Our Featured Celebration

 

March 1st is International Pig Day. This seemingly benign holiday has been the flashpoint for international controversy since 2004, when Chinese scientists requested that the un-named 900-kilogram pig pictured here be recognized by Guinness as the world's largest, replacing the previous title holder, the late "Big Bill" of Tennessee (b. 1927, d. 1933). Proponents of the Chinese contender heatedly note their candidate's superior length, and point out the anecdotal nature of Big Bill's Claims. The deceased challenger himself is taking no part in the controversy: he was stuffed upon his demise, and currently awaits the judges' decision, happy as a pig in a display case, at the Liaoning Provincial Agricultural Museum.

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

Long time Nunavut consultant and manager Chuck Gilhuly will be stepping down from his position at the helm of the Municipal Training Organization to manage the Consilium Consulting Group.

Mr. Gilhuly, who holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Athabasca University, moved to Nunavut with the Hudson's Bay Company in 1981. Since then he has worked in a wide range of consulting, management, government and training positions. Most recently he established, and served as Executive Director of, the Municipal Training Organization, coordinating the delivery of training to hundreds of hamlet employees across Nunavut.

Mr. Gilhuly says he's looking forward to this new challenge. "For me, it's the best of all worlds", he said. "I'm joining a team with a twenty year history of commitment to building Nunavut, and I get to keep up my connection with the Territory - and at the same time, I'll have the opportunity to apply some of what Nunavut has taught me to projects right across Canada. I think we'll be doing some great things."

NEW PROJECTS      

Jennifer David, with assistance from Ron Ryan, is organizing a one-day workshop for the Alliance of Sector Councils on Aboriginal Employment. Approximately 30 sector councils, three or four AHRDAs and others involved in Aboriginal employment, will be on hand on March 8 for presentations on topics such as "Aboriginal Engagement 101" and "The Economic Imperative of Aboriginal recruitment, employment and retention" and will hear best practices from three sector councils currently working on Aboriginal initiatives.

This just in ... As this month's Newsletter was being put to bed word reached your tireless editor of a new contract awarded to Blackstone Corporation and Aarluk Consulting to undertake a Nunavut Tourism Renewal study on behalf of the Department of Economic Development and Transportation.

Blackstone led by Principals, Sally Davidson and Barbara Lamb is a Toronto-based Tourism Consultancy firm with world-wide experience. The Aarluk Team of Chris Grosset, Helen Klengenberg, Terry Forth, James Arreak and Johnny Ningeongan will join Barbara and Sally in undertaking this important endeavour designed to examine and propose ways of updating the institutional and legal/regulatory framework that governs tourism management in Nunavut. Work will get underway in early March. (As soon as Chris Grosset returns to Iqaluit following his own recent tourism experience in Cuba). Pictured right:  Iqaluit, Nunavut
  

 

ONGOING PROJECTS

 

Terry Rudden has been working with Lorne Kusugak, CEO of the Nunavut Implementation Training Committee, on a series of stakeholder meetings to help strengthen training within organizations involved in implementing the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement. A first meeting with representatives of the Wildlife Sector has held in Rankin Inlet on February 20th, and further meetings are planned with other organizations. The recommendations drawn from these meetings will be reviewed by NITC as part of its planning process.

 

Chris Grosset and Jane Chapman of Consilium are continuing to work with Parks Canada Agency on the preparation of the Parks Canada Guide to Management Planning. Consilium previously worked on preparation and presentation of a Technical Annex which is being incorporated in the current Guide. Pictured left:  Auyuttiq National Park in Nunavut

 

Fred Weihs and Alex Ker of Consilium, working in association with Neil Westoll and Jim Theriault of Gartner Lee Limited, have completed work with the Lands Department of Sagamok Anishnawbek First Nation on development of a job description and workplan for a Mineral Development Liaison Coordinator . The Liaison Coordinator will assist with planning for future minerals development and act as Liaison with mining companies active in the area in mineral exploration and mine development. 

 

     

            

An Aarluk team headed by Terry Forth and including James Arreak, James Forth, Ron Ryan, Johnny Ningeonan, Chris Cloutier and Terry Rudden, is preparing draft findings for the Nunavut Economic Forum following a study of the not-for-profit sector in Nunavut. The report will help organizations to better understand the challenges they face, and to deliver services and programs in a way that makes effective use of their limited financial and resource capacities.

                            

Patti Black and Greg Smith are wrapping up their report to the Western Ottawa Community Resource Centre (WOCRC). They will be providing a comprehensive evaluation framework for the $4.6 million dollar social service agency.

The members of the research team for the Formative Evaluation of the AHRDAs (Aboriginal Human Resource Development Agreements) are working intensively to complete their "evidence matrixes". These are lengthy excel spreadsheets into which all information gathered from interviews, focus groups and document reviews is input and summarised. Once finalised these become the basis for writing up the fourteen case study reports. The reports to client HRSDC will also include socio-economic profiles prepared by Fred Weihs, Ryan Lotan and Chris Cloutier, and detailed data analysis and client profiles prepared by EKOS Research Associates. Greg Smith is the Project Manager.

 

GOSSIP

 

 

Chris Cloutier, our researcher, is the willing guinea pig in a little experiment in social engineering. As Consilium's last smoker, he's been on a planned reduction campaign, and if all goes well, we'll be bringing you a photo of his ceremonial last cigarette next month. This announcement, of course, is just another attempt to heighten the public shame and humiliation should he fail in his heroic attempt. All recovering smokers are urged to send Chris a note of encouragement via cloutier@consilium.ca

 

 

Greg ("Chris") Smith recently attended the annual conference of the Canadian Evaluation Society's National Capital Chapter, where he participated in workshops on the peer review process and on renewal of the federal government's evaluation policy.

Ian ("Chris") Kenney took part in a one-day workshop on developing Results Based Management and Accountability Frameworks (RMAF's), which was organized by the National Capital Chapter of the Canadian Evaluation Society. Ian attended as a stand-in for Patti ("Chris") Black, who was snowed in at her rural home north of Kingston that day.

 

 

The Consilium AGM was held in February at St. Crispin Towers on historic Gladstone Avenue. New policies were reviewed and passed, audits were approved, and...oh, yeah...a General Manager was hired. See above. (Seated, L-R) Chris Grosset, Fred Weihs, Greg Smith. (Standing, L-R) Terry Rudden, Patricia Black, David Boult, Ron Ryan)

 

 

The Aarluk Iqaluit office has been pleased to have had their itinerant Associate Consultant, James Forth, on location for most of January and February. James has been actively involved in the NEF study on Not-For-Profit Organizations in Nunavut (see above) as well as assisting with the planning for a Community Economic Development training workshop for the Municipality of Hall Beach, and a business planning project in Rankin Inlet with Fred Weihs. James is now heading south and will be flying a survey helicopter in his relentless pursuit of diamonds along the elusive kimberlite trail of the NWT and Nunavut barrens.  Pictured left: James in his helicopter (not exactly as illustrated), right:  trail of kimberlite fragments.

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