- FROM THE TOP
- The CHARS Campus is Making History!
- The 2019 Public Service Employee Survey has been extended
- World Suicide Prevention Day is September 10, 2019
- POLAR’S PEOPLE
- Recent publication from a POLAR Researcher
- Beautifying the CHARS Campus Surroundings
- LEARNING AND PERFORMANCE
- 2019 is a year of celebration!
- Innuinaqtun/Inukitut Word of the Week - Minijuq - ᒥᓂᔪᖅ
- Are you ready to Talk the Talk?
- WORKPLACE NOTICES
- Pilimmaksaivik’s On-Site Psychologist Services
- UPDATES
- POLAR Events Calendar
- POLAR Priorities Update
- SOCIAL MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS
- Lots Happening on POLAR’s Social Media Channels
FROM THE TOP
The CHARS Campus is Making History!
On August 21, 2019, Polar Knowledge Canada was proud to announce the official opening the Canadian High Arctic Research Station.
Yvonne Jones, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Intergovernmental and Northern Affairs and Internal Trade, on behalf of the Honourable Carolyn Bennett, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations; the Honourable Jeannie Ehaloak, member of the Executive Council of Nunavut and Member of the Legislative Assembly for Cambridge Bay; Her Worship, Pamela Gross, Mayor of Cambridge Bay; and David J. Scott, President and Chief Executive Officer for POLAR, were joined by community members to mark the long-awaited official opening of the campus.
Catch a glimpse of photos of the official opening here.
The ceremony featured the Huqqullaaqatigiit drummers and dancers, the Ikaluktutiak Aghaliak square dancers and throat singers from the Sounds of Northern Lights. The opening ceremonies also included a full day of community activities on Thursday, August 22.
A few media covered the event:
Nunatsiaq News: Canadian High Arctic Research Station set to officially open (August 20)
CBC North: Cambridge Bay celebrates Canadian High Arctic Research Station opening (August 21)
Radio Canada: Canada inaugurates new Arctic science research station (August 22)
Arctic Today: Canadian High Arctic Research Station opens its doors in Nunavut (August 27)
Nunavut News: A bit of summer finally arrives in Cambridge Bay, bicycles too (August 29)
Here are some social media highlights from the official opening:
- Arctic Science Journal: @ArcticScienceJ: Cambridge Bay celebrates Canadian High Arctic Research Station opening
- Shared Services Canada: @SSC_CA: #ICYMI: Congratulations @PolarCanada @GCIndigenous @PSPC_SPAC on the #CHARScampus grand opening! @SSC_CA is proud to be part of the team, providing the #IT needed for a state-of-the-art campus! #SSCexcellenceSPC
- 97.7 CFBI – Ovayok Broadcasting Society: CHARS Campus Opening Photos.
We also gathered some of our favourite moments of our “behind the scenes” of the opening, here. Enjoy!
The 2019 Public Service Employee Survey has been extended
The deadline to complete the 2019 Public Service Employee Survey has been extended. You now have until September 6 to complete the survey.
So far, 71.8% of employees at POLAR have completed the survey. We would like to thank all of you who have already taken the time to share your perspectives with us.
If you have not yet completed the survey, now’s your chance. Your feedback is valuable to the Agency as it will help shed light on issues affecting our organization. We are committed to discussing the findings of the survey with you and acting on the results.
We encourage you to help us produce a full and representative picture of POLAR by completing the survey. It only takes 20 minutes to complete, and your responses are confidential and are protected under the Privacy Act.
If you haven’t yet received an email invitation to participate in the survey, please visit Advanis or contact them at 1-866-539-7829 or at pses-saff@advanis.ca. For more information, please visit the Public Service Employee Survey page on GCintranet.
Thank you again for participating in the 2019 Public Service Employee Survey.
World Suicide Prevention Day is September 10, 2019
World Suicide Prevention Day is September 10, 2019. This day is designated to promote a better understanding of the many aspects of suicide including: reasons why people suicide; learning from survivors of suicide attempts; how to talk with someone who is at risk of suicide; and how to support bereaved family and friends. Suicide affects Canadians of all ages and backgrounds.
- Shocking Facts:
- In Canada, there are 11 suicide deaths and 250 more suicide attempts occurring daily.
- Countless others have suicidal thoughts.
- Suicide is the second leading cause of death among 15-34 year olds.
- The ripple effect of suicide leads to a large number of people impacted by this devastating moment.
People who die by suicide don’t necessarily want to end their lives. They often want to stop significant or unbearable mental, emotional or physical pain. They want to end their suffering or put an end to a situation that seems overwhelming to them. To learn more about the warning signs for suicide, how to have a conversation as well as to download materials to promote Suicide Prevention Day on September 10, 2019, please visit: https://suicideprevention.ca/resources/Documents/WSPD2019JMPS-Toolkit.pdf
An additional resource for managers, employees and an immediate family members is LifeSpeak – an e-learning platform, which is available at canada.lifespeak.com with password: canada.
