POLAR XPRESS – June 18, 2021

From the top

National Public Service Week June 13 to 19!

National Public Service Week (NPSW) was created in 1992 to recognize federal public service employees for their services. NPSW promotes pride, recognition and raises Canadians' awareness of the excellence of the public service.

Happy National Public Service Week!

A coffee break with the president

On Monday June 14, 2021, President and CEO Jennifer C. Hubbard hosted two coffee break sessions with the Ottawa and Cambridge Bay offices in celebration of National Public Service Week. During these sessions, Jennifer recognized employees who have gone above and beyond for this organization. Read what their managers have to say about their incredible work.

Corporate Services nominations

Carole Dufford

Carole is very dedicated to her work and organization. She is very detail oriented and focused on getting the job done right. Carole audits employee files as carefully as she would her own. She demonstrates a very high level of professionalism and provides very quick service.

Kevin Brunet

Kevin has worked at POLAR for a little over a year, but quickly familiarized himself with multiple projects, and built positive working relationships with recipients. He has significantly contributed to two pressing priorities in the GCU:

• administration of project funding agreements (preparing multiple new agreements with Indigenous partners) and amending a large volume of expiring agreements in Q4 of last FY
• Supporting the preparation of the IN MSRC.

Chanese Nakoyak

Chanese consistently goes above and beyond to assist clients and help however she can. She is very patient, takes the time to explain HR processes and procedures, even when it’s outside the scope of her job. Chanese has taken the initiative to complete additional training to enhance her professional and personal qualifications, and was recently approved for an Education Support Fund to pursue a diploma in social work. She is actively involved in the Cambridge Bay community (Chairperson of the Friendship committee).

Brittany Dale

Brittany Dale joined POLAR in December and dove right in. She created procedures, including a system to manage requests internal to PR, and guidance for our partners across POLAR. She also developed standard operating procedures for PR’s ATIP files with little support, and continues to support with proactive publication and access to information requests.

Katlin Fagan

Katlin was faced with an unexpectedly large workload and a need to establish multiple urgent contracts, while also developing and coordinating the 14 contracts required for the IN MSRC. She successfully managed this situation while also maintaining a positive working relationship with suppliers, resolving contract issues, and continuing to provide support to the Finance team as she transitions fully into her procurement function.

Program’s nominations

Gloria Song and Jacqueline Thompson

Gloria Song and Jacqueline Thompson were nominated for the outstanding work preparing for the Third Arctic Science Ministerial (ASM3) and supporting the Canadian delegation

Gloria and Jacqueline were both instrumental in supporting the Canadian delegation for ASM3. They prepared materials, connected stakeholders, consolidated and reviewed submissions, met with ASM3 organizers and more. They consulted with other government departments to propose the delegation and provided regular updates and briefing materials to the President’s Office for meetings with the Minister.

Thanks to the hard work of Gloria and Jacqueline in supporting the Canadian delegation throughout the process, the event was a success.

Ann Balasubramaniam and Samantha McBeth

Ann Balasubramaniam and Samantha McBeth were nominated for their planning, engaging and launching of the Collaborative Assessment

Ann and Samantha worked tirelessly on POLAR’s Collaborative Assessment (CA) project that launched on May 6^th and 7^th, 2021. The launch was incredibly successful, with more than 60 participants attending the workshops and interacting to produce paper outlines. The metrics show that the collaborative platform is being visited routinely and has 70 total users (including the project team).

This work would not have been successful without the engagement of Ann and Sam, using their connections and professional relationships with both scientists and Inuit Knowledge holders. It is through their passion, dedication and excellent collaboration skills that the stakeholders have agreed to participate.

Martin Leger

Since joining POLAR in August 2019 as the Laboratory Manager at the CHARS campus, Martin Leger has proven himself to be an exemplary employee and an outstanding public servant. His work is always of the highest standard and he regularly goes above and beyond the call of duty to ensure that his co-workers are functioning in a safe and productive environment. He demonstrates deep respect for his colleagues and superiors alike, and his positive outlook and can-do attitude are appreciated.

Martin is also a regular volunteer in the community, helping to serve food at local events and even agreeing to play Santa at the Elks Club Christmas function for local children. Martin is a career civil servant (over 32 years of service) and a positive role model for others in the public service.

Dr Donald McLennan

Dr. Donald McLennan, who recently retired, is one of the founding employees at the Canadian High Arctic Research Station (CHARS) campus. Dr. McLennan led flagship research and detailed mapping of vegetation and bioclimatic zones which are widely used as the framework for research currently undertaken in the central Canadian Arctic and on the CHARS campus. He is well-known within the Canadian Arctic science community and has been a passionate mentor and supporter of northern youth and early career researchers.

During his time at POLAR, Donald earned the full respect of his peers at CHARS and is well-known within the Canadian Arctic science community. He has been a passionate mentor and supporter of northern youth and early career researchers.

