POLAR XPRESS – Friday, March 15, 2019

FROM THE TOP:

The New Forms Section is Here!

The new Forms section on POLAR’s intranet site is finally here! Use this suite of electronic forms to complete administrative, financial, and business-related tasks.

Click here to access the new Forms tab on the menu bar!

The POLAR Directory Now Available on the Intranet!

Looking for a colleague’s contact information? Look no further! We’ve updated the POLAR Staff Directory on the intranet.

You can also download the complete list of POLAR staff contact information, here.

March 20 is a Time to Celebrate the Francophonie!

The International Day of La Francophonie has now been celebrated annually for 30 years. Every year on March 20, 274 million francophones worldwide celebrate their language and its diversity.

This Day promotes French language and cooperative relations between the 84 States and governments who are members of the International Organization of La Francophonie (IOF).

Rendez-vous de la Francophonie:
Les Rendez-vous de la Francophonie is part of the cultural events surrounding the International Day of La Francophonie. Hundreds of activities take place across Canada: community gatherings, multicultural meetings, ceremonies, performances, film screenings, contests, and educational activities.

For a list of events happening near you, visit the Rendez-vous de la Francophonie website.

Quiz:
Do you know your French language? Test your knowledge by participating in the quiz "What do you know about the Francophonie?” Good luck!

Find the answers to the quiz here.

POLAR’S PEOPLE:

Reflections on Leadership Along The Way

Walking the way with Maggie Henderson-Davis. (From the travel journal she kept while walking the age old pilgrimage trail “El Camino” through Europe in 2013)

6:00 a.m. Day 19 dawns. We are somewhere between Fromista and Terradillos de los Templarios. Quiet rustling sounds from the bunk beds next to us. The night before they organized their back packs and got in bed fully dressed in their walking clothes: typical of those wanting to get a jump on the day. Perhaps on a tight timeline to complete the 800+km Camino de Santiago (The Way), perhaps not ready to embrace it as a time for contemplation rather than a hike, we speculate.

My partner of many years is a man of few words, unlike me. But strangely, the roles are reversed along The Way – he: “oh look over there how they ploughed those fields”, me: “yes”. Where have my thoughts been on our 20-25km daily walks? Reflection. Reflection on life: childhood, family, parenting, career, what has been learned and what not learned. Many thoughts on career and leadership, “a-ha” moments, bolts of recognition piercing my understanding of things long since past: “oh is that what s/he was trying to tell me”.

Long after my return I found an article on The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader summing up some of my leadership reflections while on the Camino. Here are the headlines:

1. CHARACTER: Be a Piece of the rock
2. CHARISMA: The impression can seal the deal
3. COMMITMENT: It separates doers from dreamers
4. COMMUNICATION: Without it you travel alone
5. COMPETENCE: If you build it they will come
6. COURAGE: One person with courage is a majority
7. DISCERNMENT: Put an end to unsolved mysteries
8. FOCUS: The sharper it is, the sharper you are
9. GENEROSITY: Your candle loses nothing when it lights another
10. INITIATIVE: You won’t leave home without it
11. LISTENING: To connect with their hearts, use your ears
12. PASSION: Take this life and love it
13. POSITIVE ATTITUDE: If you believe you can, you can
14. PROBLEM SOLVING: You can’t let your problems be a problem
15. RELATIONSHIPS: If you get along, they’ll go along
16. RESPONSIBILITY: If you won’t carry the ball, you can’t lead the team
17. SECURITY: Competence never compensates for insecurity
18. SELF-DISCIPLINE: The first person you lead is you
19. SERVANTHOOD: To get ahead, put others first
20. TEACHABILITY: To keep leading, keep learning
21. VISION: You can seize only what you can see.

For more on leadership, particularly for Government of Canada employees, see Key Leadership Competency profile and examples of effective and ineffective behaviours.

Walking “The Way”, in reality or in thought, you stop your own life and step out of the familiar world so that you can look and listen, reflect and change. You strip away some of what is unnecessary so that you can reflect and learn and step into the future with greater understanding.

Buen Camino!

Maggie Henderson-Davis

Come exercise with your kids!

Looking for something new to do on Saturday mornings? Come on out to Rebecca Turpin’s free circuit training sessions at the Kullik Ilihakvik Elementary School in Cambridge Bay.

Sessions run from 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. No need for experience—all levels are welcome!

A great way to start the weekend! Fun for all ages guaranteed!

Pilimmaksaivik Community Outreach Tour and Travelling Career Fair

During the last week of January, our colleague Jennifer Sokol boarded a plane for Nunavut to participate in the Pilimmaksaivik Community Outreach Tour and Travelling Career Fair. Exhibitors, including other federal government departments, Indigenous organizations and the territorial government, travelled from Iqaluit to the communities of Arctic Bay, Pond Inlet, Clyde River and Qikiqtarjuaq over five days to promote various employment and education options.

Jennifer met Inuit youth aged 8 to 18, as well as community members interested in careers in Canada’s North, raising awareness of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) activities in the Arctic, and helping build the next generation of scientists.

POLAR’s giant circumpolar floor map was a hit throughout the event as youth learned more about animal migration, communication and new technologies, climate change and much more.

Not only did this event help promote POLAR’s science activities and employment opportunities at the CHARS campus across the Territory, but it also raised awareness among other federal departments (Parks Canada, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs, Department of Fisheries and Oceans) of POLAR’s mandate and important work in Canada’s Arctic.

