Our Featured Celebration

October 25th is St. Crispin’s Day, a very special date around here. The building occupied by the Consilium Consulting Group in Ottawa is St. Crispin’s Towers, named for the famous monologue from Shakespeare’s Henry V, in which King Henry addresses his troops before the Battle of Agincourt on the eve of St. Crispin’s Day with the noble exhortation “We few, we happy few, we band of brothers.” Leaving aside our meagre archery skills for the nonce, St. Crispin is the Patron Saint of Shoemakers, but otherwise, he’s not exactly one of the Superstar Saints. However, on their recent holiday, Terry and Valerie, examining one of the altarpieces in Barcelona’s La Seu Cathedral, were delighted to discover the caring (above) of the martyrdom of St. Crispin. (Notice the shoe, lower centre?)

NEW BEGINNINGS

Ladies and gentlemen, after months of designing, writing and editing, we are delighted to launch the new, improved and unabridged version of the Stonecircle website, available for the viewing pleasure of our discerning readership at www.stone-circle.ca.

Those who found the image of St. Crispin’s shoe above will even find a section that explains the significance of Stonecircle's name and logo.  Feel free to send Stonecircle Manager Jennifer David jdavid@stone-circle.ca an email if you want to share any ideas or suggestions for the new site.

 

 

Aarluk was awarded a Standing Offer to provide planning, design and policy development services to the Government of Nunavut’s Department of Environment, Division of Nunavut Parks and Special Places.

 

 

 

Christian (the Clootch) Cloutier was unshackled from his desk to facilitate two meetings with long-standing associate and former Consiliumite Blair Stevenson of Silta Associates.  The meetings, held in French with le Conseil scolaire de district catholique de l’Est ontarien and le Conseil des écoles publiques de l’Est de l’Ontario, are part of the Champlain Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Network’s School-based Policy Framework for the Champlain District.

 

With three days to prepare, a change of date and a new associate, Jennifer David was gone and back from a workshop before anyone had the chance to notice she was missing.  She spent three days at the beautiful and exclusive Deerhurst Resort in Huntsville helping to deliver a workshop for the Band Council of the Attawapiskat First Nation.  Facilitated by Stonecircle associate Dan Brant, the workshop outlined the roles and responsibilities of Chief and Council, as well as staff relations and communications.  If you want to know why participants were asked to stand on chairs and act like chickens, you will have to ask Jennifer.

Ron Ryan and Alisa Lombard are compiling a list of education and training programs/opportunities for Inuit youth and disabled Inuit youth for Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK).

ONGOING PROJECTS

Throughout September, the Aarluk team headed by Alex Ker and including Chuck Gilhuly, Denis Simard and Clootch carried-out a series of key informant interviews and data analysis for the Gas Tax and Public Transit Fund Program Evaluation.  Municipal, territorial and federal officials provided comments and insights on the mandate of the program, approval and implementation of relevant capital projects, and community infrastructure. The goal is to assess how well approved projects are meeting local needs and the shared national outcomes of cleaner air, cleaner water and reduced GHG emissions.

Terry Forth and Chris Grosset facilitated a special meeting of the Tourism Task Force for Nunavut to discuss tourism legislation in the territory.  Held in Iqaluit on September 23rd, the meeting provided Aarluk with feedback and direction from some of Nunavut’s leading tourism specialists.  A plan and process for future public consultation on changes to the Travel and Tourism Act will be completed in the coming months. (photo available – Sept 23)

Jennifer David and Alisa Lombard have submitted the draft annual report of the successful Aboriginal Head Start on Reserve program for Health Canada’s reviewing pleasure.  In a tense internal Stat-Off, Jen and Alisa have gone head to head in this report against the Clootch for the not-very coveted “Best New And Improved Graphical Depictions Of Statistics” Award.

The Inuit Firm Registry Survey draft report has moved from Number Crunching to Draft phase (always a welcome transition), and is now under review by Atuqtuarvik Corporation. Greg Smith is Project Manager for Aarluk, while Clootch was the Master Number Cruncher with assistance of the Doctor of Data Entry, Geoff Rigby.

