POLAR XPRESS – December 20, 2019

FROM THE TOP

POLAR in the news

Click on the headline below to read a recent article about POLAR and the CHARS campus official opening.

Business Elite Canada – Canadian High Arctic Research Station (CHARS)
https://www.businesselitecanada.com/emag/dec-2019/mobile/index.html#p=92

Speech from the Throne

On December 5, Governor General Julie Payette opened the 43^rd session of Parliament with the Speech from the Throne. This speech was written by the Prime Minister’s Office to provide the policy framework for the Government over the coming years of its mandate. The primary themes of the speech align with much of what was identified in the 42^nd Throne Speech including: fighting climate change, strengthening the middle class, and working towards reconciliation. It also emphasized the importance of unity across the country, stating “we open this 43^rd Parliament with a call for unity in the pursuit of common goals and aspirations.”

The Speech continues to emphasize climate change and reconciliation as core priorities of this government. A widely quoted statement from the Speech is “Canada's children and grandchildren will judge this generation by its action — or inaction — on the defining challenge of the time: climate change.” Debates on the Speech are currently occurring in the House of Commons. Both opposition parties are proposing amendments, and this means that the vote on the Speech may not occur until Parliament returns after Christmas.

CBC has also published an article titled “North sees little mention in federal throne speech” which includes an analysis of the impacts of the speech on the North and includes thoughts from Nunavut Premier Joe Savikataaq and Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami President Natan Obed.

Ministerial Mandate Letters

On December 13, The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, released ministerial mandate letters to guide Cabinet in delivering real, positive results for Canadians.

The mandate letter of the Honourable Dan Vandal, Minister of Northern Affairs, focuses on Northern governance, post-secondary education and infrastructure initiatives.

• Key for POLAR are:
  • Support the work of the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations to co-develop and implement an Inuit Nunangat policy, and fully implement Inuit land claims agreements.
  • Work with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and other Ministers as necessary to implement the Arctic and Northern Policy Framework to create a future where Northern and Arctic people are thriving, strong and safe.
  • Work with the support of the Minister of Natural Resources to monitor and identify any additional assistance the Polar Continental Shelf Program may require to respond to growing demand.

Link to Minister Vandal’s mandate letter: https://pm.gc.ca/en/mandate-letters/minister-northern-affairs-mandate-letter

NOAA Arctic Report Card

Near-record high air and ocean temperatures and melting of the Greenland ice sheet, low sea-ice extents, and shifts in the distribution of commercially valuable marine species occurred in the northern polar region during 2019, according to the 2019 Arctic Report Card of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

These and other changes, many of which are occurring faster than anticipated, are endangering habitats, fisheries and local cultures, according to the recently released report, which for the first time includes observations from Arctic Indigenous peoples.

Read the 2019 Arctic Report Card here.

POLAR’S PEOPLE

Holiday activities

Cambridge Bay holiday activities

Christmas holidays are a special time of year in Cambridge Bay, where the community comes together to help those who are in need. POLAR staff in Cambridge Bay and Ottawa collected monetary donations and items that were donated to the Department of Healthy Living who then delivered the goods to underprivileged families.

The creativity was flowing at the CHARS campus for the holiday festivities last weekend. Employees came together to build our POLAR star to affix to the float that was participating in the annual Cambridge Bay Christmas parade on December 14.

A Day of Christmas Fun!

‘Tis the season for giving! POLAR’s Day of Christmas Fun in Ottawa was really…FUN! Together, Ottawa staff sorted thousands of pounds of food in two hours and boxed it up to ship out to those in need. The team was in high spirits and happy to support the Ottawa Food Bank.

Lunch at Crust and Crate was delicious and everyone shared laughter during the team building activities. Here are a couple shots from the day:

Aula workshop

On November 22, staff from POLAR’s S&T team delivered the Aula workshop to grade 10 to 12 students of Kiilinik High School in Cambridge Bay. The workshop started off with an introduction of POLAR’s S&T goals and priorities by our colleague Spencer Klengenberg to build better understanding of POLAR’s role and the importance of the CHARS campus. POLAR employee Arina Nikolaeva then introduced students to the different paths in planning, such as environmental planning, urban design, policy planning, and land-use/GIS planning.

