Our Featured Celebration

The entire month of March is dedicated to Pet Sitters, a proud and largely unrecognized calling, with its own special and surprising niches. In California, for example, there are at least two rival organizations competing in the highly specialized field of Post-Rapture Pet Care. For a slight extra fee, they will undertake to dispatch a team to collect and care for your pet if the Rapture occurs, you get taken up, and your pet is left behind. No indication yet of when or whether the service will be available in Canada, but we’ll let you know.

NEW LOOK

 

With the assistance of our graphic design team, Stonecircle is well into the creation of a new logo and promotional material.  Be on the lookout for a whole new look coming to you sometime in April.  And there's a rumour going around about an official Stonecircle launch party, also in April.  Stay tuned....

 

 

NEW PROJECTS 

From our “Why Do Some People Get ALL the Really Cool Gigs?” File: Stonecircle’s cultural standard bearer Jennifer David gets to hobnob with Canada’s Aboriginal Arts elite this spring as part of a promotional project with the Aboriginal Arts Secretariat at the Canada Council for the Arts.  Jennifer will interview dozens of artists and coordinate the production of a promotional booklet, highlighting the work of Canadian Aboriginal artists and arts organizations. 

Leslie Sutherland and Terry Rudden are working with Christine Lund and Morgan Hare of Tungasuvvingat Inuit in planning T.I's Inuit Spring Equinox Celebration; the event beginning at 6:30 p.m. on March 20th will be emceed by Susan Aglukark in the Ellwood Hall of the Jim Durrell Recreation Centre, 1265 Walkley Road, Ottawa. The event will raise awareness of the rich Inuit culture and  traditions, and will include a sample of arctic foods, drum dancing, throat singing and performances by a variety of Inuit artists. This event is sponsored by the Ontario Community Builders Program through the Ministry of Citizenship, Government of Ontario. Pictured left:  Susan Aglukark.

 

Fred Weihs, Chris Grosset, Ryan Lotan and Geoff Rigby of Aarluk Consulting are working together with one of Canada’s leading authorities on wildlife management, Professor George Wenzel of the Department of Geography, McGill University, on a project for the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board. The NWMB serves as the central agency responsible for wildlife management within the Nunavut Settlement Area. The project will carry out a critical review of the use of traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) in the management of wildlife in Nunavut and other parts of the circumpolar region, and will compile a database of resource materials relating to the use of TEK in the management of wildlife.

                        

In October 2007, Fred Weihs, Terry Forth and Ryan Lotan completed a major business development plan for Naegha Zhia Inc., the development corporation of the Katlodeeche First Nation in Hay River, NWT. The business planning assisted Naegha Zhia with the establishment and operation of Hay River Castle Building Supplies, a supplier of Castle Building Products and Emercor Structural Insulated Panels. As followup in 2008, Fred will be facilitating a series of Board development workshops with NZI, beginning with a session on venture identification and assessment.

Ian Kenney is once again working with the National Aboriginal Health Organization (NAHO), this time facilitating a 3-day workshop on the impacts of resource extraction activities on the health of Aboriginal people and their communities. The workshop, to be held in Ottawa on March 5, 6 and 7, will bring together community leaders, representatives from government and industry, and health practitioners, to identify best practices, and to create a network to share experiences in the years ahead.

 

ONGOING PROJECTS

   

Members of a large Stonecircle Consulting Inc. research team have completed field work for the Summative Evaluation of the AHRDAs (Aboriginal Human Resource Development Agreement Holders), being done jointly with TNS Canadian Facts. Members of the team held 18 focus groups with clients of AHRDAs throughout Canada (6 Provinces and 2 Territories), conducted 34 key informant interviews and did a literature and document review. Project Manager Greg Smith has been working with a team that rivals the road company of “Mama Mia” for size (and musical talent): David Boult, Ryan Lotan, Jennifer David, Stephanie Irlbacher-Fox, Ian Kenney, Terry Rudden, Alex Ker, Fern Assinewe, Sonya Howard, Marla Limousin, Chris Cloutier and Kent Brown are all working on the project. The project will be completed by May 31, 2008.

      

As part of the project, Peripatetic Consiliumite David Boult undertook a mini-tour of three Nunavik communities in mid-February. The tour was part of an important summative evaluation of the Kativik Regional Government’s Aboriginal Human Resource Development Agreement. Highlights of the trip included not getting caught in a blizzard in Inukjuak, meeting dozens of Nunavimmiut, and seeing beautiful Kangiqsualujjuaq. David was surprised to learn that, after spending weeks trying to pronounce Kangiqsualujjuaq (pictured above), everyone in town calls it by its former name - George River. Very practical folks, those Kangiqsualujjuammiut.

