Blog Post

In an era where environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices are increasingly significant, Canada Nickel Co. stands at the forefront as a visionary company. In addition to a proven resource, they leverage industry-leading expertise and ESG best practices to advance their nickel-cobalt discovery in Timmins, Ontario. Their project aims to boost economic growth, provide employment opportunities, and align with responsible mining practices.

The Canada Nickel team was on the lookout for a simple software solution to enhance community engagement reporting. Their previous methods involved sifting through emails, logging records in excel, and managing inconsistent data. That’s where we came in. We joined forces with Alexandra Armstrong – a rockstar who specializes in Community Relations on the Canada Nickel team.

Alexandra was working with robust spreadsheets, and despite the limitations of excel, did a great job keeping detailed records. Nevertheless, she understood the power of automation and the need for accurate (and efficient) reporting as the project matured. Working together, we configured our platform and uploaded her historical data.

Following Canada Nickel’s implementation  of the NetBenefit Platform in 2022, we had a chance to sit down with Alexandra and chat about the platform, her experience, and their ESG approach.

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The NetBenefit Experience

Alex and her team had one driving factor when selecting a platform – simplicity. She mentioned previous systems were complicated and required extensive training. They really valued a platform that minimized noise and unnecessary fields. Alexandra explained further, “NetBenefit is easy. Its logical, straight-forward, and feels like common-sense. It doesn’t take much time to train other team members, and everyone gets going very quickly”.

Other key factors included flexibility and ease of communication offered by the NetBenefit team. Alexandra noted the openness and adaptability of the software (and our team) which played a significant role in streamlining the tool into their operations. “You guys were quick to respond and ready to address any needs”, she said.

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Benefits and Accomplishments

Overall, the platform has enabled Canada Nickel to keep track and report on key data inputs for various regulatory bodies and permitting requirements. This includes reports at both a provincial and federal level. By consolidating engagement records and key commitments, reporting has become straightforward.

Instead of attempting to combine data from multiple excel files to produce reports, the platform’s PowerBI Reporting Suite enables reporting on demand. In addition, users can adapt reports to align with changing guidelines and requirements. For example, Alexandra mentioned NetBenefit Software's compatibility with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) alongside other key frameworks.

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A Commitment to ESG

Within these reports, Canada Nickel was able to access quantifiable metrics to provide valuable statistics and breakdowns of their efforts. Their team is hoping to use this information as part of their larger ESG Report in the upcoming year.

As a relatively young company, Canada Nickel recognizes the importance of being an ESG-focused organization. "Investors expect us to have relevant up-to-date reports." Alexandra continues, “But it’s not only about the reports. The company's leadership and board members are a testament to this commitment, with expertise spanning technical aspects as well as ESG.” This is noticeable when you look at the wide range of skills and experience that exists within the Canada Nickel leadership team.

Canada Nickel Co's commitment to ESG, supported by the implementation of the NetBenefit platform, exemplifies the company's dedication to social sustainability and community engagement. Canada Nickel has positioned itself favorably to meet the expectations of both stakeholders and rightsholders by effectively streamlining their ESG reporting. To learn more about how Canada Nickel uses NetBenefit Platform, download our case study here.