The Roman Empire. Joss Weedon's "Firefly". Larry King's last marriage. And this, the "Our Times" blog.

Truly, all good things come to an end. But sometimes, if you're lucky...what comes next is even better.

Please click here to be re-directed to the New and Improved Blog and Website.

Thank you.

Memories of Senator George McGovern

From the desk of Greg Smith...

The recent passing of US Senator and former Presidential candidate George McGovern brought back personal memories from 1968, when I got to know him and his family and worked on his campaign in South Dakota. At the time I was a 20 year old university student from London, Ontario. 

My friend, Ian and I were crossing the US in a Volkswagen beetle after final exams in May. Our intention was to find work on the west coast somewhere, but we inadvertently fell into jobs on the Robert F Kennedy Presidential campaign in the South Dakota primary. We found ourselves going from broke and sleeping in a tent to being put up in a hotel and being paid a regular salary ($5.00 per day plus meals!) to organize door to door canvassing. We met Ethel Kennedy and singer Andy Williams when their Lear Jet arrived for a campaign stop, and one memorable day I drove Ted Kennedy to Lead and Deadwood to make a couple of speeches and to visit the saloon where Wild Bill Hickock was shot.

One of the people we got to know well was a young political mover and shaker named Jim Abourezk, who later went on to become a Congressman and US Senator, and was a key go-between during the standoff between the FBI and American Indian protesters at the siege of Wounded Knee. Jim told us one day that the local Senator, George McGovern, had heard about the two Canadians working on the Kennedy campaign, and wanted to meet us. We had never heard of him, but said “sure”, and a breakfast was arranged at the hotel restaurant for a couple of days ahead. 

That evening Jim, Ian, I and a few other campaign workers went to a local Pow-wow to watch hoop dancers, drummers and other traditional Native American activities, and bumped into Senator McGovern, but didn’t really get a chance to speak with him because of the crowds and noise. However, we did turn up at the agreed time for breakfast, and spent an hour and a half over blueberry waffles, getting to know each other. He was a very nice, intelligent, distinguished and likeable man, who seemed fascinated by how two young Canadians ended up working on the local Kennedy campaign. At the time I don’t think we quite appreciated the importance of him being a Senator, or the full qualities and potential of George McGovern, but we liked him and he liked us, and we would get to know him better over the next couple of years.

On June 5, 1968 Robert Kennedy had won in South Dakota, and we were gathered with many others at Jim’s house to watch the results from California, when he was shot by Sirhan Sirhan. Among other things, this obviously ended the campaign, and so Ian and I eventually moved on to Denver, Colorado, where we found jobs to pay the rent and buy food (I sold used cars). We had only been there a couple of weeks, when we received a call from Jim saying that McGovern wanted us to come back to South Dakota to work on his Senate re-election campaign. I think it paid $50 per week, but we didn’t care about the money - we jumped at the opportunity.

Two days later we were back in Rapid City, among friends, living with Jim and his family, and working for George McGovern. We helped to organize the canvassing and took part in many other campaign tasks. Through working for McGovern in a relatively small community, we got to know him and his family pretty well, and grew very fond of him and his wife Eleanor. At one point, when their daughter Terry was charged with possession of marijuana, Ian and I sat with George and Eleanor in Court to provide support. Tragically, Terry died a few years later as a result of substance abuse.

One day, Jim, Ian and I were walking along the street in downtown Rapid City when George McGovern approached us from the opposite direction. He stopped to chat, and after a few minutes of campaign talk, asked us what we thought of him making a run for President. His plan was to try to pick up the Kennedy delegates at the Democratic Convention in Chicago in August. Of course, we all thought it was a great idea. “Don’t tell anyone”, he said, “I haven’t even told Eleanor yet”.

We continued working for McGovern for the next few weeks and as plans firmed up for him to start a run for President, we were asked to go to the Democratic Convention in Chicago in August to work on the floor for him, helping to round up delegates, and with communications. I ended up not being able to go for personal reasons but Ian did, and so was part of the famously violent 1968 Chicago convention. 

McGovern failed to pick up enough support, and didn’t become the nominee that year, though he was re-elected to the Senate. We visited him a year later at his office in Washington, where he welcomed us and showed us around, and we were impressed by a signed photo of him with JFK on his office wall. Of course he did become the Democratic nominee in 1972, but unfortunately was defeated conclusively by Richard Nixon, who won 48 of the 50 states - George McGovern didn’t even win his home state of South Dakota. Like many others, I have often wondered how things might have been if such an honorable, decent and progressive man had become President.

 

It's getting cold out there, and ....

Old friends of this blog will know about the long connection between Consilium and the Inuit Broadcasting Corporation, an association that's lasted three decades . We're proud of our involvement back in the very first days of IBC, and we're honoured to support their most recent and ambitious venture - the establishment of a Media Arts Centre in the heart of Iqaluit, Nunavut's capital.  The Centre will serve as a focus for the creativity of filmmakers, video producers and new media artists continuing IBC's three decade history of translating Inuit culture into video.

You can help in two ways.

1) Donate! Donations can be made on the campaign website at www.Sanavallianiq.ca / www.Building4Dreams.ca  or call toll-free 1(800)267-8327 ext. 231 for more information.

2) Vote! IBC's new media center is now listed on the Aviva Community fund site, where voters can choose from a range of community projects. You can vote once a day for the next two weeks. Here's where to vote: http://www.avivacommunityfund.org/ideas/acf15475

Do it now - and become a part of Canadian media history. 

Aarluk to Conduct 2012 Inuit Firm Registry Survey

Aarluk Consulting Inc. has been contracted by Atuqtuarvik Corporation to conduct its 2012 Inuit Firm Registry Survey. Atuqtuarvik, an Inuit-owned investment company, was established to help develop the Nunavut economy by providing loans and equity investments to Inuit-owned businesses for start-up, expansion and acquisition. With the firm belief that economic growth in Nunavut is vital to improving the quality of life for all Nunavummiut, Atuqtuarvik has been conducting a survey of Inuit businesses registered in Nunavut Tunngavik Inc.'s Inuit Firm Registry Database every four years since 2004.

