Our Featured Celebration

May 21st is a day for recognizing Waitstaff, the folks who make your evening out or breakfast meeting a treat or a tragedy. Apart from overtipping for coffee to honour your favourite server, you might try seeing the world through their eyes via several of the websites that have sprung up to spill the beans on how celebrities treat THEIR waitstaff when the world’s not watching, such as The Stained Apron and Bitter Waitress. Keanu Reaves? “Had a little trouble figuring out the menu, but tipped 20%.” Bill Murray: “Showed me that rolling a lemon breaks up the pulp, so the wedges release more juice. Left me a 120% tip on a sixty dollar check.” Avoid Helena Bonham Carter: “Two bucks on a $75 dollar lunch! Can’t BELIEVE IT! Next time, she better get someone else to taste the soup.”

UPCOMING EVENTS

Here’s a new feature for Our Times: right up front in every newsletter, we’ll highlight the upcoming events we’re helping our friends and clients to organize or promote.

Registration is open for the following events:

Claiming Our Future: Implementing Land Claims Agreements for Social and Economic Prosperity, May 12-15, 2009 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Ottawa

Join us for the most important land claims event in 2009! With an impressive list of over 40 Aboriginal, political and business speakers including Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) Minister, the Honourable Chuck Strahl, and controversial entrepreneur and author Calvin Helin, Claiming Our Future is expected to draw 450 participants from across Canada and beyond. Check out the Claiming Our Future conference website for more details and to reserve your conference pass. This event is coordinated by Stonecircle on behalf of the Land Claims Agreement Coalition.

2030 NORTH: A National Planning Conference, June 1-4, 2009 at the Ottawa Marriott Hotel

Join high profile northerners, academics and bureaucrats to discuss themes of climate change, pace of change, land claims agreements, science policy and a new strategy for Canada’s north. Co-chaired by Mary Simon and Tony Penikett, 2030 NORTH features keynote speaker Sheila Watt-Cloutier; session chairs Dr. Rob Huebert, Dr. Oran Young, John Donihee, Dr. David Hik and Dr. Franklyn Griffiths; and an impressive roster of esteemed panellists. Visit the 2030 NORTH conference website for more information and to register. This event is coordinated by Patti Black of Consilium on behalf of co-hosts Canadian Arctic Resources Committee (CARC), Centre for Military and Strategic Studies and Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK).

And, coming soon to a TV near you - an important new collaboration between three of our clients!

QANUQTUURNIQ – Finding the Balance: A TV phone-in series on Inuit wellness, May 11-13, 2009 on APTN

Tune in to APTN between 8:00-10:00 p.m. from May 11-13 for QANUQTUURNIQ – Finding the Balance: A TV phone-in series on Inuit wellness and call 1-800-337-6186 during the live broadcast to join the discussion! The series discusses “How are we as men?” on the 11th, “Birth, a joyous community event” on the 12th and “I am young, and I am proud” on the 13th. This event is coordinated by Inuit Tuttarvingat of the National Aboriginal Health Organization (NAHO), produced by Inuit Communications Systems Limited.

NEW BEGINNINGS

The Inuit Heritage Trust (IHT) has contracted Aarluk to update the strategic plan for Nunavut’s Heritage Sector. Beginning in May, the project team of Chris Grosset and Christian “Clootch” Cloutier will prepare a survey and begin contacting organizations and individuals to collect data for the update. Aarluk, with help from the IHT and members of the Heritage Sector Network, also prepared their first strategy in 2004.

Nunavut Economic Development Forum (NEDF) has contracted Aarluk’s two Terry’s - Forth and Rudden - to work with its Board of Directors over the next few weeks on a strategic planning update leading to their Annual General Meeting in June. Terry Forth led an initial planning session on April 16th.

ONGOING PROJECTS

Chris Grosset and Ron Ryan recently travelled to Clyde River to work with the Municipality’s Community Economic Development (CED) Committee. Chris worked with Economic Development Officer Billy Palluq and the Committee to prepare a one-year update of the CED plan and set priorities for the next year while Ron trained the same group on their roles and responsibilities relating to the CED plan. Aarluk worked with the Municipality last year on its five-year CED plan.

