Hill+Knowlton Strategies has launched Cities + Infrastructure, a new service the company says will focus on the uncharted territory of infrastructure communications.
With billions of dollars of public and private infrastructure projects underway and planned across the country, there is a need to provide stakeholder risk assessment for largescale projects and a need to build public and political support to ensure they are completed, H+ K says.
There will be major investments in infrastructure in the next decade to make up for decades of neglect, says Jacques Bénard, senior vice-president, engagement strategies, H+K Canada in Montreal, who will lead Cities + Infrastructure. However, public involvement and social acceptance of infrastructure projects has become a must, which has added to their complexity, he says. A multitude of stakeholders has also made it difficult to get projects started.
“As it is becoming harder and harder to get these projects approved, we see an opportunity for us to help as a communications firm.” says Bénard.
The new service will work with clients such as engineering and law firms and public-private partnerships over the life cycle of projects to ensure they’re completed successfully, Bénard says.
Services will include comprehensive risk assessment and management, research, government relations, mediation, as well as online and in-person community engagement and strategic communications.
“These projects are exposed to an extreme amount of risk at every stage of the project lifecycle that often result in higher costs, timing delays and a potential reduction in quality,” says Bénard.
He says having a team that speaks the language of urban infrastructure and can inform and engage stakeholders will decrease the risk of delays and cost overruns and maximize the chances projects can be completed on time and on budget.
“Cities are really in need of infrastructure and urban renewal. You can see it in Montreal at every corner,” says Bénard. “So it’s a really important moment to be able to make sure that these projects are realized.”
H+K’s acquisition of Montreal-based consulting firm Acertys in January strengthened the firm’s public engagement offerings in infrastructure development, says Goldy Hyder, president and CEO, H+K Canada, and gave the firm expertise in fields such as engineering, urban planning and economic development.
“With the creation of our Cities + Infrastructure group, we are able provide a full service, integrated offering for public participation and stakeholder engagement specific to real estate and infrastructure projects, large or small, within both private and public sectors,” Hyder says.
Bénard, an engineer and Acertys co- founder says Cities + Infrastructure will involve practice leaders from H+K’s national team and professionals from its offices in nine cities across Canada.
“It’s really about stakeholder engagement,” says Bénard of the new service. “It’s about getting public, government and other stakeholders involved at an early stage to make sure that we address all the areas of interest that are involved in one specific project.”
The launch of Cities + Infrastructure was accompanied by a survey by H+K Perspectives, H+K’s research community of about 20,000 Canadians, that found infrastructure is the number three issue that Canadians want to be consulted about after healthcare and taxes.
It also found 37% of Canadians believe the condition of roads and highways is poor, 40% say public transit is poor and 45% say social housing is poor. As well, 83% say it’s very important that government infrastructure investment result in better quality of life.