The surveys help to update the profile of registered Inuit businesses and to gain a more current understanding of their financial requirements and support needs. The results of these surveys also assist organizations involved in economic development in Nunavut with program development and help them to anticipate the capital needs of Inuit businesses over the next five years. Aarluk completed both previous Inuit Firm Registry surveys for Atuqtuarvik, first in 2004 and again in 2008.

The Aarluk project team includes Christian Cloutier who will be Project Manager and Research Consultant, Greg Smith as Senior Advisor, and Cindy Rennie as a Research Consultant providing support to stakeholders in Inuktitut. If you are an Inuit firm, stay tuned for more details on the 2012 Survey for your chance to win a $500 cash prize!

This week in the Consilium, Aarluk, Stonecircle (CSA) offices we have two birthdays, from two different companies. Jennifer Bradshaw, the Office Administrator at Consilium, celebrated her birthday yesterday, October 18th. If you know Jennifer, you know that she is a big fan of comedy. To steal a quote from Bob Hope and partially take a shot at her because she is older than me “You know you’re getting old when the candles cost more than the cake,” BAZINGA! I, along with everyone else in the office, would like to wish Jennifer a very Happy Birthday!

The second birthday in the CSA office belongs to Stonecircle Researcher Kory Goulais. It is his birthday today, October 19th. Kory, who enjoys his statistics, embraces a quote by Father Larry Lorenzoni that states “Birthdays are good for you. Statistics show that the people who have the most live the longest.” Kory adds that it all leads to more time on the golf course or baseball diamond. 

Happy Birthday to both Kory and Jennifer!

Was That The Sound of Something Hitting a Fan?

"Hello, this is Joanna from the CBC. I wonder if you could comment on this report that was just released from the Auditor General's Office..."

"May I speak to the senior manager, please? Oh, hi. This is Constable Johnstone from the RCMP...."

"Hey, listen, I'm not sure, but I think those firetrucks were heading towards the new housing units we just opened..."

----------------------------------

And then you woke up. Thank goodness. That phone call in the middle of the night was just a really, REALLY bad dream.

But what happens next time - when it's for real?

Even the best run organization will eventually have to deal with a crisis. It may be an unfortunate document leak, an inaccurate news report, or an unexpected government announcement that requires an immediate response. Whatever the case, at some point you'll have to get a message out, at short notice, regarding an unforeseen event or issue.

Every crisis is different, of course (that's what makes it a crisis!). But there a number of steps you can take to manage communication under pressure to ensure that the right messages are getting to the right people.  Here are a few proven tips to help you through your emergency.

1) Take a tip from the Boy Scouts, and BE PREPARED.

Most folks don't try to build a storm cellar during a hurricane: they do it ahead of time. So think ahead. Have a crisis communication plan and policy in place, and ensure that ALL key players are briefed on their roles and responsibilities in an emergency. That must include front line staff who'll be answering inquiries; anyone who will be required to speak on behalf of the organization; and the people who manage your own internal and external communication, including your press releases, website, twitter feed and social media pages.

2) Safety First.

Some emergencies involve an actual, physical threat; these can include fires, health emergencies, or critical incidents of violence.  Your first priority in any crisis of this nature is to ensure the security and well being of everyone concerned. If a critical incident occurs, your immediate concern is to provide information to protect safety. Use your media to communicate the nature, scope and scale of the threat, and provide critical information on what people need to do to avoid harm, sources of assistance, and updates on the threat.

3) Know who's in charge. 

Your crisis plan must identify one specific senior manager as communications coordinator, with executive authority to make decisions on communications when an emergency occurs. This may be your CEO, Executive Director, or Director of Communications. This person is not necessarily the spokesperson who will talk to media and the public, although they will brief the spokesperson: the coordinator's job is to determine what action is required, and oversee all communications matters relating to the issue or event.

4) Mobilize the team

The Communications Coordinator should organize an immediate meeting/teleconference of affected managers in order to share information, agree on immediate needs, agree on key information, messaging and spokespersons, and assign follow-up responsibilities. At that initial meeting, the team should:

• Agree on routing instructions for all front line staff (reception, administration, and others like to receive inquiries). These will specify where callers can seek further information, and direct inquiries for further information or media interview to the appropriate parties;
• Brainstorm Q and A’s for mandated spokespersons, providing recommended responses to all anticipated questions (and especially hostile ones);
• Agree on a primary online data source (website, facebook page and twitter feed) for rapid information feed
• Assign responsibility for media monitoring
• Identify any technical or specialized expertise that may be required to assist with messaging, including legal resource personnel if necessary

5) Speak with one voice. 

 It's critical to appoint ONE person to speak on behalf of the organization. Again, this may be the communications coordinator, or another designated spokesperson with good media and presentation skills - your CEO, the mayor, or the Chief. The Communications Coordinator should ensure that the spokesperson is constantly kept up to date with the latest information and messaging.

It's just as important to make sure that other are NOT speaking on behalf of the organization. On some controversial stories, journalists will often seek out multiple contacts with a board or a company, hoping to get additional information or a juicy, dissenting point of view. Ensure everyone on your staff and board know that ALL external queries are to be directed to the Communications coordinator for the duration of the crisis, and circulate an internal memo to that effect.

6) Become the preferred source.

The best way to control the messaging is to be the place that everyone comes to for information on the issue/event.

• Make sure that the information provided is accurate, timely, and consistent in all media and from all spokespersons.
• Update the information frequently, but don't sacrifice accuracy. 
• Don't rely on radio and TV journalists to tell your story: use all media that your audiences can access. Facebook, blog sites or a twitter feed are great for getting critical information to a wide audience quickly. 

