Analyzing, synthesizing, and presenting information affecting public decision making lies at the root of environmental policy planning. CEF's planning methodology is based on the thesis that effective and informed stakeholder input is vital to accurate, achievable plans. We prepare concise information summaries to make sure everyone is on an even playing field. We consult with stakeholders, develop a policy synthesis and then consult with stakeholders again. But consultation isn't the only key factor: we also make sure that  decisions are based on objective, accurate, and balanced information - and make it available to all those concerned.

CEF has been a leader in promoting transparent information exchange through distributed computer networks. The technology exists to put data in the hands of those who need it - no matter where it is stored. CEF can help define the links between policies and institutions to facilitate information exchange that will lead to better marine, coastal and freshwater planning. We have the planning skills; the technical skills in statistical analysis, bio-economic modeling, image analysis, and GIS; and the specialist advisors to help pull it all together.

CEF has worked on  policy development in areas as diverse as wetlands and waste management, with a particular focus on energy policy and air quality. We reviewed options for redevelopment of contaminated abandoned mine sites in Poland, and developed coastal mapping methods for shellfish closure areas in New Brunswick. CEF planners have helped with input into federal policies dealing with greenhouse gas emissions, and with the attempted integration of energy efficiency standards into the National Building Code. Provincially, our firm played a key role in the development of Nova Scotia recreational fisheries planning system, and we coordinated and reported on an energy strategy roundtable, which laid the basis for Nova Scotia's energy policy in the 1990s.

CEF PROJECTS

CEF, working with Canadian Fisheries Consultants, developed a plan to guide the development of freshwater and marine sport-fishing in Nova Scotia. We held stakeholder and intergovernmental workshops; emphasized the importance of First Nations input; and established an overall vision for the future of the sports fisheries. We then developed guiding principles and concrete strategies for the plan's implementation. We paid particular attention to clear management structures, project funding criteria, and a straightforward framework for project evaluation.

CEF was a key participant in an independent Canadian project, part of a World Bank multinational study to develop mine closure and redevelopment plans in Bytom, Poland. In only four months, we:

• visited Bytom, Katowice Voivodship for two weeks to review the site and its environmental liabilities ;
  

• worked closely with a Polish counterpart planning company to review issues;
  interviewed key stakeholders to develop background for market evaluation of potential end uses;
  

• facilitated brain-storming session of Canadian experts to identify best options for site remediation and development;
  

• developed conceptual framework to analyze redevelopment alternatives, based on rate of return to the coal company, benefits to the city, and job creation;
  

• reviewed and applied international experience in brownfield redevelopment;
  

• proposed staged development process, emphasizing the site next to the city centre as an initial flagship;
  

• reviewed historical preservation process, and proposed focus of cultural and heritage issues at single site;
  

• identified institutional hurdles, and ways to overcome these, and 
  

• estimated costs for infrastructure needed to attract investment.