Our Featured Celebration

 

Every once in a while the Newsletter Research and Editorial Team stumbles across a calendrical factoid that seems, in some oblique way, to hint at larger meanings. Did you know, for example, that World Teddy Bear Day is celebrated on November 18th, but that American Teddy Bears have their own holiday on November 14th – an oddity which prompts such socio-political musings as "Were the bears themselves consulted on this? Should Canada be contemplating its own breakaway Teddy Bear Festival? And what is the position of the U.N.?"  (That's Ursine Nations, of course…)

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 PROJECTS      

Terry Forth, James Arreak and Christian Cloutier break ground this month on a new project focusing on the Nunavut based activities of the Northern Contaminants Program (NCP). Following review of various studies conducted to date they will be producing a series of Community Fact Sheets and a Discussion Paper summarizing the current status of the NCP initiatives in Nunavut. Active players on NCP include INAC, NTI and the Nunavut Research Institute.

 

James Arreak facilitated a strategic planning workshop for the Inuit Broadcasting Corporation in Iqaluit, rekindling a corporate connection between IBC and the Consilium Consulting Group team members that goes back (gasp) twenty five years.

 

 

Fred Weihs will be working as part of the research and negotiating team of Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. on an agreement between NTI and Indian and Northern Affairs Canada for the cleanup of contaminated sites in Nunavut for which INAC has primary responsibility. Fred previously worked with the NTI team that negotiated the very successful economic and environmental cleanup agreements between NTI and the Department of National Defence for the clean-up of the DND DEW Line sites in Nunavut.

ONGOING PROJECTS

Aarluk's Terry2 (Rudden and Forth) are completing a second draft of the draft strategy for the management of contaminated sites in Nunavut, working a Committee of Government of Nunavut senior managers.

The ARDOS office resembles a Cape Canaveral ready room just before shuttle launch as the teams prepare to hit the road for the data collection phase of the national formative evaluation of the Aborigtinal Human Resources Development Agreements. The Project Manager is Greg Smith, who is playing Control Tower to airborne researchers heading out the far corners of the country. This month's travel includes Valerie Assinewe (travelling to PEI), Ron Ryan and Ryan Lotan (Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Labrador), David Boult (Whitehorse), and Fern Assinewe (Yellowknife and Tlicho, NWT). Closer to home, Alex Ker and Jennifer David have been conducting interviews in Toronto and other locations, with Kim Ghostkeeper working n Edmonton and Calgary, and Bill Vass in BC. When you add Ian Kenney's trip to Iqaluit, James Arreak's trip to Pangnirtung, and David Boult's trip to Kuujjuaq and Salluit to the total, the team has logged approximately 9% more air miles that the Rolling Stones' last tour. Meanwhile, on the deskbound side of the project, Fred Weihs completed the project literature review with assistance from Jennifer David.  Pictured above right: David Boult performing his celebrated Bono Impersonation in Salluit, Nunavik.

 

Chris Grosset and Marla Limousin received approval of the final draft interpretive panels for the Fossil Creek interpretive hiking trail outside of Coral Harbour, Nunavut.  The client, Nunavut Parks and Special Places, have accepted the design and content of the interpretive program which is focused on the exceptional fossil beds found at Fossil Creek.  The interpretive program will teach visitors about the geological and palaeontological history of Southampton Island.  The next step for the project will be community approval of the seven interpretive signs and a full-colour poster brochure.  It is anticipated that the signs will be produced and installed at the site next year.  Pictured above left:  A partial section of an Endoceras Nautiloid. right:  Paleontologist Dr. Godfrey Nowlan examines the strata in Fossil Creek.

 

HAPPY ENDINGS

 

Ian Kenney, Ron Ryan, Leslie Sutherland and a cast of thousands helped to organize, plan and facilitate the Red Deer Alberta Workforce Connex Forum (www.workforceconnex.com), the most recent in a series of regional meetings that link employers to new regional partners and solutions for employment training, recruitment and retention. More than 220 participants from government, employers, and AHRDA agreement holders across the province attended, making this the largest Forum held so far in Canada. Pictured left: facilitators at the Red Deer forum.

 

Greg Smith facilitated another successful meeting on the Victor Diamond Mine project in Attawapiskat recently. Representatives of several federal government departments, provincial ministries, De Beers, and James Bay Coast First Nations met in Attawapiskat to review the draft follow-up agreement on environmental monitoring of the mining project. The agreement framework was developed at a similar session in Attawapiskat last year. Here's Greg, boarding the Twin Otter in Sudbury to Attawapiskat and return via, Timmins, Cochrane, Moosonee, and Ft. Albany.

