Our Featured Celebration

December is "Read a New Book Month", just in time for Christmas (you might not have noticed, but this year Christmas falls in December as well). Given the exuberant literary catholicity of our readership, how can you move beyond the latest Margaret Atwood or Stephen King, and find a book that's guaranteed "New"? Simplicity itself; by checking Abebooks' newly-introduced Weird Books section, representing some of the strangest publications ever assembled, past or present. December's featured items, for example, include (from left to right): "Old Tractors and the Men Who Love Them"; "How Green Were The Nazis", a study of environmental practices under the Third Reich; "What Bird Did That", a guide to identifying birds by their droppings on your windshield; "Bowl Better Through Self-Hypnosis"; and of course, the very popular "Big Book of Lesbian Horse Stories". Happy reading!

UPCOMING EVENTS

The Northern Lights 2010 Trade Show and Conference is a business, economic development and cultural showcase of Nunavut, Nunavik, Labrador and Nunatsiavut. By balancing conference sessions, cultural events, and a trade show, it presents an excellent opportunity for businesses and the general public to get to know the North. The Northern Lights Conference is a joint effort of the Baffin Regional and Labrador North Chambers of Commerce. Register for Northern Lights 2010 this January 27th to 30th at the Palais des congrès de Montréal, Québec - www.northernlightsmontreal.com.

 

Coming up: Kasuutiniq, the 2010 Qikiqtani Teachers Conference, February 22-26, 2010, sponsored by the Nunavut Teachers Association, and coordinated by Patti Black, Terry Forth and Geoff Rigby. The conference will attract 340 teachers, administrators and language specialists from across the Qikiqtaaluk Region.

NEW BEGINNINGS

And just in time for the holiday season, Terry Forth, Victor Tootoo, Terry Rudden and Geoff Rigby will be helping the folks at NCC Investment Group celebrate their new Headquarter Office location in beautiful downtown Iqaluit with an Open House on December 9th.

Jennifer David and Terry Rudden will be working with the National Centre for First Nations Governance on a Communications Review and providing expertise on developing a media strategy.

 

Temagami First Nation, n'Daki Menan, in Northern Ontario is the homeland of the region's Anishnaabe. Alex Ker, Jennifer David and Kory Goulais will be working with Temagami First Nation on a community survey and community consultations regarding resource development.

ONGOING PROJECTS

November marked the launch of the first wave of consultations for the Integrated Community Infrastructure Sustainability Plan Project. Project Manager Chris Grosset and Alex Ker undertook the initial community visit to Sanikiluaq, where they met with a group of Nunavut Arctic College students and test-drove various tools developed to support the process.  This was followed by a stakeholders workshop and an evening open house attended by about 40 interested community members and a large contingent of children. (To the right: the vision of community sustainability drawn by children in Sanikiluaq. Readers with keen eyes – or at least magnifying glasses – will be able to pick out Chris and Alex.)

Meanwhile Leslie Sutherland and Jennifer Bradshaw were busy setting up the next set of meetings. Armed with projectors, posters, community profiles, papers and pens (and several hundred replicas of the many faces of our mascot, Sticky Spicky, the Label), Aarluk teams set out to conduct community workshops and open houses in the Kivalliq region. Christian "Clootch" Cloutier and Chris Grosset completed consultations in Rankin Inlet and Coral Harbour (a blizzard didn't allow them to land in Repulse Bay).  Galin Kora and Alex Ker visited Whale Cove, Chesterfield Inlet and Baker Lake. (Pictured left: Chris Grosset leads the community meeting in Rankin Inlet.)

These initial consultations suggest that sustainable infrastructure planning is of considerable interest and value to Nunavut communities and residents. Community consultation will continue in the Qikiqtaaluk region of Nunavut in the winter, followed by consultations in Kitikmeot communities in the early spring.

HAPPY ENDINGS

Nine months of planning and hard work culminated in an exciting three-day Our People Our Health conference, organized by the National Aboriginal Health Organization (NAHO). More than 700 delegates took part in plenary sessions, and in more than 50 breakout sessions covering virtually all aspects of Aboriginal health research. Ably led by Patti Black and assisted by Jennifer David, Kory Goulais, Scott Black, Becky Shrubb, Leslie Sutherland, Jennifer Bradshaw, and other staff, the Stonecircle team provided design, scheduling, registration, communications, project management and other logistical support to what, by all accounts was a very successful event. (We’ll confirm that with the team members once they’ve woken up from a week of much-needed rest and recuperation.) (Pictured left to right: Kory Goulais, Scott Black, Patti Black, and Becky Shrubb.)

