2. 2
Summary
The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) is an independent federal
regulator that is responsible for overseeing the Canadian nuclear industry. The
Commission is an independent administrative tribunal set up at arm's length from
government, with no ties to the nuclear industry. Their goal is to make Canada’s nuclear
industry safe, with their reputation hinging on their ability to make independent, fair and
transparent decisions on licensing nuclear related activities.
There are currently 19 nuclear reactors in Canada, 18 of them in Ontario. Power
generated from nuclear reactors in Ontario account for 60% of the province’s energy.
CNSC regularly inspects and licenses these 19 facilities to ensure they are safe for use.
Aside from coal, nuclear power is still the least supported form of generation in
Canada with only 37% support. A public opinion poll done by Innovative Research
Group found that a majority of Canadian’s thought the word “dangerous” described
nuclear power generation “very well” and “extremely well.” The Fukushima nuclear
disaster in 2011 impacted Canadian’s opinions on the safety of nuclear power. Following
the incident, 49% of Canadians reported that their confidence in the safety of nuclear
power generation worsened. These opinions may stem from lack of education on nuclear
power. In the research study sited earlier, 1-in-5 Canadians claimed to be very familiar
with radiation and believed they could explain it in detail to others. However, only 8%
could correctly answer both questions in the true-or-false test administered by the
researchers.
CNSC was recently in the news over a scandal where an anonymous letter was
sent to CNSC president Michael Binder in June 2016. The letter’s main concern was that
the nuclear watchdog’s commissioners “do not receive sufficient information to make
balanced judgments.” The letter writers asked the CNSC to assign an independent expert
to review the accuracy of their claims and make the results public. Upon receiving this
letter, Michael Binder questioned the origins of the letter, and was reported to have not
taken it seriously, or followed any of the steps recommended in the letter. The backlash
was negative from environmental groups and journalists, who accused CNSC of not
being transparent, or open to hearing outside opinions about their work. Searching CNSC
on Twitter, this scandal is at the heart of all discussion about the Commission.
It is CNSC’s responsibility to communicate to Canadians what they are doing to
ensure the safety of Canadians. If they are able to communicate their function, and
successes in keeping the industry safe, this may change public opinion on nuclear power,
therefore impacting the future of nuclear power in Canada.
CNSC has two major communications challenges. Their communications
materials are being written as high-level documents, making it difficult for the average
Canadian to understand their messages, and CSNC’s reputation took a hit as a result of
their recent scandal.
3. 3
The primary goal of my communications strategy is to educate Canadians on
nuclear energy and the role of the CNSC, to decrease fears surrounding the safety of the
nuclear power generation. The secondary goal is to improve CNSC’s reputation, in order
for them to be recognized as being open and transparent.
Three PR Elements
Update CNSC’s social media strategy by disseminating more easily comprehendible
content, and incorporating more opportunities for two-way communication.
CNSC is active on Facebook and Twitter. Their Facebook page has 2,841 likes.
They make daily posts, usually written in scientific terms, or containing heavy jargon.
CNSC will sometimes post videos or visuals without a description. CNSC’s Facebook
page includes a “Get Involved” section. That section lists a number of ways to get
involved, but is full of external links without text. There is also a section of their
Facebook page dedicated to educational resources. The educational resources section
consists of external links to pages that teach people the basics about nuclear power
generation. This section of their page is at the very bottom, hidden from those who are
not looking for it.
CNSC has 742 followers on Twitter. They make daily posts, but each post usually
receives little to no interaction in terms of favourites, retweets or replies. There is less
jargon on their Twitter page, but many references to people in the industry who may be
unknown to audiences who are not informed about the nuclear industry in Canada.
It is important that CNSC continues to disseminate high-level content, because their
current audience relies on that information to stay informed about the complexities of
their work. I would recommend coupling that information with an equal amount of posts
written in plain language, with visuals that help those who may be less informed.
At least 50% of the posts on their social media must meet the requirements:
No scientific jargon
No name dropping without an explanation of who that person is
No referencing a committee or association without explaining its function or
significance
Information communicated on social media should be put into real world contexts.
Those writing for social media should keep in mind not only what the information is, but
also how it affects Canadians. By putting information into relatable contexts, and writing
in more plain language it will encourage followers to interact. Users can put the
information into the context of their own lives, and will not be too intimidated to respond
out of fear of using the wrong language.
I would encourage CNSC’s communications team to integrate information about
getting involved and their educational resources into their daily posts. Both those sections
4. 4
were full of external links, if each link had posts on the main page dedicated them, they
would be more likely to get clicked on.
I would communicate this strategic information about the direction of CNSC’s social
media in a meeting with their communications staff.
I would design eye-catching info graphics that display information in a way that is
easy to digest. The info graphics would include new statistics as well as short true and
false facts about nuclear energy. Those info graphics would be able to be posted on both
social media sites, and would be a guide for how to display future information in a way
that will catch people’s attention.
