Goodbye 2020, Hello 2021

2020 is coming to a close and what a year it was. At PR Associates we’ve seen epic growth in the last half of the year. We were especially pleased this month when mining giant Agnico Eagle chose us to provide science communication support and training to support community and public engagement at their Meadowbrook and Meliadine Mines. Shortly after Agnico Eagle came into the fold, we heard from the Office of the Chief Scientist of Alberta who had chosen us to provide science communication training to help environmental scientists communicate science to Indigenous communities.  

Events and accolades

When our client New Gold Inc. became the first company in Canada to try out a new test that can diagnose Covid-19 cases in as little as an hour, we were pleased the CBC National News covered their story on the evening news. New Gold received the Precision Biomonitoring test kits at Rainy River last month. The kits are essentially miniature labs, with tubes containing reagents, or biomedical ingredients, and a machine analyzer weighing about 1.4 kilograms, small enough to hold with one hand.  

Of special note this month, was work we did with LifeSciences BC to promote the 2020 Investor Summit. The Summit, presented by Lumira Ventures was held on November 2nd and 3rd, brought together stakeholders in the healthcare innovation ecosystem for two exciting days of company pitches. Entrepreneurs told their stories and got feedback and engagement from a wide range of investor stakeholders including angel investors, venture capitalists, and representatives from corporate ventures teams and funding foundations.  

Some amazing stats from the event:

• Media coverage in Global News, Financial Post and Business in Vancouver, among others;
•  Total potential media reach: Global News TV (14 million+), Online (14 million) & Radio (800,000);
•  349 attendees (66% increase from last year);
•  83 investors from around the world (176% increase from last year);
•  17 event sponsors.

In our Indigenous practice, a 51 percent Indigenous-owned subsidiary of PR Associates, we are pleased to welcome both the Lytton First Nation and the Tahltan Central Government who have engaged us to better communicate with community members and the organizations working in their traditional territories.  

Introducing our newest science communication workshop

Speaking the Same Language ™ – Communicating Science to Indigenous Communities 

We developed this popular workshop after research showed a widening communication and trust gap between engineers, technical experts, scientists and Indigenous peoples. However, the same research showed that scientists can close the trust gap and find common ground through a better understanding of Indigenous Peoples’ cultures, values, social and political structures and how Indigenous and western science worldviews impact communication. The participants in this workshop learn communication skills necessary for building relationships and trust and, through a combination of cases studies and hands-on skill development, learn how to effectively communicate modern western science while respecting traditional values and culture. This workshop was developed to help scientists overcome barriers to communication and build credibility for better engagement and evidence-based decision making. Participants learn what constitutes effective communication, the barriers to effective communication, how to overcome communication barriers by using and audience-centres approach to communication, and how to build trust and acceptance by communicating science to be understood.