If you are a supervisor or manager and would like to organize a workshop, lunch-and-learn or training session on various wellness related topics, please contact our Specialized Organizational Services (SOS), which are on a cost-recovery basis, at 1-888-366-8213. If you would like to offer information sessions on the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) targeting employees or managers (also available via WebEx, video or teleconference), organize an EAP presentation as part of an all-staff meeting, or coordinate the set-up of a kiosk, please contact your Employee Assistance Services (EAS) manager.
This message is brought to you by EAP as a reminder to take care of your mental health. You can contact them 24/7 at 1-800-268-7708 or 1-800-567-5803 for the hard of hearing and the deaf.
POLAR’S PEOPLE
Recent publication from a POLAR Researcher
Our colleague Matilde Tomaselli has recently seen a paper she led and co-authored with collaborators from Canada and Norway titled “A Transdisciplinary Approach to Brucella in Muskoxen of the Western Canadian Arctic 1989–2016” published in EcoHealth, a Public Health Official journal of EcoHealth Alliance.
The paper summarizes information on brucellosis in muskoxen of the western Canadian Arctic - including the areas around the communities of Kugluktuk, Cambridge Bay, Ulukhaktok and Sachs Harbour - and over a timeframe of almost 30 years.
Brucellosis is a bacterial infection that causes reproduction failure in ungulates. It is also a relevant zoonosis in the North where people can get infected while butchering diseased animals or while consuming raw or undercooked meat from infected animals.
The good news is that the prevalence is quite low in the tested muskoxen, the bad news is that the prevalence seems to have increased in the muskoxen of the Cambridge Bay area (and also in the Dolphin and Union caribou as demonstrated in a recent multi-pathogen study by Carlsson at al. 2019).
This paper also provides an example of meaningful combination of scientific and local knowledge to improve understanding of disease status in wildlife. This approach can be relevant to explore and understand any ecological processes in the Arctic (and elsewhere).
Click here to read the full article: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10393-019-01433-3
Beautifying the CHARS Campus Surroundings
In preparation for the official opening of the CHARS campus, Cambridge Bay staff rolled up their sleeves and put on their rubber boots to clean the green area and wetland valley around the CHARS campus. This included the removal of large pieces of garbage, oil barrels and wooden boxes.
We would like to sincerely thank all those who helped clean up the area surrounding the CHARS campus, helping to showcase our state-of-the-art facility.
LEARNING AND PERFORMANCE
2019 is a year of celebration!
2019 is a year of celebration! We are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Official Languages Act and the 10th anniversary of Linguistic Duality Day.
To mark these important milestones, we are offering a most interesting program: discussion on linguistic insecurity and language of work, the launch of the Official Languages Hub (which will consolidate the official languages resources of federal institutions on the Language Portal of Canada) and the presentation of the Excellence and Leadership in Official Languages Awards.
Don't miss this special event!
Date and time: September 12, 2019 | 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm (EDT)
Language: Bilingual with interpretation in both official languages
Location: John McCrae Auditorium, Library and Archives Canada, 395 Wellington Street, Ottawa, Ontario. Available across Canada by webcast.
Employees who are interested in attending this event can register online: https://www.csps-efpc.gc.ca/events/ola50/index-eng.aspx?pk_campaign=Arial347-EN&pk_kwd=youth
Innuinaqtun/Inukitut Word of the Week - Minijuq - ᒥᓂᔪᖅ
The Inuinnaqtun/Inuktitut word of the week is “minijuq”. It means “it’s drizzling”.
It is pronounced: mee-nee-yooq
Listen to the pronunciation here.
Are you ready to Talk the Talk?
WORKPLACE NOTICES
Pilimmaksaivik’s On-Site Psychologist Services
Pilimmaksaivik is pleased to offer confidential on-site psychologist services in Cambridge Bay for federal employees*. Please note that priority will be given to Nunavut Inuit employees.
As such, a psychologist will be in Cambridge Bay September 24-27, 2019 and November 18-21, 2019. To book appointments, please contact Lily at Lily.Amagoalik@Canada.ca or at 867-975-3868.
*Pilimmaksaivik provides services to federal departments and agencies operating in Nunavut who have strict obligations under Article 23 (Inuit Employment in Government) of the Nunavut Agreement.
UPDATES
POLAR Events Calendar
You will find below the latest version of the POLAR events calendar, including upcoming events and conferences for your information.
Note: The calendar is subject to change. Any travel has to be pre-approved by Directors (and above for international destinations).
Please send any calendar updates or additions to Jerry Kallada at jerry.kallada@polar.gc.ca
POLAR events calendar: Aug 28, 2019
POLAR Priorities Update
The latest Priorities Update document is here. Take a look at the priorities and activities of your colleagues between August 26 to September 20.
SOCIAL MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS
Lots Happening on POLAR’s Social Media Channels
- POLAR launched its collective mural with “My wish for the CHARS campus is…” wish cards
- Full day of community activities at the CHARS campus on August 22 as part of the official opening
- A first in the Kitikmeot Region, an Eastern Kingbird was spotted!
- History in the making! The official opening of the CHARS campus on August 21
- POLAR was happy to provide space for ACTUA’s outreach camp at the CHARS campus
- Inuit singers and dancers celebrated with us during the Official Opening