Summary of the Meeting of the Technical Advisory Committee on Science and Knowledge - October 21 and 22, 2020 - Virtual Meeting

Meeting Objective

The main objective of the October 21 and 22 meeting was to establish four subcommittees and have them receive input on their work from the rest of the TAC committee.

Day 1

Agenda Item: Opening Remarks

• The TAC co-chairs provided a welcome and opening remarks for the meeting.
• The Agency’s ex-officio member provided a territorial acknowledgement for the land on which the Agency representatives were located.
• The TAC co-chairs provided an overview of the agenda for the two day meeting.

Agenda Item: Agency Update / Remarks

• An Agency official provided an update to the TAC members on the draft Guidance on the Development of Tailored Impact Statement Guidelines, and a copy of the document was provided to the members for information.
• An Agency official highlighted the recently posted public call for expressions of interest to develop operational tools related to specific topics under the IAA, and requested that TAC members share the call with their contacts.
• An Agency official informed the TAC members of the Indigenous Advisory Committee’s (IAC) most recent meeting, and conveyed IAC’s interest in forming a joint sub-committee with the TAC on the topic of Indigenous knowledge and science.

Agenda Item: TAC Sub-Committee Review & Administration

• An Agency official provided the committee with an explanation of the anticipated TAC sub-committee format and administration.

Agenda Item: Sub-committee on cumulative effects

• Agency officials gave TAC members an overview of key areas of Agency interest related to the topic of cumulative effects.
• The TAC co-chairs led members through a discussion of the topic, looking at areas such as gaps, potential tools, audience, support needed from the Agency, and topics for a potential supporting research contract.   

Agenda Item: Recap of day one and plan for day two

• The TAC co-chairs summarized the takeaways from Day One of the meeting and provided an overview of the meeting agenda for Day Two.
• They informed TAC members that a questionnaire would be sent out overnight in which they could provide any additional input.

Day 2

Agenda Item: Plan for the Day

• The TAC co-chairs provided an overview of the agenda for the second day.

Agenda Item: Sub-Committee on Positive Effects

• Agency officials gave TAC members an overview of key areas of Agency interest related to the topic of positive effects.
• The TAC co-chairs led members through a discussion of the topic, looking at areas such as gaps, potential tools, audience, support needed from the Agency, and topics for a potential supporting research contract.

Agenda Item: Sub-Committee on Health, Social, and Economic Effects

• Agency officials gave TAC members an overview of key areas of Agency interest related to the topic of health, social, and economic effects.
• The TAC co-chairs led members through a discussion of the topic, looking at areas such as gaps, potential tools, audience, support needed from the Agency, and topics for a potential supporting research contract.   

Agenda Item: Joint Sub-Committee on Indigenous Knowledge and Science

• Agency officials gave TAC members an overview of key areas of Agency interest related to the topic of Indigenous knowledge and science.
• The TAC co-chairs led members through a discussion of the topic, looking at areas such as potential tools, audience, and support needed from the Agency.

Agenda Item: Research contract update

• An Agency official clarified how research contracts will be issued to support the work of the sub-committees and specified timelines for establishing the contracts.  

Agenda Item: Finalize Sub-committees & Champions

• The TAC co-chairs confirmed subcommittee membership and champions were identified to lead the efforts of each sub-committee.  

Agenda Item: Recap and Next Steps

• An Agency official highlighted that the next meetings of the whole TAC are anticipated to take place in December and January.
• Subcommittees were asked to hold their first meetings within a few weeks following the October TAC meeting to: refine the format and nature of the subcommittee’s advice; establish a critical path and division of work; and, in the case of the positive effects, cumulative effects, and health, social and economic effects subcommittees, provide advice to the Agency on defining the topic of a research contract that would support their work.  

Take Aways

• The TAC sub-committees are to hold initial meetings within the next few weeks to launch their work.
• Each sub-committee will periodically report in to the full TAC on their progress.
• Each sub-committee will prepare a deliverable on their topic and provide it to the TAC by the end of fiscal year 2020-21. This deliverable will serve as the TAC’s advice to the Agency on each topic.
• Each sub-committee with an associated research contract will, at their first meeting, determine advice to the Agency on the topic of the research.
• The TAC secretariat will work with TAC members to determine committee meeting dates for December and January.

Attendees

TAC Co-Chairs

• Kevin Hanna
• Darcy Pickard

TAC Committee Members

• Alistair MacDonald
• Bill Ross
• Colin Webster
• Gillian Donald
• Glennis Lewis
• Helga Shield
• Marie Lagimodiere
• Mark Shrimpton
• Meinhard Doelle
• Michel Bérubé

Regrets

• Hugo Mailhot Couture

Impact Assessment Agency of Canada

• Jennifer Saxe
• Philip Seeto
• Friederike Kirstein
• Wesley Moore
• Miriam Padolsky
• Robyn Whittaker
• Joshua Boisvert
• Alana Green

Regrets

• Stewart Lindale