7) Remember your internal audience

During a crisis we tend to focus on the audiences outside the organization - media, the general public, other organizations. It's just as important to keep everyone inside the organization informed about what's happening. It's a good idea to prepare and circulate a daily, in house briefing sheet for Board members, managers and staff, including:

• Incident or issue description
• Action being taken
• Key messages
• Authorized spokespersons and their contact information, and a reminder that no unauthorized personnel should consent to interview or issue statement 

8) And because it's worth repeating....Be Prepared!

Having the policy and procedures in place is a great first step. But people have to know (a) that it exists, and (b) how to do what it says they're supposed to do. Some tips:

• Develop your policy and procedure in consultation with staff, including the front line administration staff. You'll increase awareness of the policy, build buy-in, and capture some details you might not otherwise have thought of. 
• Hold a briefing session to review the completed policy and procedures with all staff.
• Add relevant crisis management responsibilities to all affected job descriptions. 
• Ensure that crisis management procedures are covered during staff and board orientation sessions.
• Provide training to senior staff, board members, and anyone else likely to be called on to speak on behalf of the organization, to ensure they can communicate comfortably in high pressure situations.

Developing Sanikiluaq’s Economy – Dispatches from the Field

As noted in a recent blog, our regular readers will recall that David Boult, our associate with the longest relationship with the Consilium Consulting Group (“Partner”, ahem, adds Mr. Boult), has a particular affection for conducting economic development plans for communities across Nunavut. Fresh from his beluga-spotting trip to Resolute Bay in August, our dedicated associate soon found himself on his way to the Florida of Nunavut otherwise known as Sanikiluaq (see photo – not exactly as shown). 

The community is located in the Belcher Islands north of James Bay in Hudson Bay. This collection of low lying islands hosts a variety of wildlife including large populations of eider ducks and a healthy herd of reindeer. These reindeer are the descendants of a herd that was introduced to the islands decades ago to provide an important food supply for the community. 

As is typical of many Nunavut communities, David was greeted graciously by the Senior Administrative Officer André Larabie, the Economic Development Officer (EDO) Carroll Macintyre, and consultant and former EDO Daryl Dibblee. The group provided key direction and advice as to specific items in the economic development plan including the establishment of a community development corporation to help stimulate economic activity in Sanikiluaq. After a successful presentation to the Hamlet Council, David managed to enjoy a good hike around the land surrounding the community finding a number of interesting stones, berries and great views.

Upon his return to the hotel, he was presented with his bill which nearly knocked our well-travelled consultant out of his chair - $275 a night! David’s response? “Well at least they didn’t charge me for my roommate, and luckily I was sitting in a low chair”.

2012 Nunavut Tradeshow

From September 25-27, the Baffin Regional Chamber of Commerce (BRCC) hosted the 21st annual Nunavut Trade Show and Conference in Iqaluit at the Arctic Winter Games Complex. The show was bustling as usual, with a number of people stopping by the Aarluk booth, to talk business or to just say "hi". We were happy to see many familiar faces as well as meet new people! In addition, Aarluk delivered some of the conference sessions that were being held, including a presentation by Aarluk General Manager Jimmy Jacquard, called “The Virtual Office – Running your Business from a Distance.” This presentation examined everything from online banking to dealing with payroll issues to storing and managing files and documents online, all intended for an audience of Baffin businesses who may need to, at times, run their businesses from a distance.

 

Below, you can see Jimmy at work, and the lucky winner of the Aarluk booth draw, Adam Larkin, who won a necklace made by local artist Matt Nuqingaq. Matt also provided Aarluk with a polar bear claw necklace, which Aarluk donated to BRCC to include at the annual fundraising silent auction, held at the closing gala dinner. The auction raises funds for a wide variety of local charities and organizations each year, which this year included groups such as Reach, the local judo club, and Skills Nunavut, among others.

 

 

Aarluk would like to thank all of the BRCC staff, including Executive Director Chris West, Office Manager Lisa McGrath and Events Manager Debbie Purvis among others for their help during the tradeshow in ensuring everything ran smoothly. We look forward to seeing everyone at the next one!

A Roll of the Dice

Last week, Stonecircle’s Kory Goulais made the long trek to Orillia, Ontario (casino Rama to be exact) to partake in the 2nd annual Ontario First Nations Economic Developers Association conference. Now, I know what you are thinking: “Isn’t that they place where they deal excitement, big time?” To answer your question, yes, it is. Although from September 25 – 27th, it was excitement of a different variety.

The only table that Kory hit while he was in Orillia was his booth table. Taking the gamble that meeting various economic development officers throughout Ontario would lead to some form of work for Stonecircle.

He did, however, deal an abundance of cards, brochures, pens, bags and information out to the various economic development officers from across Ontario. All the while gathering “tells” about what type of work might exist within the various communities.

Tired of the gambling analogies yet?

The conference was a great opportunity to come together with some of the people who are leading the way when it comes to community economic development. It is an exciting time for economic development in many communities and Stonecircle is happy to provide assistance to communities who may need it.

Ron and Kathy Imitating Art Imitating Life

Post-futurist installation artists Ron Ryan and Kathy Clarida in their latest living tableau, "Discourse and Its Derivatives". "I have always been fascinated by the dynamic juxtaposition of organic and inorganic materials in a public setting," says Ron. "We derive our inspiration by listening to the spiritual harmonics investing works as diverse those of Henry Moore and de Broin, and trust that new tensions will resonate with viewer/participants, creating both explicit and implicit meanings."

Okay, we're kidding. Actually, Ron and Kathy were just taking a break at Jennifer David's book launch. Sounded pretty good, though, didn't it?

Last week marked a watershed in IBC's campaign to build their Nunavut Media Arts Centre, a new focal point for film, television and new media workers from and working in Nunavut. Following a meeting of the project's high profile Advisory Committee, and a press conference that drew together much of Nunavut's leadership, IBC launched their official Campaign Website, Building For Dreams, marking the final push to complete a project thirty years in the making. Over the years many of us - Terry Rudden, Chris Grosset, Patti Black, Chuck Gilhuly, and now Catherine Carry - have been proud of our association with one of Nunavut's longest standing and most successful cultural institutions, and we congratulate IBC on reaching the final lap of a three-decade marathon to build a permanent production facility in Nunavut.

