Happy Bolludagur (Icelandic Bun Day) ! (February 26)

Bun Day is celebrated by creeping up on people before they get out of bed, and spanking them with the bolludagsvöndur, a specially decorated stick. For successfully whacking unsuspecting sleepers, one receives a rjomabolla , or cream bun (as illustrated). Now you know why Bjork writes such strange lyrics.

WHAT'S HAPPENING AT CONSILIUM, AARLUK and ARDOS... In this corner of our site we'll be posting notes on new people, new projects, and new online materials you may find interesting. Enjoy, and come back often.

NEW PEOPLE

We've been remiss in not introducing you to our newest associate: James Forth, carrying on the family tradition of Aarluk consultancy established by his dad. James has been involved in education and training in Nunavut for the past seven years, including program delivery, management and design for the GNWT, GN and Kakivak Association. He participated in the design, implementation and management of the Nunavut Executive MBA program, the first University Graduate program delivered in Nunavut. While with Kakivak Association, James played an important role in the implementation and management of the National Parks Economic Opportunities Fund as provisioned under the Inuit Impact Benefit Agreement for the Qikiqtaluuk National Parks. Along with this fund, James has also managed several other training and business development funds throughout the Qikiqtaluuk region.

James holds a B.A. in Industrial Relations with a double minor in Business and Economics. He also has a Canadian Certified Teaching Degree and is a Commercially Licensed Helicopter Pilot and - best of all - a Certified Diving Instructor.

NEW PROJECTS

The Aurora Group (Aarluk, Earthlore and Akhaliak) Senior Officials' workshop on Risk Communications in Nunavut is now fully booked, with a growing waiting list. Risk communication is a specialized approach to information management that ensures audiences receive information prepared specially for them, in a climate of trust and transparency. The workshop will be presented in Iqaluit by communications consultant Clive Tesar on February 16-17, 2005.

Ron Ryan will be working with BEAHR (Building Environmental Aboriginal Human Resources), a joint initiative with the Canadian Council for Human Resources in the Environmental Industry (CCHEI) and the Aboriginal Human Resource Development Sector Council of Canada. The long-term goal is to have 6,000 Aboriginal people employed in the environmental sector within 15 years. Ron recently provided expertise and support at a meeting in Prince George, BC.  Participants at the meeting were representatives from CCHEI, College of New Caledonia (CNC), the local Aboriginal Human Resources Development Agreement holder (PGNAETA) and local forestry companies, the focus of the meeting was the restructuring of an existing Forestry Technology Program to better meet the needs of Aboriginal learners as a pilot project.  If successful there could be other such arrangements across the country.

And from the West Coast to the Maritimes... Ron Ryan, Mary Kritz and David Boult will be working with the Listuguj Mi'gmaq Government to revise policies, procedures and job descriptions.

ONGOING PROJECTS

Terry Rudden is working this month with CPAC, the national Cable Political Affairs Channel, on a revision of their human resources policies and procedures.

Terry Rudden, Patti Black and Mary Kritz have completed the design of a half-day workshop for non-Inuit supervisors on DEW Line Clean-up sites. The workshop explores culturally appropriate strategies for leadership in the workplace.

Aarluk continues delivering workshops for Arctic College and the Municipal Training Organization of Nunavut as part of an extensive training program for municipal employees in 12 communities. This class in Resolute Bay studied Management Communications with Aarluk facilitator James Forth.

 

 

Work is proceeding on the draft final report of the evaluation of the Inuktitut component of the Canada-Nunavut Cooperation Agreement on Official Languages.  The project is being managed by Greg Smith, for the Government of Nunavut Department of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth (CLEY).  Representatives of the federal Department of Canadian Heritage are also involved in the project steering committee.  The Agreement provides funding for projects in Nunavut to support Inuktitut.

 

Greg Smith and Carol Rowan are continuing to work with Avataq Cultural Institute on developing a strategic plan.  This includes helping to position language, culture and Avataq itself in the planning process for the Nunavik Government.  In January, Avataq representatives and Greg and Carol met with members of the Inuit negotiating team to discuss progress of the negotiations, to present findings of consultations in Nunavik (northern Quebec) undertaken as part of the planning process, and to consider Avataq's potential role and positon in the Nunavik government.  Protection and enhancement of the Inuktitut langauge was the number one priority of those consulted.

Aarluk continued work on the Nunavut Heritage Sector Needs Assessment and Strategic Plan.  The project, initiated by Inuit Heritage Trust on behalf of Nunavut's heritage organizations, begain in November 2004.  Chris Grosset and Ryan Lotan undertook the heritage needs assessment in December, with findings to be reviewed during the heritage sector strategic planning workshop in Iqaluit from January.