I would use video scribing, also known as Whiteboard animation, to create a video
that explains what CNSC is and how it functions. Video scribing has been used by many
organizations to take large topics and explain them easily by coupling speaking with
drawings on a Whiteboard. I would pin this video to the top of CNSC’s Facebook page.
Those visiting the page for the first time will see this video first, in order to get a good
understanding of what CNSC is, before reading the rest of their posts.
Restructure CNSC’s website to make it more user-friendly
CNSC’s website is part of the Government of Canada website. It includes a
toolbar with seven different areas of the website to explore.
I would conduct user testing on the website. Tests would be conducted to find
basic information on the website including general information about CNSC, and how
they can get involved in their community. Based on feedback obtained through these user
tests, I would move forward by working with the web designer for Government of
Canada websites to make CNSC’s website more user friendly. The Heath Canada website
would be used as a guide, as it is a government website that is user-friendly.
Additional recommendations would include:
Make basic information about CNSC more prominent
Include text on their “What’s new” page, instead of just external links to meeting
minuets.
Make the “Get Involved” page more prominent. Include more information on the
page. The current page only includes a form to sign up to attend the next general
meeting.
CNSC holds information sessions called CNSC 101 in a variety of different cities
in Canada. I would recommend making these information sessions easier to locate
on their website. I would also recommend the option of having an online version
of these information sessions, for those who are unable to attend the one in their
area, or live in rural areas.
5. 5
Strengthen partnerships with environmental and scientific groups that work in Canada.
Following the scandal in June, comments about CNSC stemming from unions,
scientific groups and environmental organizations have been negative. A representative
of Greenpeace that has worked for CNSC for 15 years stated, “They didn't want to see
any outside opposing views. They didn't want to ask why it happened in the first place
and it also shows that the Harper government is still alive and well at the Canadian
Nuclear Safety Commission. Outside views aren't welcome. Dissenting views aren't
welcome. And that's a legacy of Harper that the Trudeau government needs to clean up.”
This quote sums up the general response to CNSC following president Binder’s lack of
interest in investigating or legitimizing claims made in the anonymous letter.
Reputation is built on how others see you, and how others speak of you. In order
to mend CNSC’s relationship, they must regain the support of those who denounced them
after this scandal.
I would recommend hosting a summit, where stakeholders in the nuclear industry
including environmental groups, unions, and scientific organizations are invited to sit
down with executives at CNSC and engage in open discussion about the future of the
Commission and nuclear power generation in Canada.
This summit would demonstrate CNSC’s willingness to hear opposing opinions,
and would give Michael Binder the opportunity to speak to what he will do differently in
the future, if another situation like the scandal arose.
I would work to get media coverage of this event, to make the general public
aware of CNSC’s efforts to work with others. Those who are in support of the
organizations we invite to the summit will be more likely to support CNSC if they feel as
though we value that organization’s viewpoint.
In the press releases publicizing the summit, it is important that Michael Binder is
placed at the forefront. He was at the centre of the scandal, and he continues to head the
Commission. Press releases will include quotes by him explaining how he thinks this
summit will help to better the commission and create a president of how issues should be
discussed in the future.
The Minister of Energy would be important to get to attend. He would represent
the Trudeau government, which would help those who believe that Harper has tainted
CNSC feel more reassured that the summit is setting the stage for future interactions with
the CNSC.
6. 6
Budget
Task Time Cost Additional Cost Total
Meeting with
communications staff to
outline new social media
guidelines
1 hour meeting
preparation.
1 hour meeting
$200.00 $200.00
Design and create info
graphics for social media
pages
3 hours $300.00 $300.00
Producing video-scribing
informational video
4 hours $400.00 Hiring an artist and a
videographer at $20.00 each
per hour for 2 hours
$480.00
Conducting user testing for
website
2 hours $200.00 Paying testers to participate
$15.00 per hour (20 testers
working 1 hour each)
$500.00
Synthesizing user testing
data, making
recommendations
1 hour $100.00 $100.00
Working with website
designer to make website
changes
2 hours $200.00 $200.00
Event logistics 1 hour $100.00 Venue with equipment $500.00 $600.00
Event media relations 2 hours pre-event
1 hour post-event
$300.00 $300.00
Event invites – ensuring
the attendance of key
stakeholders
2 hours $200.00 $200.00
$2880.00
Conclusion
Updating CNSC’s social media strategy and website will increase education about
the commission and nuclear power. Users will have the ability to interact, relate and use
these resources easily, setting up an environment that facilitates learning. Using clearer
language on social media will help the general public feel as though they are not hiding
information amongst all the posts encrypted with complex terms and names. Striking a
balance between disseminating simple and complex information will help represent
CNSC as being more transparent to both informed and uninformed audiences. The
summit will improve CNSC’s reputation, and the publicity from the event will direct
people to visit their new and improved websites and social media pages. By
implementing my plans CNSC will educate Canadians on nuclear energy and the
commission, decreasing fears surrounding the safety of the nuclear power generation, and
improve CNSC’s reputation for being open and transparent.