Our favorite part of the fundraising site is the mini-film festival that lets you revisit some of IBC's greatest hits. Go visit, enjoy...and become part of broadcasting history in Nunavut by donating!

Community Information Sessions



Stonecircle's Ron Ryan and Kory Goulais recently set-out on the road to present two community information sessions relating to Mineral Exploration and Development. If you read the "Mining Sessions, on your mark, get set, go" post from July 10th 2012, you are well aware that Stonecirlce will be visiting up to 31 communities to deliver a "Mining 101" session to community members.



Since the project began, Stonecircle staff and associates have delivered a total of nine information sessions. Communities include: Ojibways of Pic River First Nation, Fort William First Nation, Seine River First Nation, Nigigoonsiminikaaning First Nation, Couchiching First Nation, Mitaanjigamiing (formerly Stanjikoming) First Nation, Grassy Narrows First Nation, and most recently, Nipissing First Nation and Whitefish River First Nation.

Additionally, six communities have confirmed that they will hold a session in their community in the near future. Another five communities have set potential dates for sessions.

The mining information sessions that are occuring give insight into the Mining and Exploration process  (from prospecting and staking to mine development and closure). It also gives community members a chance to ask Ministry of Northern Mines and Development staff questions relating to various parts of the presentation and learn about the geology in the area.



Stonecircle looks forward to continuing to deliver this necessary information to communities.



Recent sessions





Mark Your Calendars...

Mark Your Calendars...4th National Land Claims Agreements Coalition Conference

February 26-March 1, 2013

Hilton Lac Leamy, Gatineau
Patti Black and her diligent team of event planners are hard at work preparing for what will be the next groundbreaking national conference on modern treaty implementation. Featuring Thomas Berger and other high profile academic and internationally-renowned speakers, this conference will celebrate the 40 years of negotiation and implementation since the Calder Case set the path for modern treaties in 1973. Featuring dynamic panel and working group discussions on the political, legal and economic landscapes within Canada and internationally, plan to attend and help set the course for the next 40 years of modern treaties in Canada.

Stay tuned for more details...

Resolute Bay – Community Economic Development in Action

For David Boult, Senior Associate, one of the greatest parts of being a consultant is getting to work with communities to develop their economies. This past August, David was fortunate enough to travel to Resolute Bay to help the community update its economic development plan. Aarluk Consulting Inc. has been the major provider of CED plans to Nunavut communities since Nunavut was a young territory (1999 actually). To date, Aarluk has conducted economic development plans for over half the communities in the territory. Over the past few years, many communities have asked Aarluk for help in ensuring these plans are updated and kept current.

As usual for the economic planning process, David spent time with the community’s Economic Development Officer, Philip Maniq Sr., reviewing the old plan, seeing what’s been going on in the community over the past five years, and generally getting a sense of the opportunities that currently exist. David then went around and talked to just about everybody in town including outfitters, the co-op manager, local business people, the hotel manager, staff out at the Polar Shelf project – just about anybody he could find.

A highlight of the trip however was an event that took place as David was conducting his post-dinner perambulations around the town. About a half hour into the walk, he heard some shots being fired close to town. Being in the heart of polar bear country, David took a careful look around but only saw a boat in the bay. He heard some more shots and saw some thrashing around in the water near the boat. He quickly headed over to see what the commotion was. He was quite pleased to see that a hunter had captured a nice beluga not 20 feet from shore. As David approached the group surrounding the small whale, he was pleased to see a young boy carefully being shown how to carve off the outer skin or maqtaq from the whale. David left the busy family with a smile on his face thinking “Now that is the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement in action”.

The Mythical Executive Committee

If you've ever been part of a non-profit organization, served on a Board of Directors, or worked as a volunteer, you've come across a peculiar organizational entity called the "Executive Committee". These legendary bodies perch atop organizations like gargoyles, terrifying Boards and staff members alike with their power, wielding supreme authority over all corporate and organizational decisions, and overseeing everyone's work with their eagle eyes and iron fists.

Hah.

Sorry, we shouldn't chuckle like that. It's just that an amazing number of people we know - many of whom have served on dozens of Boards - believe this myth. The truth, however, is a bit different.
Executive Committees, if properly mandated, serve a useful purpose, and can help make a Board more effective, efficient and economical in its operations. The bad news: they can also disrupt planning and decision making and confuse lines of authority.

So as a public service, Consilium is pleased to debunk five of the top myths about Executive Committees.

Happy Anniversaries!

Scott Black,
Consilium Consultant

       

Geoff Rigby,
Aarluk Researcher

Kory Goulais,
Stonecircle Researcher

September at Consilium, Stonecircle and Aarluk is a busy month. It’s the start of a new fiscal year, it’s the month we begin our staff work planning process and it is the time we seem to hire staff.

5 years ago September 1st, Aarluk hired a young research assistant by the name of Geoff Rigby who came to Ottawa after being a lifelong resident of Iqaluit. ….The announcement 5 years ago began with ‘A flourish of Aarlukian trumpets for Geoff Rigby” (thanks Terry Rudden). Geoff is now not so young (kidding Geoff) and one of our most seasoned Researchers.

3 years ago, on September 14th Stonecircle welcomed a new addition to our group of companies – Researcher, Kory Goulais. Kory hails from North Bay, ON and is a member of the Nipissing First Nation. This writer remembers overhearing Jen Bradshaw telling Kory before his interview that "you know if you get the job, you won’t have to wear a tie… Kory’s response: Sweet!”. I haven’t seen Kory in a tie since the day he was interviewed, but it hasn’t interfered with his abilities - he has been a great addition to our team.

