Economic and Social Impact Analyses – Simpson McGrath & Associates

Representative Engagements

Economic and Social Impact Analyses – Applied and Theoretical

CANADA – Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development

For the Minister in respect of his fiduciary duty under Treaties, representation at Hearings of the National Energy Board respecting the export of hydro electric energy from Manitoba by the Provincial Utility, Manitoba Hydro.
Assessment of the scope and breadth of the fiduciary responsibility respecting the particular application for export of energy, to determine the timing, breadth and scope of possible intervention by the Minister.
Identification and selection of a team of engineering specialists (electrical, hydrology, civil, environmental), economists, social development experts and project managers to assess the Utility’s application, analyze intervention options and ascertain potential infringements on treaty land.
The management and direction of this engagement resulted in active intervention by the Minister through officials.

CANADA – Agency of the Government of Canada

Respecting a significant series of cash disbursements in the nine (9) figure range provided by Canada to a technology transfer organization in a major area of the world.
Conduct of a forensic operational audit and evaluation to ascertain the disposition of said cash resources, their effective and efficient use and application and the viability of management and accountability procedures and processes.
Collection and analysis of data in fourteen (14) countries through confidential interviews with governmental decision makers at sub-ministerial levels, record and file reviews and confidential meetings with interested and affected parties.
This analysis resulted in the reorganization of the disbursement, reporting and accountability procedures, and eventually, the entire withdrawal of Canada from the project.

CANADA – Grant Design – Forestry Biomass

Design and production of guidelines for applications to a granting program respecting resource recovery through heat and other uses of forestry biomass.
This included formulation of evaluation guidelines, development of case studies for use by applicants, generic instructions on the use of discounted cash flow analysis and articulation of broader social and economic evaluation criteria using Treasury Board guidelines.

CANADIAN PRAIRIE MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT – Financial and Economic Impact Analysis – For a Federal and Provincial Transportation Policy Committee

Technical review and assessment of economic impact methodologies used by regulatory agencies and Canadian railways to measure the economic and financial impact of rail line abandonment on provincial treasuries, with particular reference to road and bridge construction.
This analysis produced specific, technical recommendations on impact methodologies to be used in future analyses.

CONFIDENTIAL – Northern First Nations

Assessment of the financial, social, economic and industrial impact on two (2) Northern First Nations arising from severely changed water levels over a period of fifty-six (56) years, expressed in financial terms wherein.
The pre-1926 economy was reconstructed from historical archival data from the churches, the Hudson Bay Company, banks, the narratives of elders, and all other public records still available.
The current 1986 economy was defined in similar terms, for comparison and analytical purposes.
Four (4) methodologies were developed to assess annual and cumulative losses over the 56 year period including a ‘business interruption case’, capital cost to bring the economies to a contemporary level, actual financial losses as a consequence of decreased production over the fixed fifty-six (56) year period (all expressed in current dollars) and design of financial, social, economic and governmental institutions reflecting the will of the Tribal Members (based on sensitive meetings and interviews and order of magnitude costing +/-25%).
All information remains confidential and may be made available through expert witness testimony if and when required.
This assessment represents an advance in assessment methodologies in terms of precision and cultural sensitivity.

CONFIDENTIAL – Anishinaabe First Nation (Ontario) – ‘Duty to Consult’

An internal consensus-building discussion addressing the Supreme Court decision requiring the ‘duty to consult’ and to accommodate, as applied to the mining and energy sectors in Ontario, and the role of the First Nation.
The practical application of the ‘duty to consult’ constituted the agenda, including examination of the impact on the community as a whole, and on constituent groups of the community including the elders and governance mechanisms.

ECONOMIC BENEFIT CAPTURE DESIGN – The Wataynikaneyap Transmission Project

For Indigenous owners of the transmission line, and related parties, confidential processes and procedures designed to capture economic benefits from construction and ongoing operations, in all respects, over the next 25 years.

ECONOMIC BENEFIT CAPTURE DESIGN – The East-West Tie Transmission Project

For affected First Nations, and related parties as identified, confidential processes, procedures, methodologies and communications systems to optimize economic benefits to the communities across who’s Traditional and Treaty Lands the transmission line runs.

