Enabling Long-Term Planning in the Montérégie Region of Quebec

Author Elena M. Bennett, McGill School of the Environment, Montreal

Narrative Title Future Search: Enabling Long-Term Planning in the Montérégie Region of Quebec

Summary Elena worked with a nature conservation group to plan and support future decision-making for the Montérégie Connection, an agricultural area near Montreal that is undergoing a shift toward development. Early on, she identified the values that she wanted to express through her partnership with this agricultural community: being a credible, reliable, trustworthy scientist who stays with a project and understands its political, social, economic, and environmental context. An important aspect of this work was the use of scenario planning, a decision-making tool, to enable the community to plan for long-term sustainability.

Narrative and Teaching Note