Our Featured Celebration

In our tireless quest for obscure holidays to celebrate, we stumbled across the April 11th, not better known as Barbershop Quartet day, a day to pay tribute to this quintessentially American vocal tradition. Born in southern barbershops (surprise!), this kind of tight, four-part vocal harmony achieved the summit of its popularity during the early days of sound recording, when engineers realized Barbershop Quartets were one of the only types of ensemble you could actually squeeze into a primitive sound studio. Here, for your delectation, is a classic of the genre – the Buffalo Bills, performing “Lida Rose” in the immortal “Music Man” (which, by the way, turns fifty this year). Al, this one’s for you!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCpCxD6Em8k

NEW LOOK

 

The Stonecircle Design Team has finalized all the key elements of its new corporate look. All Stonecircle Gold Card Subscribers are invited to punch in their special access code to draw back the curtains and be amazed. The rest of us will get to see the new look and logo soon. How soon? REAL soon.

And meanwhile…there are whispers of an Aarluk fin-lift as well. Any truth to the rumour that visitors to the Nunavut Association of Municipalities at the end of the month will be treated to the unveiling of a new corporate look?

 

NEW PROJECTS 

Aarluk’s Chris Grosset is the project manager for the second phase of work on a new Tourism Act for Nunavut, for the Government of Nunavut’s Economic Development and Transportation Department.  Continuing our association with Blackstone Consulting Inc. of Toronto, the project will initiate public consultations on the changes proposed in tourism legislation.  In the coming months we will provide more details on the consultation process and give you a website link to the Tourism Act so that you can have your say.

Ron Ryan and David Boult are currently working with the Baffin Regional Chamber of Commerce (BRCC). The BRCC has requested assistance in undertaking an assessment of its “Community Economic Development Week – Trade, Service and Career Fair” initiative. The fairs have been held in several communities in the Baffin region over the past year. The fairs provide an important opportunity to bring together students and adults in the communities with regional employers and agencies involved in helping people find and keep employment.

Greg Smith has just finished helping to prepare an Expression of Interest for the construction and operation of a new 90 bed Boarding Home Facility in Iqaluit. The Expression of Interest was prepared for the Pairijait Tigumivik (Iqaluit Elders’) Society, which already operates a 40 bed Boarding Facility as well as an Elders’ home in Iqaluit. The Government of Nunavut is interested in expanding the number of available beds for patients travelling from smaller communities in the region to the Iqaluit hospital.

ONGOING PROJECTS

Terry Rudden completed an illuminating, exciting and comprehensive two-day tour of the Winnipeg Airport this month. It was originally supposed to be a meeting with Regional Wildlife Organizations and Nunavut Inuit Wildlife Secretariat staff on policies and procedures to support Nunavut’s Hunters and Trappers Organizations, but the weather in Rankin forced a change of plans. The meeting has been re-scheduled for April – meanwhile, if there’s anything you need to know about the Winnipeg Airport, call Terry.

The Summative Evaluation of the AHRDAs (Aboriginal Human Resource Development Agreement Holders) inches towards completion, with the draft report now in to HRSDC for review. This Stonecircle Consulting Inc. project is being done jointly with TNS Canadian Facts. Project Manager Greg Smith has been working with a large team of staff members and associates, who completed field work across Canada.

David Boult recently completed a two-week course on Community Economic Development in Iqaluit. Attending the course were a number of Community Economic Development Officers from the Baffin region. During his busy stay, David sought quiet and solitude in Aarluk’s new office located at the Innirvik Support Services building. David’s initial visit to the office (pictured) shows David desperately trying to find the phone number of the local Thai restaurant.

  

HAPPY ENDINGS

T.I's Inuit Spring Equinox Celebration at the Jim Durrell Community Centre was a great success – a full house, an enthusiastic crowd of Inuit and curious others, great food, and music by Susan Aglukark, David Serkoak and Gary Lewis; traditional Inuit drummers; throat singers Janice Oolayou and Charlotte Carleton;  throat singers Karin and Kathy Kettler; performances by students of Nunavut Sivuniksavut; the première of a new performance by the “Time to Shine” Troupe and the near-legendary Celto-Inuit fusion sensation, Paddies on the Tundra. Kudos to Christine Lund, Morgan Hare, Leslie Sutherland, Terry Rudden, and all the planners, performers, cooks and volunteers who made the evening such a success. The event was sponsored by the Ontario Community Builders Program through the Ministry of Citizenship, Government of Ontario, and by Consilium. (Pictured above: Susan Aglukark and friends)

GOSSIP

South South of the Border – Helping to keep NAFTA alive and well despite best efforts of the US Democratic Party, Mehrun and Terry Forth have returned happy and rested from their sojourn in sunny Mexico. This year they managed to venture away from their well-beaten path in Puerto Vallarta and spend time in both Guadalajara and Mexico City. Guadalajara is Mexico’s second largest city, with more that five million residents– that’s more than 15% of Canada’s entire population. Its establishment actually pre-dates our own venerable Quebec City.

 

A warm welcome to Consilium goes out to our latest recruit, Penelope Moon Arrens Wright, seven pounds and twenty inches of junior consultant. We are assured by grandparents Dave and Brenda Boult and mommy Sarah that all systems seem to be in good working order.

 

 

 

And Speaking Of Blessed Events - She’s long, thin, and seductive. But Christian Cloutier has finally won his war against Lady Nicotine. That’s right: our Clootch has officially quit smoking. The final struggle wasn’t easy for Christian. More to the point, it wasn’t easy for his fellow Consiliumites, who witnessed his transformation from kindly Dr. Jekyll to Raving Lunatic Mr. Hyde, from the beloved office "Muffin" to Megatron on steroids. In fact, during the first week of this epic final battle, Clootch was locked out of sight in the server room in the basement and fed pablum and Nicorette patches through the ventilation shaft. We all welcome him back to humanity. You should too.

 

 

BIRTHDAYS

 

Normally April would mark the birthday month of 80% of the longest standing Consiliumites – Ron Ryan (April 24), Greg Smith and Leslie Sutherland (April 13) and Terry Rudden (April 23). However, Leslie has announced that she doesn’t have a birthday this year. Not sure how that happens.

SPECIAL FEATURE:  THE VEHICLES OF CONSILIUM

 

Ron’ Ryan’s Miata spent a cozy winter buried in Ron’s backyard. Its aerial has recently been sighted, and if the current thaw continues at its present rate, Ron should have it back on the road sometime in July.

 

 

Greg Smith in the Great Storm of ’08, digging his way out a 500 metre long laneway with the help of his trusty 1961 International 434 tractor, snow scoop and blower. Says Greg; “Why on earth should I pay somebody $300 a year to do it for me, when I can do it myself for $600, counting fuel and repairs?”

 

 

Meanwhile, in the Dave Boult family laneway, his-and-hers winter vehicles stand ready. Mileage and speed aren’t great, but that front-end bucket is terrific for handling big loads of groceries. Or transporting diapers. See above.

 

And finally, manager Chuck Gilhuly at the helm of the Consiliumobile, ready to leap into action and respond whenever the call goes out for fine policy development, training, facilitation, planning or communications services. Our state of the art mobile training/office space can hold twenty comfortably, runs entirely on recycled biofuels, features high speed mobile internet, and always brakes for the elderly, small children and kittens.

OUR PARTING NOTE

 

 

 

The first sign of spring - even before the crocuses, robins and bunny rabbits, the Consilium logo emerges slowly and shyly from its winter hibernation under a Gladstone Avenue snow bank.

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