1 year ago, on September 1st, Shareholder and Consultant Scott Black joined the Consilium team after working as an Associate with our group of companies for a number of years. Prior to this, he spent 21 years working with Aboriginal public and private sector organizations in Ontario, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut in a variety of management, communications and consulting roles. Scott is currently working with CSA co-workers on an exciting project for the Nunavut Arctic College in what is still considered a 'new' venture for all concerned - the design and delivery of online courses in the Municipal Training Organizations’ (MTO) popular Municipal Government Program. Just call Scott 'Moodle King' and he's sure to answer!

The CCG of companies is a better place to work thanks to all of these gentlemen. Looking forward to many more years of working together!

Original People. Original Television, in Ottawa

Stonecircle's own Jennifer David recently celebrated the launch of her new book. (We do wonder what she has been doing in her spare time now that the book is officially released!)

Her book, Original People. Original Television: The launching of the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network, came out on September 1 and she held a well-attended book launch in Ottawa last week to celebrate. She is now gearing up for a Winnipeg book launch next week and a Toronto book launch likely happening in October.

She has a website where you can find out more about the book and details on how to purchase a copy: www.debwe.ca.


Jennifer David, signing books.

So far, the book has received excellent reviews. Here's one of them:

"This is a vital story now told with brio by Jennifer David. No dry history, her book is more like a detective novel. It’s a gripping tale about a little known part of Canada’s broadcasting mosaic. It’s packed with unforeseeable zigzags, and especially with colourful, outside characters. Canadians—and not just Aboriginal ones—should read this. First, because it’s an important story. Second, because it's truly entertaining.”

Keith Spicer, former Chairman, Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission 

Congratulations Jennifer!

Modern Treaties 101: A Crash Course

From the desk of Patti Black, Senior Consultant:

   

Do you have questions about Modern Treaties – Comprehensive Land Claims and Self-Government Agreements? Modern Treaties now affect more than 40 percent of Canada's land, waters and resources. What is their regional and national importance?

These Constitutionally-protected agreements define relationships between Aboriginal parties, the Government of Canada, and provincial and territorial governments. Yet little is known publicly or within government circles about the contents of and benefits from modern treaties in Canada. This is your chance to learn how issues like the duty to consult, certainty of ownership, self government, management areas, resource development and other important matters may be affected by Modern Treaties.

• WORKSHOP: Modern Treaties 101: A Crash Course
• DATE: October 30 & 31, 2012
• TIME: 8:30 AM - 4:00 PM each day, Registration begins at 8:00 AM
• LOCATION: Rm 201, Ottawa Convention Centre, 55 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa
• CONTACT: Patti Black, LCAC Coordinator, black@consilium.ca

Presented by the Land Claims Agreements Coalition this two-day "crash course" will provide an overview of the agreements, the players, and the implications of modern treaties. Register now to get informed about how modern treaties affect policy decisions, resource development and government processes in your region. Click here for a PDF version of the Draft Agenda.

Registration fees are $595 (+HST) for a two-day pass, $325 for a single day pass (either Oct 30 or 31), and $145 for students (must show a valid student ID card when you arrive at registration). REGISTER NOW on our online registration system!

Overheard on the 3rd Floor

Consilium, Stonecircle, Aarluk were recently visited by Frick and Frack (two men who come in to do minor building repairs, but create an unusually large amount of noise), here to fix the washroom door on the third floor.

The washrooms in our office are unique, in that the men's and women's signs are graced by stylized images of Inuit, as shown on the right.

The following exchange was captured by researcher Kory Goulais while the door was being fixed.

Frick: Why do they have weird dudes on the doors, wearing ponchos?

Frack: I don't know, just hold the door. 

Well, there you have it; two potential customers for our Aboriginal Awareness training!  

7th Annual Habitat for Humanity Golf Tournament

Team A (for Awesome)

It was a scorcher of a day at the Chateau Cartier Golf Club on Friday August 24, 2012. Why is that relevant? Well, it was the site of the 7th annual Habitat for Humanity (Iqaluit) charity golf tournament. As always, Aarluk sponsored a hole at this event. However, unlike years past, there were two Aarluk teams who played in the event.
Team one, or the “A” team, consisted of Ron Ryan, Chris Grosset, Michelle Turpin and Terry Forth. ('A' also stands for Awesome!) Team two, or the “B” team, consisted of Aarluk manager Jimmy Jacquard, Chuck Gilhuly, Kory Goulais and Daryl Diblee. I know what you are thinking, who picked these teams? Well, let me tell you. Aarluk manager Jimmy Jacquard handpicked both teams based on a set of 24 criteria established in his evaluation matrix and following interviews with each individual he cross referenced the matrix and each attribute to determine who would work well together based on their skill sets. Ok, who am I kidding, he stacked his team.


In this particular tournament, both team A and B ended up teeing off together at the same hole, the 16th. The 16th hole was supposed to be where the Aarluk sponsorship sign was located; however, due to some sort of mix up, the Aarluk sign was placed at the 15th hole (which was a hole in one to win a car hole). Talk about sponsorship value!

Unlike the David (Ryan, Grosset, Turpin and Forth) vs. Goliath (Jacquard, Gilhuly, Goulais and Diblee) matchup, there was no Cinderella ending. The match finished as people would have anticipated. Although, Team A made it perfectly clear to hole attendants at the tournament that their team was far more fun.

 

Following the tournament and shellacking that Team B handed Team A, both teams sat down and enjoyed a very nice meal. A very successful tournament, a very memorable day was had by all!

You have to start somewhere - answers!

One week ago we asked you, the reader, to try and figure out what each Consilium, Stonecircle, and Aarluk employee did before they got here. Not familiar with that blog piece – click here to read. After scratching your head trying to figure out who did what, here are the answers to last week’s small trivia challenge.

Fred Weihs (the economist) was a maintenance repair person in a hospital.

Galin Kora was an agronomist! I don’t know about you, but I still think that’s a pretty cool job.

Kory Goulais was a gas station attendant.

