The Challenge
The Canadian Northern Corridor Research Program was launched in June 2015 by the School of Public Policy at the University of Calgary to explore a new cross-jurisdictional, multi-modal corridor spanning road, rail, utilities, and communications infrastructure. The program aimed to address the geographic, political, and economic challenges facing Canada, while also considering opportunities to support Indigenous communities and advance northern security objectives.
A key priority of the program was to gather diverse perspectives from communities and stakeholders across the country. Through engagement with the public and private sectors, the School of Public Policy sought to identify gaps in existing infrastructure policy and better understand the potential opportunities and limitations of the proposed corridor concept.
Our Approach
Ballad supported this work by designing and facilitating a comprehensive national engagement process. In total, the team led 36 engagement sessions, including 19 community workshops and 17 stakeholder roundtables with participants from governments at all levels, Indigenous leadership, industry, financial institutions, and social and environmental organizations.
To engage audiences with varying levels of expertise and interest, Ballad used a range of methods, including annotated mapping exercises, group discussions, and online forums. This approach enabled meaningful participation and helped capture a wide range of perspectives on complex infrastructure issues.
At the conclusion of the program, Ballad delivered a detailed report summarizing insights from hundreds of participants over a two-year period. The team also provided recommendations to address key considerations such as economic impacts, social development, Indigenous interests, and financial regulation, helping to inform future engagement and research on major infrastructure initiatives.
What we heard
“I think the design was extremely effective; it was thought-provoking, but facilitators also always pivoted when necessary.”
“ The report is AMAZING. This will be extremely useful even for the preparation of future academic/scientific articles, as we can always go back and look at the detailed methods, tools, their effectiveness, etc.”