ECONOMIC COSTS AND BENEFITS ANALYSIS – Large Capital Projects for Twenty Northern Manitoba Communities

A sensitive economic and social impact analysis to ascertain the effect of large-scale flooding in twenty (20) Northern Manitoba communities wherein.
A partially validated working hypothesis (which held that the original Northern Flood Agreement was designed and written to be inclusive of all communities affected by flooding arising from Manitoba Hydro developments throughout the entire Northern region) was examined.
Data was collected from collective and consultative meetings with elders, and from extensive review of historical community, political and business records.
This analysis was presented in the form of recommendations on mitigation to be presented in turn to the Provincial Government.

ECONOMIC STUDY OF GLASS RECYCLING – Western Canadian Entrepreneurial Firm

A detailed feasibility study addressing the use of waste glass:
The study included literature searches, collection and assessment of process plant designs, analysis of end uses for glass processed and crushed in a variety of ways and development of pro forma income statements; and,
Financial outcomes factored in positive environmental impacts.

HAZARDOUS INDUSTRIAL WASTE MANAGEMENT – For a private sector client

Through participation in a team of engineers (chemical, process, mechanical, structural), scientists and economists.
Leadership of the economic, financial, political and social analysis of a proposed state-of-the-art world scale plant to be located in Alberta for management of hazardous industrial waste generated throughout Canada.
Definition of public communication and educational imperatives.
Visitation to successful plants in Western Europe to determine how pricing strategy reflects environmental risk.
Development of order-of-magnitude income statements.
Expression of all outcomes in generic and technical terms.

MANITOBA – Cabinet Committees

An assessment of the economic impact of provincial divestment in Flyer Industries, in terms of impact on the federal and provincial treasuries, employment and social dislocation wherein.
The Statistics Canada Input / Output (IO) model was utilized, treating the divestiture as if it were a new investment in a manufacturing plant; direct, indirect and imputed impacts were calculated by inputting the bill of materials to the IO model, and, analyzing results.
Outputs were further analyzed to determine treasury impact in Manitoba and Canada, and unexpectedly, in Ontario and Quebec (reflecting the sourcing of manufacturing materials from those two provincial economies).
On social dislocation, all employees were provided with re-employment assistance designed to ensure that each could be re-employed again elsewhere in Manitoba, except for those who retired or attended post-secondary educational and training institutes.
This was an exceedingly complex analysis, heavily based on quantitative data and with far-reaching public policy ramifications.

RETENTION OF ECONOMIC SURPLUS – Mining, For the Saskatchewan Key Lake Board of Inquiry

The undertaking of an impact analysis to determine long-term social and economic consequences of the Key Lake Uranium Mine in Northern Saskatchewan, and to design attenuation measures for the retention of economic surplus, over the long-term in the Northern part of the province.
The intent of provincial policy was to enhance orderly development of the regional economy wherein cost lines from the mining development capital program could become revenue lines in regional supplier companies and organizations, and where profits could remain within the region.

TRADE – Economics of Export – Small and Medium Sized Enterprises, For the Canada Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT)

An assessment of the costs and benefits of the Program for Export Market Development (PEMD) respecting federal government contributions to Canadian Industry Trade Associations (Associations) and selected private companies.
Addressing direct, indirect and imputed job creation, and cost per job created, actual numbers of jobs created at a per job cost were calculated.
The method entailed the administration of highly structured interview protocols administered informally on a face-to-face basis with twenty (20) Associations and thirty-two (32) private companies, and in excess of three hundred (300) telephone interviews, all to collect original empirical data; and, assessment and analysis of said data.
Documentation of PEMD impact on export revenue, direct taxation to the federal treasury and levels and nature of PEMD assistants to twenty-five (25) Associations and more than seven hundred (700) private companies, from a user base of two hundred (200) eligible associations and about fifteen thousand (15,000) companies registered on the WIN database.
This assessment was completed with a series of policy recommendations.

Winnipeg Jets Hockey Club

An assessment of the economic impact of the Winnipeg Jets Hockey Club on the Winnipeg and Provincial economies, in terms of revenue to the treasuries, employment and investment.