Our Featured Celebration

In a slight departure from the norm, we're going to turn Trivial on you for this month's Featured Celebration. What numerical characteristic do all the following have in common?

• The atomic number of Fermium on the periodic table?
• Benjamin Franklin on US currency?
• The minimum distance, in yards, for a Par 3 on a golf course?
• The HTTP status code indicating that a client should continue with its request?
• AND - ahem - the number of this newsletter?

If you guessed the answer is “100” - Very Good. You may now continue reading. If not - well, what the heck. We're feeling magnanimous. Continue reading anyway.

NEW FACES

Well, an extremely cool and very exciting thing happened this month, and we wish we could tell you about it. Darned shame that we can't. But we will. Soon. However, it involves the people in the picture below. Be watching for more in the October issue.

         

NEW BEGINNINGS

An all-star Stonecircle team consisting of Jennifer David, Greg Smith, Kory Goulais and Christian Cloutier has been contracted by the First Nations and Inuit Health Branch (FNIHB) of Health Canada to conduct a Special Study of the Aboriginal Head Start on Reserve (AHSOR) Culture and Language Program. As part of the study, Stonecircle will be hiring and training local Aboriginal evaluators in four regions (Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan), and conducting a literature review and additional research in three other regions (BC, Alberta and Atlantic). The team will support the local evaluators as they conduct research and consultations in six communities within their regions, and analyse and report on their findings; Stonecircle will then prepare a report to FNIHB summarising all of the study research reports by March 31, 2011.

Jennifer David is assisting a team from Environics Research as they coordinate focus group sessions with Aboriginal people in several provinces. CBC has hired Environics to solicit opinions from Ojibway, Cree and Inuktitut-language speakers about their thoughts on CBC and CBC programming. Jennifer will be locating focus group facilitators who speak Cree (in Alberta and Quebec), Ojibway (in Winnipeg) and Inuktitut (Iqaluit).

 

Alex Ker, with some help from Kory Goulais, will be assisting Wahnapitae First Nation as it develops a Finance and Administration Code.

Boozhoo! Stonecircle will be working with Mamaweswen, the North Shore Tribal Council, to develop a language strategy for the region. Jennifer David, Terry Rudden, Alex Ker, Greg Smith and Kory Goulais will be conducting research on best practices in the maintenance and survival of indigenous languages. The team will be visiting each North Shore community to conduct research, interviews and focus groups. Stonecircle will then present the tribal council with options and recommendations for further work.

Earlier this year, Stonecircle was contracted by Moose Cree First Nation to recommend a project management software solution for a large environmental project. Jennifer David will be following up with some project management assistance, backed up with software training by Kory Goulais later in September.

ONGOING PROJECTS

The cultural and landscape history of Kugluk/Bloody Falls Territorial Park near Kugluktuk, Nunavut is rich with thousands of years of human use, interesting geology, and abundant wildlife and vegetation resources.  Aarluk is working closely with the Government of Nunavut’s Department of Environment Nunavut Parks and Special Places staff to document these resources through a cultural landscape resource inventory that will be added to the parks existing Master and Management Plans.  In August, Chris Grosset and Marla Limousin worked alongside archaeological researchers Ken Swayze and Frank Ipakohak to document local knowledge of the park and locate resources found in the park and surrounding landscape.  The team was supported by Becky Torretti and David Topilak of the Nunavut Parks Division, and Conservation Officer Allan Niptanatiak.  The work included meeting with Elders, a day spent in the Park with grade ten and eleven students, and a community radio show. (Pictured below:  The project team, from left to right: Chris, Frank, Ken, Marla, and David; Kugluktuk Radio Society show, from left to right: Ken, Marla and Frank.)

Over the summer, Ron Ryan and David Boult, with the assistance of Christian Cloutier worked with Kakivak and Kivalliq Partners in Development in developing comprehensive Strategic Business Plan addressing the requirements of the Aboriginal Skills and Employment Training Strategy (ASETS). ASETS replaces the previous Aboriginal Human Resource Development Strategy (AHRDS) and every AHRDA holder across Canada is required to carry out this planning process. The program goes into effect in September. Ron and David were both delighted to receive a personal thank you note from Charlene Kaludjak, CEO for KPID upon notification that their plan had been approved. Planning for a celebratory dinner is currently under way.

Work continues at Aarluk on revisions to 37 training manuals for Nunavut Arctic College and The Nunavut Municipal Training Organization to revise and update all. The program has seven career streams, one for each of the key management positions within a municipality (Assistant SAO, Finance Officer, Recreation Leader, Economic Development Officer, Office Administrator, Municipal Works Foreman and Planning/Lands Administrator) with five “core” courses that all seven managers take together. Then each stream has an additional five “specialty” courses unique to each of the management positions.