Lack of access to bookkeeping services is one of the key barriers to success for Nunavut businesses. For the last year, Ron Ryan and Leslie Sutherland have worked closely with Hal Timar, Executive Director of the Baffin Regional Chamber of Commerce (BRCC) to address that need through a Bookkeeping program for students across the Baffin (Qikiqtani) Region. The program is accredited through Algonquin College of Ontario; upon successful completion students receive an Accounting Certificate from Algonquin College and the Canadian Institute of Bookkeeping’s’ Certified Bookkeeper (BC) designation. The program was delivered through three separate sessions, each covering three to four subjects over two or three weeks. Courses were held in Iqaluit at the Nunavut Arctic College facilities, with tuition, airfare and accommodations for all students paid for by BRCC. The last phase of this year’s course is running in Iqaluit as you read this article; and we have every confidence that 11 successful new bookkeepers will shortly be heading back to their respective communities with the skills to set up their own bookkeeping business, or work with private companies and/or public finance departments. For more information on this course contact Hal Timar at the Baffin Regional Chamber of Commerce.

These happy looking folks are the some of the members of the Advisory Council to the Ontario Workforce Connex Advisory Committee taken at the forum on October 15th, Toronto. The Ontario session was the last of a series of forums held since 2006 in BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Labrador and Nunavut. The goal of these events is to bring together Aboriginal Human Resource Development Agreement holders (AHRDAs), the private sector and other key stakeholders together to discuss challenges, barriers and solutions to increase Aboriginal employment. Over 583 commitments linking government, the private sector, training institutions, community groups and Aboriginal people have been made to implement sustainable partnership strategies as a result of the Workforce Connex series. Pictured above from left to right: Craig Hall, Aboriginal Human Resource Council (AHRC); Maria Galati, AHRC; Amos Key, Jr., Niagara Peninsula Area Management Aboriginal Management Board; Susan Jarvis, AHRC; Francois Lachance, Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs; Linda Peart, Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities; Sheila Phillips, Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities; Tammy Webb, Métis Nation of Ontario AHRDA; Ron Ryan, Stonecircle Consulting.

Hot off the Presses! Get your copy of Expressions: Canadian Aboriginal Artists, written by Jennifer David and published by the Canada Council for the Arts! Jennifer interviewed and wrote 27 artist profiles. Edited by Terry Rudden, the books are bound for trade shows and gatherings across Canada and around the world to promote and celebrate leading Aboriginal artists in Canada. They're more than just great coffee table books - they're a terrific cross section of cutting-edge Aboriginal art in every medium. Email Jennifer for more information at jdavid@stone-circle.ca.

BIRTHDAYS

December babies include Galin Kora on December 13th, who recently returned from the Kivalliq Region with three declared puppies, and David Boult, who returns from his travels in Vietnam, Singapore and Istanbul just in time to celebrate his birthday on December 17th. We look forward to stories, pictures, and of course, Dave being Dave, some fabulous intercontinental restaurant recommendations.

GOSSIP

The second annual three-company Scuba Summit took place in early November when the Presidents of Consilium, Aarluk and Stonecircle conducted a first hand study of the reefs, coral, fish and restaurants of Bonaire, a tiny island and marine preserve off the coast of Venezuela. Corporate security procedures were in rigorous effect: the three Presidents did not travel in the same plane, and special security consultant Paul Murphy was on duty guarding the towels at all times. (Pictured left: President Helen Klengenberg and President Terry Rudden at "La Machaca", photo by President Valerie Assinewe).

 

Committed Consiliumite that he is, Dave Boult’s search for new and interesting clients knows no bounds. In the midst of his peregrinations through north western Vietnam stuck in a patch of particularly dense fog in the mountains, David (pictured with potential new client) was heard to explain "We often work in situations where we can't see the road ahead clearly, but with careful planning and working closely with our local community partners, we can all get out of this alive".

We'd like to thank Billy Palluq, Community Economic Development Officer for Clyde River, for his very kind comment about us. In the Fall edition of the Nunavut Economic Development Association Newsletter, he reports that:

Aarluk Consulting and Consilium have done an extraordinary job of: Helping to develop the Community Economic Development 5-Year Plan; Working with Ilisaqsivik Society to develop Community Health Plan contracted by NTI and Depart Of Health & Social Services; Contracting QIA & NTI to help people and businesses in Clyde River to find ways to spend $300k in Inuit Impact Benefits Agreement (IIBA) funding for Isabella Bay Whale Sanctuary (i.e. Tourism Business, Hotel, B&B, etc).; Planning to help the Municipality of Clyde River to develop an Integrated Community Infrastructure Sustainability plan with support from the Depart of Community Government & Services within the next year or two. Continuing to find ways to implement Community Economic Development as Planned! Billy Palluq, CEDO Municipality of Clyde River

Almonte's Victoria Woollen Mill will be the first Ontario (and probably worldwide) condominium to include a “Santa Clause”. Every year during Almonte's "Light Up the Night" festival, Santa traditionally appears on the roof of the VWM. The Condominium Corporation, organized by Greg Smith, was registered earlier this year, and the "Santa Clause" is part of its formal legal documentation. The official version reads as follows:

     

ROAD WARRIORS AND THEIR BUDDIES

From the most recent ICISP Expedition, some images from our Men With Rocks And Dogs and Cute Kids Gallery... (Pictured from left to right: Chris Grosset in Rankin Inlet; Galin Kora with one of his new friends; and Clootch in Coral Harbour.)

    

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