 

        

Alex Ker and Fred Weihs continue to work with Sagamok Anisnawbek First Nation on its mineral initiatives. Negotiations to conclude impact and benefit agreements with two companies that are establishing mines in Sagamok traditional territory are continuing. Discussions are also underway with other companies conducting exploration work in the territory. The First Nation is proceeding with development of a business strategy for the mineral sector, and other activities to build Sagamok’s capacity are being planned for the spring and summer, including completion of a traditional ecological knowledge study in areas of active exploration. Alex will be attending a strategy session with Chief and Council this month, and continues to coordinate negotiations and mineral industry relations. The Consilium team has established a partnership with Neil Westoll and Jim Theriault of Gartner Lee Limited. Neil and Jim provide advice on environmental and related technical issues arising either from negotiations or mining company environmental plans and permits. 

 

Terry Rudden will be heading to Rankin Inlet this week to work with a team of RWO and NIWS staff on 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.

 

HAPPY ENDINGS

Aarluk completed the Coral Harbour Five Year Community Economic Development Plan. This report was prepared under the guidance of the Hamlet Council’s Economic Development Committee of the Hamlet Council of Coral Harbour: Louisa Kudlak, Rhoda Angootealuk and Doreen Siutinuar.  The Aarluk project team of Terry Forth, Chris Grosset and Christian Cloutier were supported by Johnny Ningeongan and Teresa Thompson (who recently left the Community Economic Development Officer position).  The team wishes to thank community members, representatives of community organizations, and representatives of Government of Nunavut departments and other regional organizations that provided information during the community consultations for development of the community economic development plan.

Terry Rudden worked last month with Tungasuvvingat Inuit (TI), an organization offering a wide range of programs and services to the Inuit of Ontario. The expanding Inuit population, and the growing number of people moving south for school, health care or work is creating a significant demand for TI’s services right across the country: Terry worked with Morgan Hare, Jason Leblanc and the TI Board of Directors on some possible models for extending the service on a national scale.

 

GOSSIP

STOP THE PRESSES! Consilium quintenarian Ryan Lotan and his lovely partner Leila will (some say ‘finally’) be married on July 19th, this summer. Having planned and MC’d what seems like dozens of weddings over the last few years, Ryan had the entire event planned, booked and taken care of before springing the news on his family. (You have told them, right, Ryan? They’re not reading it in here, are they?) We wish for our Consilium brother that the merging of these ventures yield rich dividends of joy in the Great Consulting Firm Of Life.

 

 

 

And on the connubial bliss front - we’re delighted to congratulate our old associate James Forth on his marriage to his lovely new wife Gigi in New York City on January 22. They met while scuba diving, yet another argument for this most splendid of sports. Please join us in wishing them both every happiness and many dives in the years ahead.

 

 

 

 

Consilium Takes The Keg By Storm: Things have changed since 1995, when Consilium was so busy we held our Christmas dinner in June of 1997 (those dates ARE correct). With each passing year, we creep closer and closer towards actually holding our staff Christmas party during the Christmas season.  Last year, we celebrated Christmas poolside in the summer; this year, Christmas was celebrated at The Keg in February.

Juicy steak, airy persiflage and witty banter, Keg-sized beverages and great company made for a relaxing evening full of laughter and merriment.  Later in the evening, the festivities moved over to the pool hall for those hearty souls intent on practicing their rusty trigonometry skills and Brooklyn accents.

             

And perhaps one year – who knows? We may even celebrate Christmas at Christmas….Consilium, Aarluk and Stone-circle partners and staff not exactly as pictured above.

 

THIRTY YEARS AGO

Last month we challenged you to identify this young consultant-to-be and his Volkswagen. We got four guesses…all wrong. It’s Greg Smith. You were no doubt deceived by the sight of his chin, which, despite its beardly concealment for the last quarter century, is herein proved to exist.
 

TEN YEARS AGO

In a timely echo of our latest project (see above), Terry and Leslie began planning with NTI ten years ago for a “Countdown To Nunavut” bash, an awareness raising feast and performance held at the Museum of Nature. The event drew media, members of Parliament and Senators, and Ottawa’s Inuit community, and featured some of Nunavut’s best known traditional and modern performers. A grand time was had by all.   Nunavut Flag: Arnaud Leroy, April 1, 1999.

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