In pursuit of consensus : the Clayoquot Sound sustainable development task force
Date
1994
Authors
Spek, Bert Leonard
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Abstract
On August 4, 1989 the Ministers of Environment and Regional and Economic Development for the Province of British Columbia announced the establishment of a task force to develop a community-based sustainable development strategy for the Clayoquot Sound area on the west coast of Vancouver Island. The formation of the Clayoquot Sound Sustainable Development Task Force (Task Force) was a response by the provincial government to a persistent and escalating conflict over resource allocation on provincial forest lands.
Thirteen members were originally appointed to the Task Force by the provincial government. The provincial government also selected the mediator and prepared the terms of reference for the Task Force which instructed the Task Force to function as a dispute resolution mechanism operating on a consensus basis.
This study examines the Task Force, including the priorities of the members with respect to the issues being negotiated, the task force as a mechanism and the alternative dispute resolution process used. A pair-wise comparison survey was the method used to determine Task Force members priorities. Analysis of the criteria necessary for conducting a successful environmental mediation effort provided the basis for understanding the shortcomings of the Task Force's attempt to resolve the resource allocation dispute within Clayoquot Sound.
The results of the pair-wise comparison survey indicate that the priorities of the Task Force members were distributed among the nine items included in the survey. However, the survey results are not conclusive because of the response rate and the stipulation that the survey must guarantee the anonymity of the respondents. With respect to the use of mediation by the Task Force, the conclusion reached in this study
is that the provincial government, by specifying the parties with a right to participate on the Task Force, selecting the mediator, setting priorities, objectives and the time frame disregarded fundamental conditions for undertaking a successful mediation effort. It is also the contention of this study that the Task Force, by excluding the public and media from Task Force meetings, reinforced the suspicions and mistrust surrounding the process.