Our Featured Celebration

It may be that we have more than the usual number of science fiction fans in the corporation – or we may simply be ahead of the curve when it comes to defining Cool. Whatever the case, Consiliumites have always been great fans of Oct. 14, which of course is celebrated globally as “Bald Is Beautiful” Day. Contemplate, if you will, the burnished pulchritude of these follically-challenged heroes:

But as evidenced below, a commitment to life on the stylistic cutting edge (get it? CUTTING edge?) has never been a spectator sport to the bold fashionistas of Consilium, Stonecircle and Aarluk.

NEW FACES

So last month we promised you an exciting announcement in this month’s newsletter. And if you can’t trust the editors of this newsletter, in all honesty, who can you trust?

Ladies and gentlemen, we’d like to introduce you to the Consilium / Stonecircle / Aarluk shareholders group – and to draw your attention to four new faces joining us at the owner’s table.

(Rear row: Victor Tootoo (VP, Aarluk Consulting), Greg Smith, Fred Weihs, Chuck Gilhuly, Ron Ryan, Chris Grosset; Middle row, Patti Black, Leslie Sutherland, Terry Rudden, David Boult; Front Row: Scott Black, Jennifer David (VP, Stonecircle Consulting), and Alex Ker. Missing: Valerie Assinewe (Pres., Stonecircle Consulting), and Helen Klengenberg (Pres., Aarluk Consulting).

The cast is familiar, but four of the roles have changed. Consilium’s longest standing employee, Leslie Sutherland, and our CEO, Chuck Gilhuly are now shareholders in the company, and we are delighted to welcome associates Scott Black and Alex Ker. New energy and talent joins – err – OLD energy and talent, in a big step forward for the corporate group. Welcome, Scott, Leslie, Chuck and Alex! Your keys to the Executive Washroom are in the mail.

NEW BEGINNINGS

The National Aboriginal Economic Development Board is a who’s who of the Aboriginal business world - Chief Clarence Louie, Pita Aatami, Chief Joe Linklater and Matthew Mukash, among others. The Board provides advice and counsel to the Federal government on issues of Aboriginal business and economic development. Jennifer David will be working with the NAEDB to develop written materials - biographies, community profiles and other text - for a new NAEDB website, to be launched later this year.

The Nunavut Caribou Strategy Consultations are now underway as delegates from the Kitikmeot Region – including representatives from the seven Kitikmeot Hunter and Trapper Associations, the Kitikmeot Wildlife Management Board, Department of Environment (Wildlife Management), the Nunavut Inuit Wildlife Secretariat and Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. converged on Yellowknife September 21 and 22 for the initial round of consultations being conducted by the Department of the Environment’s Wildlife Division. This marks a premier event for Nunavut as efforts are made to develop a Territorial Caribou Strategy. There are twenty-three caribou herds in Nunavut, some with very broad ranges including crossovers with Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the NWT. Aarluk is assisting the government with the facilitation of the consultations and documentation of the proceedings. Initial sessions are also taking place over the next few weeks in the Qikiqtani and Kivalliq Regions. (Pictured below, left to right: Allen Niptanatiak, Co-Chair and Facilitator; Terry Forth, Project Coordinator and Writer; and Attima Hadlari, Co-Chair and Facilitator.)

Alex Ker will be working for Stonecircle on a new project with the Deline Land Corporation to plan for the harmonization of financial accounting systems and procedures of several governments and organizations in Deline. This project will help them prepare for implementation of a Final Deline Self Government Agreement. If ratified by beneficiaries and members, the Agreement will result in the unification of responsibilities of the Deline Land Corporation, First Nation, Charter Community and Housing Association under one Deline Got'ine government structure.

ONGOING PROJECTS

Stonecircle continues to provide support to Environics and is even able to introduce Environics to Aarluk’s own Helen Klengenberg. Helen (Inuktitut), along with Beverly Crier in Alberta (Cree) and Barbara Nepinak in Manitoba (Ojibway), will be facilitating focus groups in Aboriginal languages. They will be asking people what they think about the CBC and its Aboriginal programming. Jennifer David is still looking for a Cree-speaking facilitator in Eeyou Istchee, so if you know anyone, let us know.

Most non-profit organizations need project funding to carry out their mandates. And filling out funding applications can be time-consuming and daunting. And that’s when it’s time to call in the consultants. Jennifer David is working with the Métis Nation of Ontario to develop proposals and complete applications for several new training and employment funds. One is the Northern Partnership Training Fund in northern Ontario, and the other is a new fund, which is succeeded by a previous HRSDC fund called ASTIF (Aboriginal Skills and Training Investment Fund). The new fund, which focuses on demand-driven and partnership-focused projects is called the Strategic Partnership Fund.

The Terries (Rudden and Forth) are completing a communications strategy for the Nunavut Investment Group. NIG is one of the least-known success stories in Nunavut – an Inuit-owned, Nunavut- based builder and developer that has created, and manages, a significant portion of Nunavut’s infrastructure. The company has an enviable record of success in recruiting, hiring, training, promoting and retaining Inuit. A spokesperson told us that “our real job isn’t building offices. It’s building careers.” More people should know about them – and now you do.

