Marc-Olivier Fortin
Partnership Development Director
In early March, I attended the annual convention of the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) in Toronto. For the past several years, I have been returning with the same goal in mind: tune in to what is being said beyond the conference programme whether in corridors, between the sessions, or at receptions. That’s often where I get a real feel for the pulse of the industry.
The context is widely understood; energy transition, critical minerals, and geopolitical realignments. What is less clear is how these pressures are reshaping expectations toward project proponents — and what they reveal about the limits of still-dominant approaches.
With CIM CONNECT just a few weeks away, here are my five key takeaways from PDAC 2026.
1. Structured Dialogue with Communities Is Non-negotiable
Several discussions highlighted a reality the industry has long recognized but still struggles to translate into consistent practices: engagement with communities can no longer be treated as one-offs in context of project development.
The most credible strategies are grounded in structured, ongoing, and transparent channels of dialogue. Communities want to understand projects but also want to see their concerns reflected in the decisions.
Active listening and empathy are no longer merely interpersonal skills; they become strategic elements of project management.
This shift in focus, from a public relations approach to a project-based strategy, is one of the most important signals currently emerging in the industry.
2. Socioeconomic Considerations Must Be Integrated from the Outset
Conversations at PDAC also highlighted the importance of incorporating social and regional considerations from the earliest stages of project planning.
This means giving equal consideration to socioeconomic impacts, community expectations, and regional dynamics as to technical and financial factors. However, in practical terms, they often enter late in the process, once key decisions have already been made and there is little room to adapt.
This is not a question of intent; it is a matter of organizational culture and project structure.
3. Trust Depends on Credible Institutions and Robust Governance
The gap between political ambitions surrounding sustainable development and the perceptions of communities was also a challenge that emerged.
Findings from the Social Acceptability Barometer of the Canadian mining sector, presented during the panel discussion in which I participated, confirm that trust in Canada rests on three main factors: communities’ ability to influence decisions, the credibility of regulatory frameworks, and the perceived fairness of processes.
In other words, social acceptability does not depend solely on companies. It also relies on the strength of institutions and the consistency of public policy.
The results are eye-opening. Overall industry’s acceptability remains moderate, and procedural equity, i.e. the perception that processes are fair, ranks among the lowest-scoring dimension with only one in three respondents believing they can actually influence decisions.
The discussions also highlighted that regulatory credibility depends not only on the quality of the rules, but also on their visibility. When inspection, monitoring, and corrective mechanisms are not visible to citizens, even strong regulatory frameworks struggle to build trust.
As I often like to say: you can speed up processes, but you can’t accelerate trust.
4. Influence: The True Driver of Trust
Top-down communication, the kind that informs without engaging in dialogue, has become not only inadequate but counterproductive.
Most engagement processes are designed to collect information: people are heard, input is recorded, and participants are thanked. What these processes fail to do is show participants how their input actually influenced decisions and made a difference. Yet, this causal is precisely what builds trust.
When communities can see that their voices are heard and that their feedback shaped outcomes, trust is established. This trust in the process is what enables sustainable social acceptability and not the other way around.
In a context where perceptions travel fast and skepticism spreads even faster, making influence visible and traceable has become one of the most strategic actions a developer can take.
5. Geopolitical Dynamics Are Redefining Expectations Toward Territories
PDAC 2026 also confirmed the prevalence of geopolitical dynamics in the development of natural resources.
The demand for critical minerals, essential to the energy transition and new technologies, is pushing several countries to secure their supply chains. In this context, resource-rich jurisdictions like Canada are expected to play a strategic role.
But this acceleration carries a risk: geopolitical and economic pressure can lead governments and developers to attempt to bypass or shorten the social acceptability processes. It is at this point that the most promising projects can become the most vulnerable.
The Next Frontier Isn’t Geological; It’s Relational
My main takeaway from this year’s PDAC is quite simple: projects that will succeed are not necessarily those with the best resources or the strongest financing, but those led by teams who recognize that relationships must come before approvals.
For over 30 years, Transfert has been supporting developers, communities, and governments in turning complex challenges into organizational capacity, not as a compliance exercise but as a lever of sustainable strategic advantage.
For organizations involved in mining and project development, the real question is not whether your project will obtain approval but whether you will have earned the legitimacy to operate.
Download the Social Acceptability Barometer of the Canadian mining sector to learn more about the drivers shaping trust in the industry.
Marc-Olivier Fortin
Partnership Development Director
Marc-Olivier Fortin was both a Senior Advisor and Project Director at Transfert Environnement et Société before becoming Partnership Development Director. He has over 10 years of experience as a leader in community relations, government relations, and business development. He has worked in both private and public organizations, gathering a wide range of experience.