HAPPY ENDINGS

Aarluk Consulting Inc. has completed the Final Report on the Evaluation of the Benefits and Measures provided under the Canada-Nunavut Labour Market Development Agreement. Greg Smith managed the project.  Research for the evaluation, which was conducted for the federal Department of Human Resoruces and Skills Development (HRSDC), took place over 18 months.  Aarluk collaborated with Transpolar Technologies and EKOS Research Associates.  Other members of the Aarluk team included Terry Forth, Helen Klengenberg, Fred Weihs, Ryan Lotan, Robert Higgins, David Boult and Jonah Kilabuk.

GOSSIP

As is appropriate for the longest, darkest month of the year, January yielded a fabulous harvest of minor disasters. Ron had a hernia operation (he's fine), Chris Grosset got hit by a car (he's fine), and Leslie shmucked her license plate driving into a snowbank in the Consilium parking lot. But by far the most depressing event of all...

Terrilynn Chiasson, our office administrator, will be leaving Consilium at the end of February: she'll be moving to Markham, Ont., as her partner Laurent begins a new job. Terrilynn has been an important member of our team, from occasional to part time to nearly full time, for almost five years now. Her hard work, versatility, knowledge of Korean food, sense of humour, and uncanny ability to decrypt Ron's flipcharts are just some of the assets that made her a valued member of the Consilium family. We thank her for those five years, and wish her all the best in her new home.

Aarluk is currently recruiting a consultant to help manage the expansion of our Iqaluit office. See the Nunatsiaq News website www.nunatsiaq.com/CurentAds/jobs for further details.

Sorry, we couldn't resist providing one more piece of Leap Day Trivia. The most famous Leap Day baby was Adolph Blaine Charles David Earl Frederick Gerald Hubert Irvin John Kenneth Lloyd Martin Nero Oliver Paul Quincy Randolph Sherman Thomas Uncas Victor William Xerxes Yancy Zeus Wolfeschlegelsteinhausenberdorft, Sr., born on February 29, 1904 near Hamburg, Germany. In later life Adolph shortened his name to "Mr Wolfe Plus 585, Sr."

 

Chris ("Crash") Grosset thought he had ducked the Newsletter Birthday Research Group...and then blew it by bringing in birthday muffins.  Happy belated one, Crash.

 

And, perennial February Birthdayist Mary Ann Dohler, Founding Mother of the Accounting Department, celebrates on February 9th...St. Maron's Day.  St. Maron, as you all know, was praised for "always seeking for new ways to accumulate all the treasurers of wisdom"...just what you want in an accountant.

ONE YEAR AGO

Chris Grosset begain working for Aarluk Consulting.

 

TEN YEARS AGO

 

 

 

 

Terry Rudden began to work with Tanya Koenig, David Forster and Lougheed and Associates on the concept and design of a national website for Aboriginal youth. The site evolved into the Aboriginal Youth Network, and won a Microsoft International Award for Public Service websites.

 

 

 

 

 

Fred Weihs was working with Robert Higgins of Sinaaq Enterprises, David Boult of Boult and Associates, and Peter Usher of P.J. Usher Consulting Services on A Review and Assessment of the Economic Utilization and Potential of Country Food in the Northern Economy for the Royal Commission on Aboriginal People, which looked at the economic significance and potentail of country food for Aboriginal eople in Labrador, Northern Quebec, Nunavut, Northwest Territories and Yukon.

 

Greg Smith had just completed a project acting as Principal Advisory and Speaker for the first Cree Communications Symposium, linking nine Quebec Cree communities and the main site in Montreal by video and audio conference.  Presenters from Newfoundland to Alberta provided information and demonstrations of new communications technologies and uses.  Cutting-edge technologies at the time included videoconferencing (which was shortly afterwards adopted by the Cree School Board for distance education in all Cree communities), and something new called the "Internet".  The presenter claimed that this "Internet" would apparently enable people in different locations to somehow connect their computers together to communicate with each other.  In fact, he actually claimed that soon people would be using some form of electronic mail that would replace fax machines as a standard means of sharing information over distances.

TWENTY YEARS AGO

SPOT THE PARTNER: The London Derrières premiered on Robbie Burns Day, 1985, at Nakasuk School in Iqaluit, not quite launching the Celto-Inuit fusion music craze that didn't entirely take the world by storm. From left to right: Chris "Fingers" Beckett, Mark "Bela" Sandiford; Keith "The Hammer" MacNeill: and Terry "Why Don't I Have an IBC Sweatshirt?" Rudden.

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