HAPPY ENDINGS

David “Have Flipchart, Will Travel” Boult recently completed two courses in Iqaluit for Community Economic Development Officers (CEDOs). The courses, Small Business Management and Basic Marketing, provided the CEDOs with concrete skills and knowledge to further support business and economic development in their communities. Participants in Basic Marketing: (from left) Rueben Maktar, Pauloosie Michael, Harry Alookie. While the pace of the work was breathtaking, David managed to find some time to take in (literally and figuratively) the incredible beauty of the Sylvia Grinnell River. People report hearing a loud “Whoohoo” as David landed what turned out to be personal best in char fishing. The char’s views on the episode were not available at press time. 

                                 

GOSSIP

                   

As hinted above, Terry and Valerie spent most of the month of September prowling through the galleries, cathedrals and ruins of Southern Europe – Rome, Istanbul, Athens, Venice, Delos, Marseilles, Naples and Barcelona. And of course, this place. Any guesses where all these oddly-positioned people are?

When he isn’t pounding away at the computer keyboard, Chris Grosset relaxes by firing-up his chainsaw and carving sculptures out of wood.  On September 14th, Chris installed a trio of large sculptures at an outdoor gallery near Perth, Ontario.  The work, called migra-scoping, is concerned with climate change impacts on migratory birds.  The sculptures are individually called telescope, microscope and periscope, and each piece is an interactive viewing station for visitors to explore.  Look inside the sculptures and you’re transported from the field in eastern Ontario to a bird sanctuary on Nunavut’s Southampton Island.  The project is being documented on a blog that includes photos and information about the sculptures, on display until December 14th, 2008 (www.fieldwork.blogsome.com).

And from the Sports Desk: After the Brass Monkeyz modest 4th place (out of 8) finish and the Brass Monkeyz Old School not so modest, yet record, 7th place (out of 8) finish, le Clootch has once again traded his cleats for skates and his baseball bat for a hockey stick to join his fellow Ice Bears on the… well… ice.  After four games, the Ice Bears are once again in 1st place with a 4-0 record.

 

It must be noted that while the usual editor was gadding about Europe, this current edition of the newsletter was assembled by a hardworking team of Editorial Elves, including Chris “Scoop” Grosset and Alisa “Hildy” Lombard. But a big tip of the ink-stained visor to Special Interim Guest Editor, Charles Foster Clootch, who pulled it all together (not to mention Leslie Warhol Sutherland’s inimitable dab hand at final assembly, the very model of grace under pressure.)  Clootch and Team, not exactly as pictured.

 

 

 

 

 

 

And here’s the answer to the question posed above – where ARE those people, and what exactly are they all doing?

       

 

In a portentous month laden with celestial significance, we celebrate the Women Of Consilium AND a Bonus Saint: Jennifer “Mrs. Orbison” Bradshaw on the 18th, Valerie “Call Me Val If You Want To Wear That Coffee In Your Lap” Assinewe on the 22nd, and, last but certainly not least, St. Crispin himself on the 25th.

FIFTEEN YEARS AGO

Son of “The Saga Continues”: October 1993. Fed up with trying to manage the development of a huge project (a massive analysis of the training needs arising from the newly ratified Nunavut Land Claims Agreement), from their respective coffee tables, newly-allied northern consultants Fred Weihs, Greg Smith and Ron Ryan decide to rent an office together on Slater St. (essentially deciding, like so many other young people back in the day, to live together a bit before actually getting married).

                                                               IN MEMORIAM

All of us at the Consilium Consulting Group, Stonecircle Consulting and Aarluk Consulting Inc. convey our deepest condolences to our friend and partner Helen Klengenberg on the recent loss of her father. Bobby Klengenberg passed away in Iqaluit on September 3rd, at the age of 92.  He lived a long and remarkable life, and will be remembered with love by his children Helen, Gloria Klengenberg, Isaac Klengenberg, Ida Kapakatoak, Stanley Klengenberg, Douglas Klengenberg, and Winnie Joss, and by his many grandchildren, great grandchildren and great great grandchildren.

FIFTEENTH ANNIVERSARY TRIVIA

From the fathomless wellspring of creativity that is sculptor/landscape architect/consultant/reporter Chris Grosset comes the following treat…the first ever Official Consilium Crossword Puzzle. The first completed edition faxed to Editor, 613 237 3845 will receive a cool prize that we haven’t quite decided on yet, except that it will make you the envy of ALL your friends, family and colleagues, guaranteed, yup.

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