AtkinsRéalis Launches ReconciliACTION Plan, Deepening Long Term Commitment to Indigenous Relations

MONTREAL, Oct. 23, 2023 /CNW/ - AtkinsRéalis [SNC-Lavalin Group Inc.] (TSX: ATRL), a fully integrated professional services and project management company with offices around the world, is proud to unveil its inaugural ReconciliACTION Plan (RAP) in Canada, which details the actions the Company will undertake between now and 2030, across procurement, recruitment, employee education and experience, bidding, project delivery, partnerships and philanthropy, and more.

"Operating responsibly as an organization is at the heart of living up to our purpose: to engineer a better future for our planet and its people," said Ian L. Edwards, President and Chief Executive Officer, AtkinsRéalis. "One of the ways we demonstrate this commitment is by continuing to evolve and strengthen our Indigenous Relations strategy in Canada, from my signing of AtkinsRéalis' Commitment to Indigenous Peoples in 2020, to the launch of our RAP in 2023. This Plan will continue to inform the important work being undertaken to support Indigenous communities nationwide for years to come."

The RAP will guide AtkinsRéalis' Indigenous Relations strategy in Canada going forward. A key part of the plan involves increasing the collaboration between AtkinsRéalis' Engineering Services in Canada and Indigenous groups through limited partnerships and joint venture arrangements on projects, as well as maintaining involvement of Indigenous companies in AtkinsRéalis' supply chain on projects across the country.

Federally funded projects in Canada now require a minimum target on Indigenous inclusion, spend, employment, or a combination thereof. Implementation of the plan will help align AtkinsRéalis to the Indigenous inclusion requirements of Canadian clients and make AtkinsRéalis' services available to Indigenous communities looking to close the gap their communities experience in multi-billion-dollar markets such as infrastructure and clean energy where comprehensive Indigenous engagement requirements exist for successful bidders.

"This plan will help us embed meaningful Indigenous engagement into the work we do and the way we do it," said Stéphanie Vaillancourt, President, Canada, AtkinsRéalis. "Our ReconciliACTION plan will now formalize the structure of direction, governance, and funding that we have brought to such projects as our Indigenous E3 partnership and the co-operation agreement with Shwe Miikaan. It will enable us to systemically embed the principles of Reconciliation into our relationships with communities in Canada."

In line with the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Final Report in 2015, many Canadian businesses have been creating and publishing specific strategies in response to the report's Call to Action 92, which calls upon corporate Canada to engage in Reconciliation and contribute to understanding and respecting Indigenous rights and promoting economic advancement for Indigenous people and communities.

Key Aspects of AtkinsRéalis' ReconciliACTION Plan
AtkinsRéalis' ReconciliACTION plan contains 3 core pillars: include, support, and empower. Having begun work under the plan in July, roughly 80% of the actions identified in the Company's RAP are already underway or completed. A selection of key actions under each pillar include the following:

Pillar 1: Include

• Plans to hire an additional Indigenous workforce of 210 people in the next 7 years
• Ensure all HR partners in Canada have training in Indigenous cultural awareness
• Engage and partner with Indigenous communities, organizations, and businesses to support and collaborate on mutually beneficial initiatives
• Increase the scope of job posting through Indigenous talent partners and recruiters
• Support Leaves of Absence for Traditional Land Use, Spiritual, or cultural practices

Pillar 2: Support

• Increase Indigenous Relations practice professionals to enhance our ability to collaborate with Indigenous groups
• Establish, align, and track internal KPIs to measure the year over year success or areas of improvement for the plan
• Publish an annual report summarizing the successes, lessons learned, and continual improvements made
• Partner with Indigenous communities, organizations, and businesses that provide education, training, and opportunities for Indigenous youth, in STEM

Pillar 3: Empower

• Provide training, capacity building, and development guidance to potential Indigenous business partners
• Increase the number of Indigenous suppliers qualified with AtkinsRéalis
• Establish Indigenous spend targets for projects and year to year services
• Identify opportunities to collaborate with clients and local Indigenous communities through investment or joint venture opportunities

For more information on AtkinsRéalis' Broader Approach to Indigenous Relations, visit our website here.

About AtkinsRéalis

Created by the integration of long-standing organizations dating back to 1911, AtkinsRéalis is a world-leading professional services and project management company dedicated to engineering a better future for our planet and its people. We create sustainable solutions that connect people, data and technology to transform the world's infrastructure and energy systems. We deploy global capabilities locally to our clients and deliver unique end-to-end services across the whole life cycle of an asset including consulting, advisory & environmental services, intelligent networks & cybersecurity, design & engineering, procurement, project & construction management, operations & maintenance, decommissioning and capital. The breadth and depth of our capabilities are delivered to clients in key strategic sectors such as Engineering Services, Nuclear, Operations & Maintenance and Capital. News and information are available at www.atkinsrealis.com or follow us on LinkedIn. 

SOURCE AtkinsRéalis

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