Our Featured Celebration

November 6th is National Men Make Dinner Day. A bit annoyed by the subtle sexism implied by the very existence of this holiday, we conducted a quick, informal poll, and confirmed that 88% of the males of Consilium, Aarluk and Stonecircle (including spouses) claim to cook regularly at home. The editor collected the following gastronomic tips from our Team of X-Chromosome Consultant Gourmets:

 

You can save time, water and napkins by eating directly out of the can, standing over the sink. It’s quick, it’s sanitary, and if you have a double sink, it can be a charmingly romantic experience. Don’t forget to use a potholder if the can is hot!

Ordering pizza counts as “cooking” if you sprinkle your own red pepper on it.

For a delightful and impressive special-occasion feast, embellish that Kraft Dinner with a special seasonal garnish: a hard boiled egg for Easter, a sprig of pine at Christmas, a birthday candle, etc.

NEW FACES

 

Stonecircle would like to welcome our newest researcher, Patty Saulis! Patty is Maliseet, from the Tobique First Nation in New Brunswick. She comes to us with a background in Aboriginal health and social research and an interest and experience in community and economic development. We look forward to working with her as Stonecircle begins marketing our services throughout Ontario over the next year.

 

One new face in our community of faithful readers may be – yours. We’ve added quite a few subscribers, many of whom are folks who are interested in Aboriginal issues, or people who have worked in the past with Stonecircle’s manager Jennifer David.  If you do not wish to receive this newsletter (and believe us, no grudge will be held, truly) email Leslie Sutherland, Keeper of the Lists, at sutherland@consilium.ca.

NEW BEGINNINGS

Aarluk’s Chris Grosset is assisting the Nunavut Parks and Special Places Division, Department of Environment, to update their Nunavut Parks Signage Manual. The project will update signage standards and designs, reflecting current materials and fabrication methods used in Nunavut, and help the Division implement a more efficient tendering process for future signage contracts.

Six years ago Stonecircle Manager Jennifer David helped produce the videos featured in the First Peoples Hall (pictured right) of the Canadian Museum of Civilization. Now Jennifer will be doing research, conducting interviews, and providing some art direction for a brand new audio guide to the exhibits.

ONGOING PROJECTS

Consilium, with Gartner Lee Limited’s Yellowknife office and Northways Consulting, is preparing a training strategy for the GNWT’s Department of Environment and Natural Resources. The Strategy will focus on developing human resource competencies in areas related to occupational health and safety, and competencies required by field officers holding appointments under federal and territorial legislation. Through September and October, Alex Ker has been conducting key informant interviews with ENR officials and assessing current and required competencies.

Aarluk continues its evaluation of the Gas Tax and Public Transit Fund (GTF) in Nunavut. Results of key informant interviews, data analysis and case studies prepared with input from Chuck Gilhuly, Geoff Rigby and Chris Cloutier are being brought together by Alex Ker in a draft report which will assess the outcomes and effectiveness of the GTF program and the extent to which projects meet local needs and contribute to environmentally sustainable municipal infrastructure in Nunavut communities. The draft report will be presented to the Nunavut Community Infrastructure Advisory Committee in late November.

Stonecircle’s Jennifer David has completed biographies of twenty four Aboriginal artists and is about to start work with a graphic designer to create a promotional book on Aboriginal art in Canada, for the Canada Council for the Arts. (Pictured left and right; carvings from the Free Spirit Art Gallery.)

 

Christian (Clootch) Cloutier et Blair Stevenson de Silta Associates ont soumis une deuxième ébauche de la Déclaration de Champlain : Un cadre politique pour l’activité physique et la saine alimentation en milieu scolaire au Conseil scolaire de district catholique de l’Est ontarien et au Conseil des écoles publiques de l’Est de l’Ontario. La Déclaration, une initiative du Réseau de prévention des maladies cardiovasculaires de la région de Champlain (RPMCC), cherche l’engagement des neuf conseils scolaires de la région pour promouvoir une alimentation saine et l’activité physique en milieu scolaire.

Project Manager Greg Smith and Clootch have put the final touches on the Inuit Firm Registry Survey Draft Report and have resubmitted it to Atuqtuarvik Corporation for approval. The report profiles registered Inuit Firms.

Consilium’s support of Sagamok Anishnawbek’s mining initiatives continued in October with the preparation of a mining position paper in consultation with Chief, Council and members of the Mining Working Group for submission to the Government of Ontario. Alex Ker (pictured right) attended a one-day session with Chief and Council on a business strategy and corporate organizational structure through which the First Nation can better access and manage emerging economic opportunities and partnerships in the mining sector. Consilium provides project management and advisory support to Sagamok in the negotiation of MOUs and impact and benefits agreements with mining companies, as well as community capacity-building projects.

Ron Ryan and Geoff Rigby are currently drafting a report on Inuit youth and disabled Inuit youth for Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK). The report lists and describes education and training programs and opportunities for Inuit youth and disabled Inuit youth throughout Canada’s arctic. The goal is to help build capacity in Inuit communities by helping these youth find the support they need in order to become socially and economically involved.