Michelle Turpin worked at a toy store (a total retail maven as she recalls).

Chuck Gilhuly worked at home hardware (I wonder if Fred ever bought his supplies from Chuck?)

Leslie Sutherland worked in the K-mart cafeteria (was fired for being too awesome).

Jennifer Bradshaw worked at Steinberg’s grocery store in the accounting department removing staples. I would tell the whole story but there isn’t enough space.

Chris Grosset worked at a bottling plant.

Geoff Rigby was a Northmart cashier.

Christian Cloutier was also a gas station attendant (although he wasn’t as good as Kory)

Jennifer David was a high school tutor (go figure!).

Well, there you have it, some of our roots. I hope you enjoyed learning a little bit about us here at Consilium, Stonecircle and Aarluk. As for who had the best first job, I am going to go with Kory Goulais and his gas station attendant job. Mind you, this may be a biased selection considering I am writing the article.

Congratulations Tim and Anne!

The happy couple

On August 11th, 2012, Consilium Senior Consultant Ron Ryan was a busy man. What was he doing, you might ask? If you haven’t figured it out from the title of this article, he was watching his son Tim marry his long-time sweetheart Anne. From all of us here at Consilium, Stonecircle and Aarluk we would like to say a heart-felt congratulation to Tim Ryan and Anne Maffre. In traditional fashion, we must also link you to the following video.

Word from our Senior Consultant is that the wedding went off without a hitch, although I beg to differ. It would seem that getting “hitched” was the entire reason they were there. Regardless, a good time was had by all. However, I cannot comment on the wedding because I was not there. I did however come to learn that three important things took place during the wedding 1) the marriage, 2) the reunion of family from across Canada, and 3) the open bar, three bands and poutine at midnight. Needless to say, Ron had the entire week following the wedding off (I think I know why).

More importantly (for me at least) was the golf tournament that occurred on August 10th, the day before. Ron organized a golf tournament at Edelweiss Golf and Country Club on the Quebec side of the border. Ron Ryan is the only person that I know who can organize a golf tournament full of family members and close friends (and have 32 golfers). In a nutshell, the tournament was very fun and rigged! Yes, you heard me, the tournament organizer also happened to win the tournament. Coincidence, I think not! Although that is not the purpose of the article, I digress.

Fathers of the Bride and Groom

Following the golf tournament and the mis-calculation of scores, everyone enjoyed a nice sit-down buffet style dinner complete with music and introductions of, well, everyone. The somewhat of rehearsal dinner more of families (Ryan, Fitzgerald, Clarida, Maffre) and friends being together consisted of over 100 people (like I said, Ron has a large family) who all introduced themselves and their association with the bride and groom. When it came for my time to shine, I stood up and explained that I knew Tim through tax season (don’t choke, don’t choke, don’t choke… ah, you choked). Needless to say they were polite and laughed. All in all a wonderful time was had by all.

Congratulations Tim and Anne!

Healthy Schools and Community Resources

Stonecircle can now add another organization known by its acronym to its roster of clients. The Ontario Physical Health and Education Association (OPHEA) approached Stonecircle, on the recommendation of the Chiefs of Ontario, to ask them to conduct research and prepare an environmental scan on health promotion resources that target Aboriginal students in a school setting. The majority of research will be in a First Nation context, primarily in Ontario, but with Inuit and Métis examples from across Canada also incorporated.

OPHEA was created in 1921 and has been working to support the health and learning of children and youth in Ontario. OPHEA works with school boards, public health, government and non-government organizations as well as private sector organizations to develop programs and services that promote healthy and active school communities. More information can be found at www.ophea.net

If you are aware of any health promotion activities documents or resources that could be shared in the OPHEA database, please email Kory Goulais.

You have to start somewhere!

On a hot and sunny Friday afternoon a few weeks ago, a discussion began between Consilium’s Jennifer Bradshaw, Stonecircle’s Kory Goulais and Aarluk’s Chris Grosset and Michelle Turpin. This discussion was unlike most of the others because it didn’t centre around the progress of projects (sorry Chuck), the latest sports news (sorry Geoff) or the fact that I can never remember to give my original receipts to Jing (sorry Jing, they are coming, I swear). Rather, this discussion was solely focused on the jobs that we worked at before finding our calling at Consilium, Stonecircle or Aarluk.

When you’re young, you think about your dream or ideal job and you naively assume that you will be handed that job once you graduate or enter the workforce. However, I don’t know a single person where that is the case. Reality says that you will likely work your first job in the service industry, perhaps at a store somewhere or a fast food establishment.

For example, Stonecircle researcher Kory Goulais' wife Alison worked at a pharmacy for eight years while she finished school then landed her dream job of being a teacher. The fact of the matter is that everyone at CSA started somewhere and based on that lunch, we felt that it would be fun to share our first jobs with you, kinda. 

Below, in no particular order, are CSA employees and their first job. Can you match the person to their first job?

Fred Weihs                          Steinberg's Grocery Store
Galin Kora                            Bottle Capper at Bottling Plant
Kory Goulais                        Northmart Cashier
Michelle Turpin                    Gas Station Attendant
Chuck Gilhuly                   High School Tutor
Leslie Sutherland                 Gas Attendant
Jennifer Bradshaw            Sales Clerk at a Toy Store
Chris Grosset                       Agronomist
Geoff Rigby                          Home Hardware Worker
Christian Cloutier                  K-mart Cafeteria Worker
Jennifer David                      Maintenance Repair Person

Answers will be revealed next week.

Just under the wire...

Sometimes our clients have to apply for funding in order to carry out their work, expand their businesses or develop new products or services.  Sometimes the application processes are very labour-intensive and time-consuming. Sometimes, especially during the summer, there is just not enough capacity to submit these applications for funding.

