Engagement and Input from Partners and Stakeholders

Olympic and Paralympic Games involve many stakeholders (which we define as individuals or groups that are either involved directly in, or affected by, the Games). Engaging with partners and stakeholders helps us understand and manage issues and create solutions. It can also lead to collaborations on shared goals.

For partners and stakeholders alike, we try to engage in ways that are appropriate to each situation, considering our responsibilities, the nature of a given issue and how it might affect them.

Our partners have invested with us in the Games. The relationship is usually formalized by a legal agreement with associated benefits and obligations. Our relationship with stakeholders is typically less formal and can range from basic information sharing to involvement in joint decision making.

During the 2006-07 reporting period, we conducted 82 engagements (44 information- sharing, 16 consultations, 9 advice-seeking and 13 shared decision-making). We also conducted engagement programs in areas including transportation planning, the Cultural Olympiad and environmental compliance.

Engagement as a learning process
Wherever possible, we apply what we learn from our partner and stakeholder engagement activities to our day-to-day decision making, providing feedback on the degree to which their input has been considered.

We appreciate the commitment demonstrated by our partners and stakeholders in helping us achieve our objectives and by letting us know how we are doing.

Since Vancouver won the bid to host the Games, we have consulted with a wide variety of organizations and individuals affected by our actions. We seek advice and feedback from communities, as well as local, national and international sustainability experts, through dialogues with sustainability practitioners, meetings with local governments and non-government organizations, presentations at sustainability events and discussions with leaders in sustainability thinking.

We also learn from and collaborate with other Games Organizing Committees. We fulfilled formal requirements for community consultation regarding the provincial and federal Environmental Assessment (EA) process for our venue development program, which included social and Aboriginal impacts. These consultations allow us to better understand the opportunities, interests and concerns associated with our activities.

For more information, see Partner and Stakeholder Engagement on the 2006-07 Sustainability Report.