 

Aarluk Consulting has completed a major report on The Economic Feasibility of Caribou and Muskox Harvests in Nunavut for the Department of Economic Development and Transportation of the Government of Nunavut. The report examines two large commercial wildlife harvests in Nunavut to assess the level of benefits for communities and for Nunavut as a whole generated through government investment in the harvests, as well as the potential for future commercial viability. The Aarluk team included Fred Weihs as Project Manager, David Boult, Terry Forth, James Arreak, Robert Higgins, Ryan Lotan, Ian Kenney, and Terry Rudden.

 

 

Ron Ryan facilitated a second workshop for Kakivak Association (the first one was held in the fall of 2004) for Community Liaison Officers (CLOs) who are employees of the QlA but work for Kakivak two days per week (This year's CLO's pictured right). The workshop reviewed the operations of Kakivak Association, and helped to ensure that the CLOs have enough information on Kakivak's programs, services, and procedures to be effective at the community level.

 

The final five year Community Economic Development Plan for Rankin inlet has been completed by Aarluk Consulting.  The project team of Ron Ryan, Chris Grosset, Marla Limousin, Ryan Lotan, Christian Cloutier, Jennifer Bradshaw and Leslie Sutherland put the finishing touches on the communities comprehensive plan in late October.  under the guidance of Rankin's Community Economic Development Officer, Charlotte Hickes, the plan details goals and implementation actions for the local economy, including mining, arts & crafts, tourism, small business and eight other economic sectors.  Throughout the project the team noted the optimism of local stakeholders on the economic future of the community - the team looks forward to seeing Rankin Inlet achieve it's economic aspirations!

 

TEN YEARS AGO THIS MONTH

Consilium planned, co-ordinated and directed a live videoconference event linking the international conference site of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in Montreal with Iqaluit, Nunavut, including participation of scientists, Inuit wildlife managers and schoolchildren at each end to discuss traditional and scientific knowledge, and co-management of environments and wildlife.

 

BIRTHDAYS

We failed to mention the third category of Teddy Bear Celebration: November 5th marks the birthday of Christian (Ti-Chris) Cloutier, newest addition to the Consilium family. November the 5th is, as you all know, Guy Fawkes Day, the anniversary of an attempt to blow up Westminster Palace with Gunpowder. We would like to assure any officials reading this newsletter and connected with the processing of Christian's security clearance that he would never DREAM of doing such a thing.

GOSSIP       

 

While we've only one birthday in November, we do, however, have something just as momentous…our first Consilium Wedding. As your reporter revealed last month in a Consilium Newsletter World Exclusive, Ian Kenney and his enchanting fiancée Annie will be setting sail upon the Sea of Wedded Bliss on November 17. His friends and associates gathered in late October to celebrate this passage. (Further Consilium gossip re the upcoming wedding: rumours abound that Fred Weihs and the notorious Paddies on the Tundra may actually be reuniting for the occasion.)

Congratulations to Chris Grosset, who was recently appointed to the Board of Directors for the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects (CSLA). Chris will represent the Nunavut Association of Landscape Architects (NuALA) on national issues concerning the design, development and protection of landscape and the environment.

 

Our Consilium Papparazo caught this shot of the Aarluk team at last month's Habitat for Humanity Iqaluit Invitational Golf Tournament, held this year on October 12th in Gatineau Quebec. Team Aarluk (pictured right) featured Ron (Tiger) Ryan, Morgan (Tiger) Hare, Daryl (Tiger) Dibblee and Terry (Tiger) Forth. How did the all-star ensemble make out? Tsk. Why are people always so obsessed with numbers? It's not always about WINNING, for heaven's sake. Right, guys?

 

 

 

Proud parents Ron Ryan and Josephine Fitzgerald beam at the graduation of daughter (and occasional Consilium Admin Assistant, AND part time rock and roll tour photographer) Anna Claire Ryan, who received her Honours Degree in International Development from Dalhousie University in October.

 

 

 

 

He had to haul his instructor from the bottom of a quarry and drag him to shore while administering artificial respiration, put in ninety hours of class time, do roughly eighteen hours of pool work, and learn how to deal with virtually everything that can go wrong with a student underwater – but thanks to the patience and skills of trainers Ken Smith, Marc Grondin and Bill McLean of Burton's Dive Service, Terry Rudden (not quite as pictured left) is now a certified Dive Instructor.

 

 

 

 

WE HAVE A WINNER!

 

               
 

 

 

Last Month we ran this photo with an invitation to provide an appropriate caption. The winning entry was submitted by Faithful Reader May Toulouse, and read simply: "It's obviously - sole". May is the proud winner of an Official Consilium Pen and Scratch Pad, the Pen and Scratch Pad set preferred by superior note-takers everywhere.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

          

            

 

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