Aarluk was asked in early April to assist INAC’s Resource Policy and Programs Directorate in coordinating a consultation tour on draft legislation for its Nunavut Land Use Planning and Impact Assessment Act (NLUPIAA… Do we love acronyms or what?!?), the last federal legislative obligation related to the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement (NLCA). Relying on the unmatched logistical and organizational skills of uber-organizers Alex Ker and Chuck Gilhuly, with the help of Terry Rudden, Galin Kora, Leslie Sutherland, Jennifer Bradshaw and Geoff Rigby, which included the preparation and translation of all communications materials, notification of communities and stakeholders, and logistical coordination of travel for three teams comprising INAC and Aarluk representatives as well as interpreters, a dedicated Aarluk team of David Boult, Terry Forth and Ron Ryan, set out on an incredible journey to 10 communities in each of the three regions of Nunavut, as well as in Yellowknife, NWT by May 1st. Despite the very tight timelines and uncertain weather, the tour was a resounding success.

Terry Forth assisted the team in the Kivalliq with meetings in Rankin Inlet, Arviat and Baker Lake while David Boult participated in meetings in Iqaluit, Igloolik and Pond Inlet where when consulting with members from the Mittimatalik Hunter and Trapper Organization (pictured left), David was heard to exclaim “This has to be the best job in the world”.

Ron Ryan clocked the most miles, traveling via Yellowknife to meetings in Kugluktuk, Cambridge Bay and Gjoa Haven. At press time Ron was reported to be completing the last community meeting in Grise Fiord, after the whirlwind Kitikmeot tour. All this travel provided him with ample air time to restore energies following his 60th birthday bash.

Following the meetings, the team will prepare a consultation report and related materials to be included in the Minister’s briefing package for the proposed legislation. INAC intends to introduce NLUPIAA in Parliament in early June.

Jennifer David is continuing her work with Aboriginal Services at Carleton University on updating the Centre’s promotional materials and developing a communications plan to raise the profile of all the Aboriginal initiatives and services at the university.

Report Card Time: The Nunavut Implementation Training Committee (NITC) is inviting its clients to comment on the organization’s programs and services through a survey and series of confidential interviews. The review is part of NITC’s five year evaluation, its third since its establishment under the NLCA. Terry Rudden is heading the evaluation team, ably assisted by the apparently ubiquitous Clootch.

HAPPY ENDINGS

Helen Klengenberg and Terry Forth facilitated a meeting of Inuit leaders in Arctic Bay, as part of the effort by the Government of Nunavut (GN) to plan for implementation of their historic new Language Legislation, the Official Languages Act and the Inuit Language Protection Act. Led by Premier Eva Aariak, Minister of Culture, Languages, Elders and Youth Louis Tapardjuk and Languages Commissioner, Alexina Kublu, and attended by many of Nunavut's key Inuit leaders, the meeting set the stage for a series of regional round-tables to be held over the summer, which will be followed by a major Language Summit in the Fall. (Pictured above from left to right - top row: Ron Elliot, Languages Commissioner Alexina Kublu, Joe Attagottaaluk, Minister Louis Tapardjuk, Kivalliq Inuit Association President Jose Kusugak and Terry Forth; bottom row: Helen Klengenberg, Nunavut Tunngavik Inc.'s Raymond Ningeocheak, Premier Eva Aariak and Julia Ogina. Not shown is Terry Rudden who provided advice, encouragement and endless drafts of background papers and news releases. We like to keep him in the back room, but we do give him his very own blanket and a dish with his name on it!)

In support of the same initiative, Qajaaq Ellsworth in Iqaluit and Jennifer David in Ottawa facilitated two focus groups, designed by Terry Rudden, to explore what young Inuit really think about role model programs… the good, the bad, and the interesting. Discussion in both sites was lively and quite fascinating – the results will be visible over the next few months as the GN rolls out its programs to promote language use.