             

Stonecircle’s Process and Evaluation of the National Aboriginal Health Organization (NAHO) continues, with document review, interviews with management, staff, partners, board members and other stakeholders, as well as a case study on an Inuit midwifery project partially completed. Greg Smith is Project Manager, and team members include Jennifer David, Patty Saulis and David Boult.

HAPPY ENDINGS

Stonecircle and sister companies are sad to say goodbye to researcher Alisa Lombard. We enjoyed working with her but she was lured away with an offer from the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade to work on international indigenous issues. We wish her the best of luck!

Chuck Gilhuly and Patti Black coordinated the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of Senior Administrative Officers (SAOs) from across the territory for the Nunavut Association of Municipal Administrators (NAMA) October 1-4 in Rankin Inlet. The four-day AGM, which included presentations and discussion sessions addressing issues of common interest and concern, began with a presentation on Canada-wide municipal administration issues by guest speaker Jim Toye (City Manager for North Battleford, Saskatchewan and Nunavut representative on the Canadian Association of Municipal Administrators) and closed-off at the Sugar Rush Café with a fabulous banquet and a hysterical live comedy routine courtesy of Gerry “The Big Bear” Barrett from Winnipeg (pictured right).

Stonecircle Manager Jennifer David has submitted the final annual report of Health Canada’s successful Aboriginal Head Start on Reserve program.

Ron Ryan and Leslie Sutherland assisted Jason LeBlanc and Morgan Hare of Tungasuvvingat Inuit (TI) in the planning, preparation and facilitation of a 3-day Urban Inuit Employment and Training Service Joint Planning Session. The meeting, held in Winnipeg earlier this week, brought together representatives from Winnipeg and Edmonton along with Kivalliq Partners in Development, Kitikmeot Economic Development Commission and TI to discuss the best ways to provide employment and training services for Inuit who live in these cities and plan for the future.

GOSSIP

Following his outstanding performance as guest editor during Terry’s holiday last month, Charles Foster Clootch has been promoted to the coveted position of Assistant Newsletter Editor, with special responsibility for punctuation and vowels. (Right: actual live image from the Consilium newsroom webcam. Picture refreshes every ten minutes. Watch closely.)

                   

 

November Birthday honours go to no-longer-the-youngest-Consiliumite Christian “Clootch” Cloutier, and the-now-youngest-Consiliumite, Geoff “The Artist Formerly-Known as Probie (TAFKAP)” Rigby! Clootch turns 28 on the 5th and TAFKAP turns 26 on the 24th.

FIFTEEN YEARS AGO

Son of “The Saga Continues”, II: November 1993. The newly formed team of Fred Weihs, Greg Smith and Ron Ryan, now working from a small, rented office on Slater Street, begin serious digging into the staffing and training needs of Regional Inuit Associations, Nunavut Tunngavik Inc, and the dozens of smaller organizations created by the Land Claims Agreement. A couple of new bodies are brought in to help out – David Boult, a long-time friend of everyone, former ITK employee, and researcher, and Terry Rudden, former Training Director of the Inuit Broadcasting Corporation, and original planner for NITC. Coffee consumption rises exponentially.

As if all that weren’t enough joy for any mere mortal, Greg Smith completed a year of chairing two Industrial Adjustment Services (IAS) committees, for Aboriginal broadcasters: Taqramiut Nipingat Inc., which provides radio and television service in Inuktitut to Nunavik, Québec, and the James Bay Cree Communications Society, a Cree radio broadcaster in northern Québec. The IAS committees were sponsored by Human Resources Canada (HRC). Greg received an Award of Appreciation from the National Aboriginal Communications Society at its annual meeting in Québec City the year the two IAS committees were set-up.

                                                      
FIFTEENTH ANNIVERSARY TRIVIA

To be honest, we didn’t actually expect anyone to solve Chris Grosset’s masterful Fifteenth Anniversary Crossword Puzzle. To our astonishment, we received a completed puzzle, 100% accurate, within three days of the last newsletter. Dazzled congratulations to Sarah Maniapik (pictured left with David Boult), now the proud recipient of the first ever Stonecircle golf shirt.

THIS MONTH'S CONTEST

As you read above (you DO faithfully read the whole newsletter line by line, right?)  Patty (Chuckles) Saulis is the latest addition to our team.    Patty is Maliseet, from the Tobique First Nation in New Brunswick.  The Maliseet (or Wolustukweyeg) language is endangered, like many other vanishing languages in Canada, with only a handful of speakers over the age of 50.  The Maliseet are trying to create a new generation of speakers through immersion and other strategies.

Well, we at Consilium are proud to do our part. Patty has prepared the following glossary of useful Maliseet phrases, with the assistance of Gail Nicholas, a language teacher who also works with residential school survivors for the Mawiw tribal council. 

Here’s the deal. Call Patty’s number (613.237.3315 x 235) OUTSIDE normal office hours (so that you get her answering machine), and record the following five exciting phrases. The caller with the best pronunciation will win a Stonecircle Golf Shirt.

Hint: Remember that the letter 't' sounds like the letter 'd', and the letter 'p' sounds like the letter 'b'.

 

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