So sometimes, we are asked to come along and help.  Last week, Stonecircle and Consilium worked together to support the Eeyou Economic Group with just such an application.  Christian Cloutier took on the bulk of the work with advice from Ron Ryan, editing support from Jennifer David and formatting and writing support from Kory Goulais. The Eeyou Economic Group provides business support to Cree entrepreneurs in the region of northern Quebec called Eeyou Istchee.

It took hours of research, combing through dozens of documents, writing, making sure that EEG addressed all of the criteria in the application, and putting it all together into a very impressive-looking proposal and application, which ended up being more than 30 pages. All of this in just over a week!

Good luck to EEG and we hope they will be successful.

Up, up and away!

Today’s post is supposed to be about Consilium General Manager Leslie Sutherland's AWESOME hot air balloon ride over the great city of Ottawa. However, due to unforeseen circumstances (although you can see fog pretty clearly), she was grounded. Yet, ironically, fog isn’t a good enough excuse not to come to work. So, with that being said, Leslie is at work less one hot air balloon ride and blog piece.

Because Monday is a blog publication day, we needed to put something up here. I would like to introduce the new topic, which does involve the sky, and that is the Consilium, Stonecircle, Aarluk migration to the cloud. Wait, did I say that right? Consilium, Stonecircle and Aarluk (CSA) are not migrating to the cloud, but all of our files and internal systems are.

CSA will be ditching the old and clunky technology of an internal server and storing everything outside of the office, “in the cloud” as it is called. Essentially, it is the delivery of computing and storage capacity as a service to a community of end recipients (that’s us! Thank you Wikipedia!). Everything we used to run on our internal server will now be stored outside our offices (I have e-mailed Bill Gates to confirm). The migration has already begun and has transferred much of our systems and files to the cloud. This week CSA is moving many of our programs to the cloud, such as Web TimeSheet and Web Resource and SharePoint. A big thank you goes out to CloudIT for their assistance! But, let’s be real, with a name like CloudIT they have to know what they are doing.

CSA is one of the few companies that we know of moving to cloud technologies. But we figure if NASA can do it, that so can we! The sky is the limit, right? Well, maybe not for NASA, but it is about as far as we can go. In a recent article by PCWorld, they indicate that cloud IT is about as safe as any other type of technology if the proper precautions are followed.

To close, Leslie may not have been able to get up in the air for the balloon ride, but for the last little while she has had her head up in the cloud.

Happy Birthday Fred!

Fred Weihs, Senior Consultant

Founding partner, Fred Weihs is our lone birthday boy this month. Fred is actually on holiday (yes, he takes the odd week off… ) celebrating his birthday canoeing in the Ontario wilderness. Don’t get your cellphone wet again Fred. :- ) From everyone at Consilium, Stonecircle and Aarluk, we wish you a very Happy Birthday!

Consultants need 'down' time too

Working on the the premise that a) all work and no play is no fun for anyone, and b) it is always a good idea to try out something new every once in a while, Michelle Turpin and Chris Grosset (Consilium and Aarluk Senior Consultants) went with a group on a tree top trekking excursion on a recent day off. Can you call it 'down' time when the afternoon was spent 'up' in the trees?

Aarluk's Chris Grosset

Consilium's Michelle Turpin

It was Michelle's second time taking to the world of tree top obstacle courses and Chris's first time. Chris was in good company however, as many others in the group were new to zip-lining and swinging in the trees. The imminent thunder and lightning storm shortened some of the longer zip-lining and the group has vowed to return in the fall to finish the longer courses and see the autumn colours from a bit of a different angle! A fantastic day was enjoyed by everyone. This would be a great team building exercise - and Michelle and Chris would both be happy to lead other groups through the trees. Since we are now pros!

Boys and Girl of Summer!

2010 season and playoffs Champions
Kory "Chief Wahoo" Goulais and
Christian "The Heckler" Cloutier.

Hey, hey sports fans, it’s that time of year again - the Brass Monkeyz Old School annual season update! In traditional fashion, I will begin the article with a quote from famed/former L.A. Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda – “No matter how good you are, you're going to lose one-third of your games. No matter how bad you are you're going to win one-third of your games. It's the other third that makes the difference. ” Well, I’ll tell you that the Brass Monkeyz had a hard time with the other third and recorded one of their worst seasons in recent history. The Monkeyz finished 5-7-0 and are seated fifth out of six teams heading into the playoffs.

How do you describe this sub-par season? As Vance Law once said “When you’re in a slump, it’s almost as if you look out at the field and it’s one big glove.” This year, hitting, fielding and throwing all dropped off from each player. The reason why, you ask, Shortstop Kory “Chief Wahoo” Goulais thinks that it is because of the new Berryman’s Pub sponsorship. He states “I blame our poorer play on the extra pints they [the team] are ingesting after the game and sometimes before. The Manager [Clootch] is not setting a good example.”

In response to the shortstop, Manager Christian “The Heckler” Cloutier stole a quote from Leo Durocher – “If you don't win, you're going to be fired. If you do win, you've only put off the day you're going to be fired.” And by the sounds of that, Goulais was fired about 7 times this year.

So far, this article has been so negative! The Brass Monkeyz did play some good baseball this year. In the five wins that they did earn, there was an impressive display of talent and athleticism. As summer employee Julia “Scrappy Ju” Prokopick points out – “I was such a dangerous hitter I even got intentional walks in batting practice – Casey Stengel.”

Heading into the playoffs on a three-game winning streak, the Brass Monkeyz will face off against a tough second place opponent for the chance to move deeper into the playoffs. To close, I will leave you with a quote from Joe Schultz – “Well, boys [and girls], it’s a round ball and a round bat and you got to hit the ball square” if you want to win. Figure it out and you will be just fine.

Summer Vacation

I am happy to be back in the Stonecircle office here at 488 Gladstone Avenue. I was away for a few weeks on vacation. I was a busy man during that period, taking care of many things that I would have otherwise not been able to handle if I was in the office. I will give you a quick rundown of my busy time away.