The aforementioned Clootch recently assisted long-time Consilium friend Blair Stevenson of Silta Associates in the facilitation of the Champlain Healthy Schools Steering Committee launch (and lunch) meeting which gathered representatives of the nine School Boards in the Champlain District of Ontario and the Champlain Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Network (CCPN). The meeting is a follow-up to the signing of The Champlain Declaration: A Call to Action for Physically Active & Healthy Eating Environments in Schools which commits them to work together to create healthy school environments so that the region’s school-aged children can be physically active and make healthy food choices at school on a daily basis.

BIRTHDAYS

Lone birthday honours this month go to Stonecircle Manager and Consultant Jennifer David on May 9! As some of you may remember, all Jennifer requested for her birthday last year was a Researcher. The Powers That Staff responded immediately by sending in Patty Saulis - and since the nice folks at Hawkins obligingly filled her Junk Food Drawer, and she’s blessed with the most astonishingly gifted and genial colleagues imaginable, what more could she possibly want? A summer student?

GOSSIP

Interviews are being finalized and Stonecircle will be hiring an Aboriginal student for the summer. Stay tuned for more details in the next newsletter.

Greg Smith posts the following from South Africa, where he and Marianne are vacationing:

Having an interesting time – made it up from Cape Town to Pretoria and now over to the north east coast in a park called St. Lucia, where on booking in we were advised to keep our windows closed as the monkeys steal anything they find. At night hippos roam the streets and the leopards are out. Saw a gang of monkeys eyeing our place already.

Have been absorbing a lot over the past three weeks, including a couple of days in Lesotho, and a stay in an elephant park where we got some great shots of elephants bathing and drinking, and a huge buffalo walked out of the bush beside us. Will try to send a bit more and a photo in the next few days if I can continue to access Internet.

Elections tomorrow and we are in Zululand, which is Zuma’s home country, so it will be fun to watch. Wine is about $4 a bottle so we have stopped eating and just drink all day.

 

Chris Grosset and Marla Limousin were in Victoria BC to take a week long course at the University of Victoria on Cultural Resource Management, an area that both Chris and Marla are actively working on with communities and territorial parks in Nunavut. Unfortunately, Chris and Marla can’t report on the beautiful City of Victoria because they had homework every night. They did get a chance to take a picture (left).

 

From the Sports Desk: After improving from 4th place in the regular season to 3rd place in the round robin playoffs, Clootch and the Ice Bears lost their semi-final game by a goal, but won the consolation game to finish the season 3rd overall. The Ice Bears will now return to hibernation as the Brass Monkeyz come out and play ball!

FIFTEEN YEARS AGO

They had found each other, some interesting contracts, and a nice suite of offices at the Catholic Family Services building on Argyle. The last task remaining for the New No-Name Northern Consulting Firm was to find a better title than Ontario 88993848. “Coca Cola”, “Volkswagen” and “Microsoft” were already taken, so the group agreed on a suggestion by Fred Weihs – “Consilium”, an entirely made-up word that seemed to suggest the studied, reflective, wisdom and profound, insightful (okay, that’s enough – Ed.). As it turns out, the name wasn’t quite as unique as we thought – we’ve since discovered that “Consilium” is also a pizza parlour, an industrial plaza, a hair dressing salon, and a sixteenth century Vatican document on Church Reform. But isn’t it encouraging to know that whether you hunger for pizza, better hair, real estate or enlightenment – there’s a Consilium for you.

SEPARATED AT BIRTH?

Pictured left, Senior Consultant Greg Smith, and right, Senior Philosopher Aristotle.

Distinguishing features:

Greg: pupils in his eyes, none in Athens.

Aristotle: pupils in Athens, none in his eyes.

CHECK BACK EVERY MONTH FOR MORE CONSILIUM, STONECIRCLE AND AARLUK NEWS, TOOLS, AND GOSSIP.