This June, Pomerleau launched Perspective, their new Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) performance platform. Perspective focuses on the company’s ESG goals for the future and measures the overall success of their initiatives.
The launch of Perspective is more than symbolic. It is a call to action. It draws upon guidelines that will help the company consider projects from all angles, putting the environment and social impacts at the forefront of all decisions.
Perspective seeks to accelerate the shift in the construction industry towards more sustainable business practices. It focuses on Indigenous and diversity-related priorities to inform the company’s social responsibilities.
The platform holds the company and stakeholders accountable for ESG challenges and opportunities. The launch also introduced the company’s first ever ESG Report, which includes six priorities by which they can measure and communicate their actions.
Making Indigenous Peoples Their Business Partners
One of the six strategic priorities is dedicated to Indigenous relations, which is intrinsic to Pomerleau’s ESG commitments. The partnerships built between Pomerleau, and Indigenous Peoples are essential to the success of their projects and the wellbeing of communities affected by construction.
Did you know? Indigenous Peoples make up 5% of the total Canadian population, but consistently receive a lower percentage of federal supply contracts. This disappointing statistic proves that there needs to be a conscious actionable effort made to include Indigenous Peoples in all aspects of construction.
“Indigenous peoples have been on the margins of Canada’s economic and social development for too long. I am guided by a deep desire to include Indigenous workers and businesses in our operations, and to help create shared and long-term prosperity,” said Genevieve Roy, Pomerleau’s Senior Director of Environment and Sustainability.
Pomerleau recognizes that all civil society organizations and businesses have a shared responsibility to help improve the living conditions of Canada’s Indigenous Peoples. This is why they adopted an Indigenous relations strategy that revolves around the key goal of adopting an engagement policy and a concrete action plan that maximizes Indigenous participation on projects. The strategy requires that the company be more intentional, respectful and responsive in all their business relationships with Indigenous peoples.
This commitment is not new. For more than a decade, Pomerleau has carried out approximately 25 construction projects located within Indigenous communities or in collaboration with them. It is one step in the larger process of working towards their ESG goals.
Pomerleau has also chosen to align with some of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals specifically numbers 10 and 17, to further commit to the initiatives and goals outlined in their report.
For the tenth goal, which asks for the reduction of inequality within countries, Pomerleau is continuing to build partnerships with Indigenous, Inuit and Metis peoples. Goal 17, which reflects the need to strengthen and revitalize sustainable development tools, is also on Pomerleau’s radar. All partnerships made by the company are created to advance their vision of a sustainable future in construction, which includes Indigenous Peoples.
To inspire the future, Pomerleau built on their history of good relationships with various Indigenous communities. In 2021, alone, they collaborated with different Indigenous communities through 19 initiatives in which more than 170 of their employees, as well as their workers, were able to take part.
Fox, a program created by Pomerleau for the purpose of improving operations through innovation, mandated a team that specializes in the management of projects carried out in collaboration with Indigenous communities. The team pragmatically guides Pomerleau’s processes. Fox’s work has led to a series of recommendations whose short-term actions have quickly set a precedent within the company.
In accordance with the ESG Report, Pomerleau has established two Indigenous relations goals they would like to reach within the next two years. The initiatives outlined by these goals will further incorporate Indigenous knowledge, culture, and expertise into every facet of Pomerleau’s workplace.
By 2022, Pomerleau wishes to hire an Indigenous Relations Advisor to implement a strategy that allows for the full participation of Indigenous peoples in Pomerleau’s operations.
By 2023 Pomerleau wants all their teams to attend a workshop to educate them on the cultural realities and history of Indigenous Peoples. A formal engagement policy will also be developed to institutionalize Indigenous relations within the company.
Perspective is just the beginning of a long string of important practices and commitments to come for Pomerleau. With clear goals in mind, and the urge to enact active change for the better of the construction industry, Pomerleau is ready to bring new voices to the table and create well-represented teams.
Discover Perspective and Pomerleau’s concrete ESG actions by clicking here.