Kory and Alison's new place

Before leaving for vacation I had indicated that my wife Alison and I had looked at a house that we really liked, and in my super efficient manner, I had purchased it (conditionally) by Monday. With the purchase coming three days before leaving for British Columbia, we had to fulfill all of the conditions prior to leaving. That meant obtaining approved financing, having an inspection and taking care of anything that resulted from that inspection. This all had to be completed on top of five baseball games (at night), helping my wife with the library (what happened to books on tape?) at her school and golfing. Needless to say after a hectic three days, all was completed.

In case you are wondering, the house is a three-bedroom, two and a half bathroom townhome.

First hole - Redwoods

Early Wednesday morning rolled around and it was off to British Columbia to celebrate Alison’s aunt’s 10th wedding anniversary (congratulations!). However, for me, this meant an uncomfortable plane ride, jetlag, and missing baseball games. But, it wasn’t all bad, by using the marketing skills that I have developed and honed during my almost three years with Stonecircle (blog article for that to come Sept. 14), I was able to secure a free round of golf at the beautiful Redwoods Golf Course in Langley, BC.

Following my five-day trip in British Columbia, I returned to Ottawa played golf a few times, enjoyed Ottawa’s War Museum, and played in a baseball tournament. All things considered, I am not sure if I really had a vacation!

Got an avataq?

Recently, Aarluk Researcher Geoff "Big Rig" Rigby had a brief summer break, which included a trip to Clear Lake (15 minutes outside of Peterborough) for his grandfather's 80th birthday. Geoff's grandfather has taken up stone carving as a hobby over the past few years, so he was almost as excited to receive his present as he was to see Geoff! On a recent trip to Sanikiluaq with Aarluk General Manager Jimmy Jacquard to help facilitate a strategic planning session for the Nunavut Impact Review Board, Geoff stopped in at the local Co-Op store and found a back room full of carvings. Many of these carvings were exceptional, but one stood in particular - a hunter with a spear, complete with rope and an avataq (sealskin float), pictured below:

After receiving the carving, Geoff's grandfather made sure that everyone who came to the festivities held it and took a look at it, so Geoff was happy he was able to successfully find something special for a special occasion. It's often not easy to shop for others, and since Geoff enjoys shopping about as much as being stuck in an elevator,  it was a win-win situation!

Story Keepers Sneak Peek

Faithful blog readers, you're seeing it here (almost!) first - the cover and inside scoop on Jennifer David's soon-to-be released book, "Original People.  Original Television: the Launching of the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network."

Before joining Stonecircle, Jennifer worked as the the Director of Communications at the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network.  Over the course of her five years, she witnessed (and helped to manage) some of the most interesting and least known stories in Canadian broadcasting history - the transition from a small, regional broadcaster serving a handful of settlements in the North to Canada's third national network, and the world's first full-spectrum Aboriginal TV service in 1999. 

"This was a story that I thought really needed to be told," said Jennifer.  "There were so many interesting characters, so many twists and turns, so much drama. I realized that no one would ever know what went on behind the scenes unless someone wrote the book.  So that's what I did."

Original People.  Original Television is being published by Debwe Communications Inc. You can find out more about the book - including some excerpts and reviews - at the website. 

You can also join the conversation about the early days of TVNC and APTN on the Facebook page.

Jennifer is planning a book launch in Ottawa (details to be confirmed), as well as a book launch in Winnipeg, which is confirmed for Wed. Sept. 19, at McNally Robinson (Grant Park).  You can find out more details at the McNally Robinson site.

If you want to contact Jennifer regarding the book, you can email her at jdavid@debwe.ca

"Speed dating" for Aboriginal Businesses

Jennifer David took part in a new initiative, coordinated by the Assembly of First Nations, at the recent Annual General Assembly in Toronto, at which Shawn Atleo was re-elected for a second term as National Chief.

Instead of having a typical trade show booth, Stonecircle took part in the I-Nations Trade Procurement Exchange Centre.  The idea, similar to 'speed dating' provided an opportunity for Aboriginal businesses (like Stonecircle) to be matched with organizations, companies or government departments looking for the products or services of that particular company.

Here's Jennifer David with Bryan Hendry, one of the AFN organizers
of the I-Nations Trade Procurement Exchange.

Approximately 30 tables were set up in the room and each registrant received a schedule of meetings. Each meeting lasted 15 minutes, after which each group moved to a different table to talk to a different organization/company/government department.

Throughout the one-day event, Jennifer was able to meet with 8 different organizations to tell them more about services offered by Stonecircle and determine common areas of interest.

It was a beneficial marketing effort, and well worth the trip to Toronto.

Happy Birthday Patti and Chuck!

This month our very own 'conference organizer extraordinaire' Patti Black celebrated her birthday on July 12th and our other July birth person, Chuck Gilhuly, our exceptional CEO celebrates his very last year of being in the 40’s on July 24th. Many Happy Returns to two of our favourite people.

 

                  

Celebrate Canada's Parks Day this Saturday July 21!

Iqalugaarjuup Nunanga Territorial Park;
Source: Nunavut Parks and Special Places

This Saturday July 21st is Parks Day across Canada! Celebrated annually every third Saturday of July since 1990, Parks Day is a national event, showcasing parks, historic sites, and marine conservation areas in every province and territory in Canada.

Sylvia Grinnell Territorial Park;
Source: Nunavut Parks and Special Places

Special events and fun for the entire family are typically held in national, provincial, territorial, regional and community parks and historic sites across Canada, including Nunavut! Nunavut Parks and Special Places invites you to come out and celebrate at the following events:

 - Iqalugaarjuup Nunanga Territorial Park (Rankin Inlet, NU) from 12:00 p.m.-2:00 p.m.;

 - Sylvia Grinnell Territorial Park (Iqaluit, NU) from 11:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.; and
 - Taqaiqsirvik Territorial Campground (Kimmirut, NU) from 12:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m.

If you happen to be close to one, why not come out and share the beauty!

Taqaiqsirvik Territorial Campground;
Source: Nunavut Parks and Special Places