Monitoring Committee of Osisko Malartic: An essential role, a model to strengthen

MONTREAL, Feb. 28, 2013 /CNW Telbec/ - Johanne Gélinas, partner in consulting at Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton is tabling today her report entitled "Osisko Mining Corporation Monitoring Committee - Diagnosis of the current situation and avenues of interventions."

Mrs. Gélinas observes that "despite the willingness and commitment of the Monitoring Committee, the latter cannot be deployed effectively in its current form. An accumulation of events has led to the deterioration of relations between the Monitoring Committee, Osisko and stakeholders which prevented the Monitoring Committee from fulfilling its role. Osisko and the Monitoring Committee will meet today at the crossroads. In collaboration with stakeholders, they must work together to restore trust."

The report proposes a number of avenues of interventions for the realization of the Monitoring Committee's mandate. Osisko must develop greater attentiveness, increased sensitivity and empathy. The company must also structure the roles and responsibilities internally to improve and formalize the dialogue with the Monitoring Committee and contribute to its success. Moreover, Mrs. Gélinas suggests that Osisko holds a statutory seat on the Committee.

The Monitoring Committee, meanwhile, must review its composition and functioning, in order to fulfill its mandate. Mrs. Gélinas considers that the Committee, in its present form, does not have all the required expertise and authority to enable it to take its rightful place. The Monitoring Committee should be given the means to become a place of exchange and dialogue on issues related to the Canadian Malartic mine, but also a place where solutions are suggested. It is the link between the company and the population. In this respect, its role is well-defined.

Despite the combined efforts of Osisko and the Monitoring Committee, the latter will not achieve its full potential unless other key players agree to serve on the committee. It is therefore recommended that ministries such as the Ministry of Health and Social Services, the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Ministry of Sustainable Development, Environment, Wildlife and Parks, as well as the Town of Malartic be represented on the Committee.

Osisko and the Monitoring Committee accept the suggested courses of interventions proposed by Mrs. Gélinas and will work together to strengthen the foundation. A first step is the call for nominations launched today to recruit new members for the Committee.

"The Monitoring Committee has an essential role to play as a place of information, of exchange and of dialogue. It represents a place where solutions to enable better coexistence between the mine and the community are discussed and where a vision and a plan to prepare for after the closure of the mine can be explored. The current situation is an opportunity to make the necessary adjustments to revise the composition of the Monitoring Committee, to strengthen the role of key actors and to renew the way the Monitoring Committee operates. This exercise, particularly the interviews, demonstrated the desire for the Monitoring Committee to succeed." concluded Johanne Gélinas.

About Mrs. Johanne Gélinas
Mrs. Johanne Gélinas has over 25 years of public sector experience and has conducted numerous consulting assignments; she carried out audits related to the effectiveness of policies and programs on environmental issues and sustainable development, both nationally and internationally. Before joining the consulting sector in sustainability, Mrs. Gélinas served as Commissioner with the Québec Bureau d'audiences publiques sur l'environnement (BAPE) from 1990 and 1999 and, as Canada's Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development (CESD) from 2000 to 2007. Now, she coaches her private and public sector clients on incorporating sustainable development into the core of their operations and governance practices.

About Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton
Founded in 1948, Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton is among the leaders in the areas of audit, tax, consulting, business recovery and insolvency. This force relies on a team of nearly 2,300 people, including some 230 partners, working in over 100 offices in Quebec, eastern Ontario and New Brunswick. Note also that, for over 30 years, Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton is a member of Grant Thornton International Ltd, offering its customers access to the expertise of member firms and representatives offices in more than 100 countries.

SOURCE: RAYMOND CHABOT GRANT THORNTON - Greater Montreal

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