Two activities were presented during this workshop: Cambridge Bay 2.0 and Solar Apartments Revitalization Project. These two activities were aimed to tie together concepts learned from the POLAR and community planning presentations by having students consider renewable energy technologies and issues and concerns in their community to create unique solutions.

During the second activity, each group was presented with a blank map of Cambridge Bay and was given a list of buildings and facilities to be included on their maps. This gave the students the opportunity to collectively decide the new layout of their community. Once completed, the students compared their designs with the current one of Cambridge Bay to review the differences and similarities. The goal for this activity was to get students thinking about their community and what changes they would make if they had the opportunity to redesign it.

LEARNING AND PERFORMANCE

Inuinnaqtun/Inuktitut word of the week

The Inuinnaqtun/Inuktitut word of the week is ubluriaq: “star”

It is pronounced: oo-bloo-ree-aq

Listen to the pronunciation here.

Indigenous learning series

Public servants have an important role to play in working towards reconciliation. The Canada School of Public Service’s Indigenous Learning Series offers opportunities to learn and build knowledge and understanding of Canada's shared history and how it impacts us today.

On GCcampus, you will find a growing collection of resources to help increase cultural competency and awareness about First Nations, Métis and Inuit in Canada, as well as the Government of Canada's roles and responsibilities.

Under the themes of recognition, respect, relationships and reconciliation, the Indigenous Learning Series provides access to resources, courses, workshops and events that share the history, heritage, cultures, rights and perspectives of Indigenous peoples in Canada and their relationship with the Crown.

At every level of the public service, the insights gained through this series will support working effectively with diverse Indigenous populations and developing federal policies and programs to meet the unique needs and realities of Indigenous peoples in Canada.

Current highlights

These five foundational online courses have been developed in partnership with various stakeholders, including Indigenous public service employees, government subject matter experts, Indigenous scholars and Indigenous communities and Elders.

• Cultural Self-Reflection: What I Know and What I Don't Know (K099)
• The Uncomfortable Truth (K100)
• First Nations in Canada (K101)
• Métis in Canada (K102)
• Inuit in Canada (K103)

Are you ready to Talk the Talk?

UPDATES

Key outcomes from Senior Management Committee

Here are the key outcomes and decisions deriving from the December 11 Senior Management Committee meeting:

• Senior Management Committee had a discussion, led by Human Resources regarding the recently completed HR training on the new HR Policy suite, including the Terms and Conditions of Employment. HR briefed members on the types of questions that were commonly raised at the training session, and advised that a revised HR Policy will be sent to all staff, with minor changes that clarified questions that arose during the training sessions.
• The President debriefed SMC members on the outcome of the recent Board of Directors meeting.

POLAR Events Calendar

Workplace Notices

Information security — it starts with you!

As public servants, we should do our best to close security gaps and lead by example. Being a relatively new agency with a tight-knit group of employees, it can be easy to forget to protect our work. POLAR encourages staff to be vigilant and take the following steps to lock their screens whenever their computers are unattended.

Windows

In order to lock your computer, simultaneously press Windows + L This will immediately lock your screen.

Macintosh

There are two methods you could use to lock your screens—and it will depend on the operating system of your computer. For newer Macs, simultaneously press Control + Command + Q to immediately lock your screen. If this doesn’t work, you will need to make a few adjustments to your system settings. If so, follow the steps provided below:

1. Open System Preferences
2. In your System Preferences panel, select Security & Privacy
   

   

3. Under General check the box Require Password
4. Set option to Immediately
   

   

5. Now to lock your screen: Press these keys simultaneously Control + Shift + Power

You now can walk away from your screen knowing that your work is secure.