter be permitted to update their presentation in the weeks leading up to the public consultations?
Yes but the presenter will need to provide the Panel with a final copy of the submission no later than 14 days prior to the public consultation session so that it can be made available on the Panel web site.
Under “Review Process” it states priority will be given to those who submit a summary of their presentation by June 1. If someone has not registered their submission by June 1, can they still meet with or present to the Panel?
The priority for allocation of presentation time at the public consultation sessions and meeting times will be individuals and groups that make submissions and request to present or meet by June 1, 2015. Opportunities for others to present at a consultation session or meet will depend on the time remaining after the individuals registered by June 1, 2015 have presented.
What will be the approximate capacity for the venues for meetings and the public consultation sessions?
By June 1 the Panel should have received requests from individuals and groups that wish to present to the Panel at the public consultation sessions and that wish to meet with the Panel. At that time the Panel will know the number of individuals/groups that wish to present to the Panel in a public forum and in individual meetings. With that information the Panel will be in a position to plan for the public consultation sessions and meetings. Planning of the public consultation sessions and will be done in consultation with community leaders so as to ensure that there will be sufficient space for the anticipated number of people who will attend the sessions.
Will the Panel consider adding additional consultation sessions in other communities?
The Panel will consider the demand for public consultation sessions based on the information received by June 1, 2015. The Panel is prepared to have teleconference meetings with individuals and groups so, in addition to the written submissions, there is ample scope for interested individuals and groups to provide the Panel with information that they feel is important to be considered by the Panel.
When will the public consultation sessions in Stephenville and Corner Brook be held?
The Panel will consult with community leaders and the individuals/groups that request to present at these sessions to solicit their input into the timing and venue location for these sessions. At the present time, the plan is to schedule the public consultation sessions after August 1, 2015 and at times which maximize the participation by those requesting to present.
Will the consultations be open to the media?
The public consultation sessions will be open to all interested individuals and groups, including the media.
It is the custom at public consultation sessions to have microphones available for the audience to express their views. Will microphones be in place at the venue?
Yes, the public consultation sessions will include microphones so that people speaking can be heard by those attending the session.
Microsoft Word and PowerPoint Presentations are an accepted format for presentations. Will presenters be able to submit slide presentations (pdf file) for their presentation?
Yes, a .pdf file of a Word Document or PowerPoint presentation is acceptable.
Will the Panel accept submissions after June 1, 2015 ?
The June 1, 2015 deadline for submissions was set to ensure that the Panel has sufficient time to meet to review the submissions prior to holding any individual or group meetings or public consultations sessions. While the web site will continue to accept submissions after June 1 and the Panel will attempt to give these consideration, individuals or groups that make submissions following June 1 may have more limited opportunities to meet with or present to the Panel which may adversely impact on the significance of their submission. The Panel will not accept any new submissions following the public consultation sessions. Individuals and groups planning to make submissions to the Panel should make every effort to meet the June 1, 2015 deadline.
How much time will it take for my submission to be published on the website?
All submissions received, whether through the NLHFRP.CA web site, by email or by conventional mail, are processed in the sequence which they are received during normal working hours, Monday through Friday. Once an on-line or email submission has been received, an acknowledgement is sent to the individual who made the submission. The submission is recorded in a document tracking system and then it is reviewed by the Chair prior to posting. In some cases, the Chair may need to seek further information from the individual making the submission prior to posting it on the web site. The priority is to post public submissions and the time lag between submission and posting on the web site dependent on the number of submissions which we receive. As we approach June 1, 2015 we are seeing a significant increase in the number of submissions which may result in some delays in the posting of the submissions on the web site. The Panel is committed to posting all submissions and should a member of the public cannot find their submission on the NLHFRP.CA web site by 5:00 pm on June 4, 2015, they should contact the Panel and we will work the individual to address the issue and ensure that the Panel has the submission in plenty of time to be able to give it full consideration.
I have submitted a request to meet the Panel, either individually or at one of the Public Consultation Session in Western Newfoundland & Labrador. How will I be advised as to when and where I will be meeting the panel?
Effective June 1, 2015 the Panel has received a number of requests and we are consolidating all of these requests. Once this information has been analyzed, the Panel will determine how to best address these requests. All individuals or organizations who have submitted a request to meet the Panel will be contacted directly in the upcoming weeks with specific details as to time, location and format of these meetings so as to allow the individuals ample time to prepare for their meeting with the Panel. In the upcoming weeks, we will also be posting the Operational Guidelines as to how all individual and public consultations with the Panel will be conducted. These guidelines will also be sent to each individual who is presenting to the Panel