Over the next several months Alex Ker and Kory Goulais will be working with Wahnapitae First Nation to develop a Financial Management and Administration Code. The Code will increase accountability, transparency and communication in relation to financial matters of interest to the First Nation and its membership. Alex and Kory will be working with an Ad Hoc Committee including representatives from the First Nation Council, administration and community members.

On September 19th Alex Ker attended a Planning Session of the new Chief and Council of Sagamok Anishnawbek in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. Alex provided updates on mining related activities in Sagamok territory and First Nation-industry relations, as well as orientation on Ontario’s renewable energy sector and opportunities and incentives for Aboriginal participation.

A little project called ICISP (or Integrated Community Infrastructure Sustainability Planning to regular newsletter readers) continues to make steady forward progress. Aarluk has been working with the Nunavut Community Infrastructure Advisory Committee (CGS Department in the GN) to prepare integrated community infrastructure sustainability plans (hence the acronym ICISP) for twenty four Nunavut communities. After a year of research, consultation and writing the draft reports are being assembled. In September, the first batch of draft reports were delivered to NCIAC, and another batch will be ready to go to the client this October.

This month Stonecircle kicks off a three-month planning project with Mamaweswen, the North Shore Tribal Council, to develop a language strategy for the seven North Shore communities. Jennifer David, Terry Rudden, 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.

HAPPY ENDING / NEW BEGINNING?

We couldn’t quite tell whether this was a happy ending or a new beginning – but we do know it’s something we all want to celebrate.

When he joined us as a naive young lad from northern Ontario, Christian (Clootch) Cloutier was a carefree guy who was happy if we just let him share the Hawkins Cheezies:

We very quickly recognized his talents, as did our clients, who made such comments as “WOW that guy is like a Researcher Superhero!”

After spending four years working him unmercifully, we noticed that he was becoming blindingly pale, was seriously stressed out, was starting to talk to himself (and answering) and had developed several amusing / disturbing tics.

Concerned onlookers agreed the behaviour seemed eerily familiar... then it struck us: HE’S A CONSULTANT!!!

CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR PROMOTION CHRISTIAN! Well deserved and we hope you are here for many years to come.

Continuing with the theme of happy endings AND new beginnings...

October 1st  is the first day of the Aboriginal Skills Employment and Training Strategy (ASETS). ASETS is the 5th generation of the Aboriginal people providing employment and training programs and services to their own people. There is over 20 years of history starting with Pathways to Success, then National Framework / Regional Bilateral Agreements, Aboriginal Human Resource Development Strategy I & II now ASETS.

Both the Aboriginal community and the Federal Government through Human Resources and Social Development Canada  (HRSDC) should be proud of the successes of these strategies and be congratulated for making them a reality. Consilium, Aarluk and Stonecircle have been fortunate to be part of the process over the years and look forward to having a continued relationship with ASETS and the organizations providing these essential services to support the ongoing success of Aboriginal people.    

BIRTHDAYS

Much like the month of April is for Consilium, the month of October is the official birthday month for Stonecircle. Birthday wishes go out to Researcher Kory Goulais on the 19th and President Valerie Assinewe on the 22nd! Being beaten by Stonecircle birthday honours in numbers, but not in strength, equally enthusiastic birthday wishes go to the CCG’s receptionist extraordinaire Jennifer Bradshaw who celebrates her birthday on the 18th!

GOSSIP

Chuck Gilhuly, Ron Ryan, Victor Tootoo, Christian Cloutier and Geoff Rigby, recently attended the well-organized 2010 Nunavut Trade Show and Conference in Iqaluit. Over the span of three days, old friendships were rekindled and new ones were made including Pierre Ouellet from the Secretariat to the Cree Nation (pictured below with Ron) who won the Aarluk Draw for a beautiful polar bear claw pendant handcrafted by local artist Matthew Nuqingaq. Congratulations Pierre! So many thanks go out to BRCC for yet another wonderful Trade Show and special thanks to gala host extraordinaire Hal Timar for not heckling us too much this year! (Pictured below: Chuck and Geoff at the Aarluk booth; Pierre and Ron; throat singers at the Gala.)

To steal a line from the movie ‘Bull Durham’ - "You guys... you lollygag the ball around the infield. You lollygag your way down to first. You lollygag in and out of the dugout. You know what that makes you? Lollygaggers!” And lollygag they did, all the way to becoming league champions! After an impressive regular season, which saw them finish in first place (8-3-1), the Brass Monkeyz Old School team was determined to keep on winning. Kory “The Ringer” Goulais and Christian “The Clootch” Cloutier were instrumental in the championship win; Clootch for picking up the game ball from the front desk and Kory for hitting it out of the ballpark. As for that illusive Triple Crown, Clootch seemed to focus more on the post-game beverages and lost out to Kory, who was the eventual league MVP. Congratulations to Clootch and Ringer on a great season!

THE (ROOT OF) 100 QUIZ WINNER!!!

To commemorate our 100th issue last month, we prepared a 10-question Consilium Trivia Challenge. The best (and most correct) answer came from loyal reader and old friend Mike Webster of Kugluktuk. Here for your edification and entertainment are the original questions and Mike’s responses.

And Mike adds: … what a great excuse to read over the back issues (what a fun corporate history!!!)… hard to pick of course, but one of my fave issues was #68.

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.