Our Featured Celebration

Not only does February feature St. Valentine’s Day; but this is also a Leap Year, the only year in which, according to tradition dating from 5th century Ireland, women may make marriage proposals.

In a 1288 law by Queen Margaret of Scotland (then five years old and living in Norway), fines were levied if the proposal was refused by a man during Leap Year. Compensation ranged from a kiss to £1 to a silk gown, in order to soften the blow. Because men felt that put them at too great a risk, however, the tradition was tightened to restricting female proposals to the modern leap day, February 29.

As a public service, therefore, we are proud to present the full assortment of eligible males at Consilium. Here he is.

Okay, the inventory is running a bit low at the moment, but we vouch for their quality: all of our bachelor-consultants come with an inspection certificate and a money back-guarantee. Proposals will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis.

NEW DIGS

 

 

Terry Forth is seen here beaming down from our new Nunavut office. Aarluk Consulting inc. is delighted to announce its move to new quarters in the Innirvik building, at building 781-A, with old friends and associates at Innirvik. Drop in and say hi!

NEW PROJECTS 

Aarluk Consulting Inc. has been awarded a contract by the Government of Nunavut, Department of Economic Development and Transportation, to conduct a pre-feasibility study concerning the sale of seal skins and whale meat from Nunavut to Greenland. Project team members include David Boult, Terry Forth and Brian Burke of Burke Consulting Inc. The project adds another valuable element to the extensive experience the members have in the area of wildlife harvesting and commercial development of renewable resources. Rumours are that team members are busily stocking up on bottles of Kikkoman and wasabi in preparation for the final report.

Terry Forth will also be busy in the next few months along with Helen Klengenberg working with Rick McKenzie of EnviroVest on the development of an Implementation Plan for the Government of Nunavut’s recently announced Energy Strategy.

Terry Rudden is working with the communications department of NTI on a workshop to introduce the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement to audiences unfamiliar with the Claim.

 

ONGOING PROJECTS

 

The Stonecircle team working on the Summative Evaluation of the AHRDAs has fanned out across the country to conduct eighteen focus groups with AHRDA clients. The qualitative research also includes forty key informant interviews and a document review. This part of the evaluation, managed by Greg Smith, is part of a larger project for HRSDC in collaboration with TNS Canadian Facts, who are doing the detailed quantitative analysis of the impact on clients.

 

Terry Forth and Terry Rudden will be getting some assistance from Abe Tagalik in the next few weeks as work continues on an organizational review of the Pairijait Tigumivik Society, a long standing organization of Iqaluit Elders. Under agreements with the Department of Health and Social Services, the Society has been responsible for more than a decade for the operations of the In-transit Patients Boarding Home, Tammaativvik, in Iqaluit and also for the extended care Elders’ facility.

Terry Rudden continues to work with the Nunavut Inuit Wildlife Secretariat on the development of standard policies and procedures to support Nunavut’s Hunters and Trappers Organizations. The goal is a comprehensive, plain language manual of governance and management tools for this important sector.

BIRTHDAYS

 

Weird, eh? There are twenty people who now work for Consilium, Aarluk and Stonecircle – and not one of them has a birthday in February. Why, the odds against that are…err…big.

 

GOSSIP

 

As promised, here’s a shot from Terry’s new camera and housing (thank you, Valerie) shot during his recent dive expedition in Utila. Astonishingly, Ron Ryan’s daughter Anna Clair was in Utila, diving, during the same week, and they somehow failed to run into each other. (Why, the odds against that are…err…big).They did, however, both run into something rather large. Here’s the video at you tube.

 

 

Congratulations to Ryan Lotan, pictured here receiving his Five Year Medal For Meritorious Service to Consilium. Ryan celebrated this momentous transitional moment in his life by driving through a snowstorm to North Bay, to run a focus group for the AHRDA evaluation. And who wouldn’t?

 

 

 

The Best Game You Can Name. Hockey took the Consilium office by storm on Friday, December 7, date of the inaugural parking lot match between the C & C Consulting Factory team and “The Other Team.”  There was an upset early in the game and it was feared the match would be cancelled when the ball deflected off a goalie’s stick and into our neighbour’s back yard.  We were back on the lot in no time, however, thanks to Fred and Greg’s ingenuity and knowledge of local sports shops. 

 

 

“The Clootch” led the charge for the C & C Consulting Factory, with multiple assists from Jennifer David and Chris Grosset.  With secret weapon Ron Ryan in goal for the C & C team, the “The Other Team” had to keep up a good hustle.  “The Other Team” played a strong offence, led by Fred Weihs and Chuck Gilhuly.  Marianne Smith acted as referee, while the cheering squad oversaw the game from the comfort of Leslie’s office.  The game ended in an amicable tie, as the spirited energy of the players faded with the afternoon light.

On to next year’s playoff!

LAST MONTH

As our readership will recall, last month market the Consilium Beard Growing Contest. With the exception of two long-standing beardoes who refused to expose their chins, the males of Consilium submitted to a ritual shearing on November 25th.

 

    

One month later the contestants presented their newly accoutered visages to a panel of judges for scrutiny. Foliage was evaluated on colour, fullness, sculpting, and the degree to which it contributed to the overall look of a weathered and well-seasoned Northern Consultant.  

The contestants, pictured below on Judgement Day:

 

   

 

                                

From Left to Right: David Boult (Best Beard), Ryan Lotan (recipient of the Mandatory Award In Any Consilium Contest To A Current or Former Resident of Almonte), Chuck Gillhuly (Best Sob Story About Why He Should Have Won Best Beard), Fred “2-Tone” Weihs (Most Artistic Beard Award), Ron Ryan (Mr. Congeniality Award), Christian Clouthier (Most Improved by Impending Shave Award), and Geoff Rigby (Most Likely To Look Like Sean Connery In Fifty Years Award).  Chris Grosset was traveling on Judgment Day, but was ably represented by his stunt double for the judging.   

 

 

Adjudicator Sonya Howard congratulates Dave “Hound Dog” Boult on his award-winning beard, which the judges described, in part, as “…a full, lush, authoritative beard, assertive without aggression, mature without excess ripeness, with just a hint of tannins and a seductive, floral nose…”

THIRTY YEARS AGO

Thirty years ago this week, this young consultant-to-be stood before his first car, little dreaming of the glories lying ahead – including five children, employment on a tramp steamer in Sweden, and, of course, the pinnacle of any consultant’s career – a berth at Consilium.

 

Any guesses?

FORTY YEARS AGO

January 30th marked the 40th anniversary of Terry and Mehrun Forth’s arrival in the arctic!  They both reported for duty to different  federal departments on that date in 1968, but did not actually meet  for the first time until three months later on a windswept air strip  in Rankin Inlet.  It was minus 40 degrees (C or F - at that temperature, who cares?)

 

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