Cambridge Bay through your eyes

Dear Cambridge Bay staff, the Communications team would like your help! We would like to see photos of Cambridge Bay through your eyes. Visiting the welcoming and wonderful community of Cambridge Bay and touring the CHARS campus is an experience that many employees in Ottawa have not had. Help us show the community and the campus to employees by showcasing your photos in the POLAR XPRESS.

Photo submissions can be sent to polarxpresspolaire@polar.gc.ca.

POLAR's people

POLAR student Danielle Nowosad highlights Arctic DNA barcoding

What is DNA barcoding, and why is it important to Arctic ecosystem research? In a recent article in Barcode Bulletin, the Barcode of Life’s online newsletter, Danielle Nowosad, a doctoral student and summer employee at POLAR, answers these questions and more. Dani, who studies at the University of Guelph’s Department of Integrative Biology, works in conjunction with Arctic BIOSCAN (ARCBIO), a POLAR -funded project that aims to document all Arctic life using DNA barcodes. DNA barcoding enables scientists to identify plant and animal species and populations -- including microscopic organisms -- more quickly and precisely than possible with conventional methods. When shared online, the data enables scientists around the world to broaden and accelerate their understanding of change in Earth’s ecosystems – past, present, and future. Dani’s research, based at the CHARS campus, is helping further this understanding by establishing a DNA sequence catalogue of freshwater invertebrates for southern Victoria Island. Read her article Arctic Bioscan: Tracking Biodiversity in Canada’s Middle Arctic using DNA

Employee profiles

Still haven’t submitted your profile? Don’t worry, you’ve still got time! The Employee Profile questions are available for download. Once completed please send it back with your photo attached to the communications inbox. You can also ask to be interviewed by a member of the Communications team if you prefer.

Alternative text

Surname: Christopher
Given name: Chisholm
Works here: Cambridge Bay
On staff since: 2017
Date of issue: 2021-06-15
Passport number: 8679835512
Department: Facilities Management

Question	Answer
Name	Chris Chisholm
Job title	Manager, Facilities
Your department	Facilities
What year did you start working for POLAR?	April 10, 2017 (same day as the other Chris)
Where are you based?	Cambridge Bay
How is your work contributing to POLAR ’s priorities?	Our team provides important support to all others in their program delivery.
Before joining POLAR , what was the most unusual or interesting job you’ve held?	Owned a bar.
If you could turn POLAR into a book, what would its title be?	Beholden to its Cause
What hobbies do you have?	Golf (yes, even here). Beer tasting; wine sampling
If you could only eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?	PIZZA
Complete this statement: In my spare time, I…	spend too much time on Twitter
Are you a dog person or a cat person? What is your favourite breed?	Allergic to both – answer I always give to a waiter/waitress when asked if I have any allergies in a restaurant

Suzie Beaudoin

Alternative text

Surname: Beaudoin
Given name: Suzie
Works here: Ottawa
On staff since: 2016
Date of issue: 2021-06-15
Passport number: 3435406333
Department: Finance

Question	Answer
Name	Suzie Beaudoin
Job title	Manager, Financial Services
Your department	Finance
What year did you start working for POLAR?	January 2016
Where are you based?	Ottawa
What inspired you to join POLAR?	I love working in small organizations. There are many challenges and a wide variety of tasks, which makes the work really interesting.
Before joining POLAR , what was the most unusual or interesting job you’ve held?	I was an assistant seamstress in a workshop that makes inflatable structures like inflatable soccer fields.
What hobbies do you have?	Under normal circumstances, I play soccer at least once a week. I also work out 3 to 5 times per week.
Complete this statement: In my spare time, I…	watch TV shows with my family.

Learning and performance

Workplace notices

Notice to all staff

There is a class action lawsuit against the Canadian federal government alleging systemic discrimination in the hiring and promotion of Black workers. The lawsuit is calling for improved representation, accountability measures and compensation. The lawsuit represents current and past Black public servants and POLAR recently has been named as one of the respondents in this government-wide class action lawsuit. As a result, a litigation hold has been put in place and you should all be aware that as part of this hold, you can no longer delete emails, Teams messages or documents. Further details to come soon.

A coffee break with Office 365

Are you out of your element when using Office 365, or want to learn how to use it more efficiently? Logan Carisse, IT Manager, will be hosting a bi-weekly Teams meeting on all things Office 365! Get on the spot answers and learn valuable tips and tricks.

Date and time: July 15, 2021 | 11:00 am to 12:00 pm (ET )
Language: English
Meeting link: Click here to join the meeting

Share what you know or stay up to date on Office 365 discussions by joining POLAR’s Office 365 discussion group on Yammer.

Computer workstation ergonomics

Whether you are working from home or at the office, adjusting and adapting your computer workstation for maximum comfort is essential. A properly adjusted workstation allows you to adopt a natural and comfortable posture.

Using the tips and advice outlined in this checklist will help you create a safer and healthier work environment. This will reduce the likelihood of experiencing soft tissue injuries associated with a poorly designed workstation.

POLAR XPRESS summer pause

Summer is here. We encourage you to take vacations and enjoy the sunny season. The POLAR XPRESS is taking a pause for the summer. We will see you all in the fall!