Aarluk is working with the Government of Nunavut Department of Health and Social Services on strategic planning for Community Based Health Program Delivery. The Department is currently carrying out two pilot projects with Nunavut communities for block funding of community health delivery. The project involves research and interviews with community and Health and Social Services representatives and strategic planning support to the Department on development of an administrative framework that would allow for extension of block funding arrangements to other communities and for the negotiation of flexible funding arrangements between the Department and Health Canada. The Aarluk team includes Victor Tootoo, Fred Weihs, Alex Ker, Greg Smith and Galin Kora.

HAPPY ENDINGS

Valerie Assinewe presented a final report to the COSEWIC working group as part of the group's strategic planning process.

The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Team in Anti-Diabetic Medicines has been working in James Bay Cree communities on the development of natural health products for the treatment and prevention of diabetes. The project brings together traditional knowledge and ethnobotanical science through the participation of Cree elders and traditional healers, academic scientists and medical practitioners to improve prevention and treatment of Type 2 diabetes, which has tripled in Cree communities over the past decade. On August 17th, Fred Weihs and Kory Goulais of Stonecircle facilitated a one-day workshop at the annual CIHR TAAM retreat to examine best practices for better integrating traditional medicine and clinical health care. Approximately 120 people from all project partner groups attended.

David Boult recently completed a study on successful Aboriginal Injury Prevention Interventions for the Public Health Agency of Canada. The work focused upon conducting initial research to determine potential “best practices” in the area of injury prevention initiatives for Aboriginal adults. Successful interventions from Canada’s North, New Zealand and Alaska were reviewed and case studies developed to illustrate the successful components of these projects. Recommendations were also developed to guide PHAC in future research in this important area.

BIRTHDAYS

September Birthdays Honours go to our Financial Magician Lei Han on the 16th, a birthday shared with American Magician David Copperfield, and Helen Klengenberg on the 19th, a birthday shared with fellow superhero Batman (Adam West).

GOSSIP

What We Did On Our Summer Vacation I: Jen Bradshaw and husband Al recreated at Island Pond, Vermont. (See the Island? in the middle of the Pond?) Says Jen: This is a glacial lake, carved out of the granite millions of years ago. This is the same lake on 3 different days. I’ve been going to this lake for 45 years now, every year and I never get tired of it because it changes all the time. I am quite certain that if I took a picture every day for 365 days they would all be different!”

“This is a place that I love. It is a part of me. I can close my eyes when I am here and listen and smell and it’s just as good as looking at it. When I think of this place I understand what the Inuit mean by being “on the land”. It’s a part of you as much as you are a part of it.”

What We Did On Our Summer Vacation II: Flouting corporate security procedures, the presidents of Stonecircle, Valerie Assinewe, and Consilium, Terry Rudden, travelled together on a tour of Baltic states, and learned that (a) Herring is a Food Group, (b) all Kings of Scandinavia were named either Gustav, Adolphus, or Karl , and (c) a day is not long enough to spend in the Hermitage. Left to right, Terry and Valerie at (a) the Church of Spilled Blood in St. Petersburg, (b) Sofiero in Sweden, (c) Peterhof in Russia, and (d) Talinn, Estonia, reflected upside down in an apothecary’s vial.

Gjoa Haven celebrates their shared history with Norway! The community of Gjoa Haven welcomed distinguished guests from Norway for a flag raising ceremony on August 23, 2010 at the site of the Amundsen cairn.  Dedicated readers of our newsletter will recall that Aarluk’s Chris Grosset and Marla Limousin worked with the residents of Gjoa Haven to gather the stories and artwork for the cairn, which is the central feature of a walking trail through the community that is managed by the Nunavut Parks and Special Places Division.  Thanks go out to Becky Torretti of Nunavut Parks for sharing this photo from the ceremony, which includes Bob Konana drum dancing as the Norwegian and Canadian flags are raised next to the cairn.

THE (ROOT OF) 100 QUIZ

To commemorate our 100th issue, this month we have prepared a quiz of 100 questions for you! Well, actually, since you probably have a job to do, we cut it down to the root of 100. The first person to respond to all 10 questions correctly will receive an autographed printed issue of the newsletter with glossy cover! The answers to all questions (as well as wit and wisdom) can be found in past editions of the newsletter.

1. What month does the CCG have no birthday honour mentions?
2. What was the name of Chuck Gilhuly’s band?
3. What was the name of Consilium’s first accountant?
4. What was Stonecircle formerly known as?
5. How many times has Consilium Headquarters changed buildings?
6. Whose office caught on fire while he was away on vacation?
7. What is the name of the CCG’s annual staff awards?
8. Who won the CCG’s beard growing contest?
9. In what year did Chris Grosset join Aarluk?
10. Where is Aarluk’s Head Office located?

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

If you would like to subscribe to our monthly newsletter, please send us an email at ourtimes@consilium.ca.