Submitted by Kim Jusek, Manager of the Municipal Consortium (former)
This fall, the Canadian Water Municipal Consortium continued to support utility leaders in working toward sustainable, equitable and resilient cities. During this quarter we have focused on strategies to communicate with key stakeholders and the public to enhance understanding of complex urban water systems. Effective communication can help secure necessary investments, build customer trust and potentially change behaviour (e.g., water conservation).
CWN staff invited cross-sector experts to share their insights and leveraged expertise within the peer network, including lessons learned and promising practices. Several topics were discussed through this communications lens, including contaminants of emerging concern, aging infrastructure, investment, cybersecurity and working across the public-private divide.
Utilities are recognizing the benefits of increased visibility
Municipal/utility leaders from the Consortium gathered in Montreal on October 24-25. Focused discussion centred on engaging communities in challenging conversations when preparing for climate change, articulating a business case for system re-investment, asset management and innovation. These conversations highlighted the different ways utility leaders can communicate (both internally and externally) to build trust and transparency with elected officials and the public. Attendees discussed strategies to address under-investment in municipal water infrastructure, increase understanding of risk tolerance, as well as the reality and implications of escalating construction costs.
A fundamental challenge articulated during the meeting was securing investment for proactive risk management activities such as infrastructure renewal and resiliency. Core to this challenge is the absence of public awareness of the risks and consequences of inadequate or failed infrastructure, until they have a firsthand experience. Even then, collective memory tends to be short. The group discussed the many benefits of proactive communication. Strategies could include building relationships with local media; using storytelling with relatable examples and graphics; and using recent Canadian examples of system failures to articulate actions needed in your own community. Ongoing proactive communication increases the visibility of water systems, providing an opportunity to actively shape the utility’s reputation. It can also help to better align stakeholder expectations and increase understanding about potential risks, particularly if left unmitigated.
Brains process information differently when threatened
CWN hosted a public webinar this fall in partnership with the Global Water Resources Coalition on risk communication strategies focused on PFAS. To build on insights gathered from this year’s CEC Strategic Sharing Group meeting, we invited risk communications expert Dr. Vincent Covello from the Center for Risk Communication in New York to share his expertise. He emphasized the importance of clarity and empathy, especially in high-stress scenarios where people are concerned about their health. He highlighted three key principles for communication:
- Rule of Three: In an emergency or crisis, most people can only process three messages at a time. Each of these three messages should be accompanied by three supporting facts, which may need to be repeated three times. People who are stressed typically focus on negative information; it can take at least three positive messages to offset one negative message.
- Demonstrate that you care: Risk communicators and the organizations they represent must first demonstrate that they care about the people they are communicating with. This can be accomplished through active listening, repeating people’s questions, clarifying their concerns and demonstrating empathy.
- Non-verbal communication is important: When people are stressed, they often make worst-case assumptions based on signals like body language. People will also make worst-case assumptions when they hear common words like “but.”
Dr. Covello provided examples of how these principles can be applied in the context of PFAS, featuring a case study and sample key messages. Visit our website to view a recording of the webinar.
Cybersecurity and water utilities
Cybersecurity remains a critical concern for all utilities and CWN is actively facilitating conversations on this topic with members. During the Fall CLG meeting, participants explored communication strategies for handling a cyberattack that result in an extended emergency. Maintaining ongoing communication with the public and ensuring consistent messaging with internal staff are both essential for preserving transparency and confidence in the utility.
In December, we held our fourth and final meeting for the Harnessing the Power of Data strategic sharing group. Participants discussed the factors that can lead to a cyberattack, potential impacts on a utility and the mitigation measures that are important to have in place in anticipation of future events. Once this group closes, a summary of insights will be shared broadly on CWN’s webpage.