LEARNING AND PERFORMANCE

Doing Science in French

To mark the International Day of La Francophonie, the Canada School of Public Service is collaborating with Environment and Climate Change Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and Natural Resources Canada to present a thought-provoking exploration of linguistic duality in the world of science.

On March 20, from 1:30 – 3:00 p.m. (EDT), a panel of scientists from inside and outside the public service will discuss such issues as how to preserve linguistic duality in science, what bilingualism can bring to science, and the importance of providing scientific information to Canadians in the official language of their choice. Panelists will also discuss the challenges and opportunities related to “doing science in French”.

For more information or to register: Canada School of Public Service

Inuktitut Word of the Week - Qaritaujaq - ᖃᕆᑕᐅᔭᖅ

The Inuktitut word of the week is qaritaujaq. It means “computer”. It is pronounced: qa-ree-tow-yaq.

Listen to John Bennett’s pronunciation here.

The Inuit Language - Kaapiturumaviit - ᑳᐱᑐᕈᒪᕖᑦ

The Inuit language is a polysynthetic language, meaning words are made up of smaller pieces – much like Lego. It communicates in one-word concepts that English would express in an entire sentence:

kaapiturumaviit?

kaapi/   tu/   ruma/ viit?
coffee/   eat or drink/ want/   you (question)

Would you like coffee?

Pronunciation:
cawpee-too-roo-ma-veet?

Listen to John Bennett’s pronunciation here.

Are you ready to Talk the Talk?

WORKPLACE NOTICES:

It’s Tax Time!

It’s tax time! Check out Canada Revenue Agency’s (CRA) useful tax tips, step-by-step guide on how to file your income tax and benefit return, and interactive videos to help you file your taxes easier and faster, and get all the benefits and credits you are entitled to. Get started here: canada.ca/taxes-get-ready.

During tax time, CRA also offers extended evening and Saturday telephone service from February 18 to April 30, 2019. If you can’t find the information you’re looking for online, contact CRA at PABINTERACG@cra-arc.gc.ca or call 1-800-959-8281.

Information Management (IM) 101 Workshop in Cambridge Bay

POLAR has taken the first steps to shift toward an enterprise approach in terms of managing information, data, technology and security. As part of the Government of Canada’s priority regarding information technology, as well as to increase the Agency’s efficiency, POLAR has hired an Information Management Consultant, Renée Bergeron, to assess our current information management practices, provide training to staff, as well as develop and implement an Information Management Plan for the Agency.

Renée will be in Cambridge Bay during the week of March 25 to deliver an Information Management 101 workshop and to meet staff to better understand the IM environment at the CHARS campus. The same workshop will be given to staff based in Ottawa and other locations in April.

For more information on POLAR’s IM Plan, please contact Renée at renee.bergeron@polar.gc.ca

UPDATES:

CHARS Campus Opening Working Group Update

The CHARS Campus Opening Working Group, which includes representatives from each POLAR division, has been hard at work to prepare for key activities that will take place during the official opening to showcase POLAR and Arctic research.

Although a date for the opening has yet to be confirmed, the working group is overseeing the complete event and POLAR activities’ logistics.

The official opening will be comprised of five key POLAR activities:

Activity 1 – POLAR Mural

POLAR will invite youth, community members, national and international stakeholders and researchers to create a collective mural to celebrate the official opening of the CHARS campus. The mural will be created with My wish for the CHARS campus is… wish cards, available in paper and printable electronic versions so that communities across the North, nationally and internationally can also participate. The mural will be displayed in the CHARS campus during and after the official opening.

Activity 2 – POLAR Exhibit: This exhibition will be displayed in the public area of the Main Research Building and will consist of five components:

1. Museum exhibits on the Arctic: POLAR is exploring the feasibility of displaying the Canadian Museum of Nature’s Arctic Flora exhibit—herbarium sheet reproductions of plants collected during the Canadian Arctic Expedition (1913-1918) and on recent trips by the Museum’s scientists—as well as Beneath the Surface: Arctic Fish X-ray films. POLAR is also looking to secure digital prints of the Calgary and Glenbow Museum’s travelling exhibit entitled The Arctic: Photographs of Geraldine and Douglas Moodie.
2. Local Lichens: Local lichens and vascular plants samples, collected by POLAR researchers, will be displayed on herbarium sheets as part of the exhibit.
3. Insect Displays: POLAR will showcase its two insect cases, including Arctic bugs that play a critical role in the local environment.
4. Science Equipment: An automated soil gas flux chamber system, which provides accurate and reliable soil measurements, will be displayed and explained to participants by POLAR researchers.
5. Scientific Comic Strips: Large print-outs of Frozen Ground’s science cartoons will be on display, making permafrost science fun and accessible to youth.

Activity 3 – Giant Floor Map

A giant floor map will be set up in the Business Incubator area of the CHARS campus and used for learning activities about the Arctic that were developed in partnership with Canadian Geographic. These activities will help showcase POLAR’s commitment to promoting the development and dissemination of knowledge of the Arctic region.

Activity 4 – Kids Coloring Activity

Large 3’x4’ coloring pages, featuring the Canadian Museum of Nature’s Arctic Mandela-style coloring pages, as well as POLAR’s 8.5”x11” coloring pages will be available for kids at the official opening. Facilitators from POLAR will engage with the students and discuss with them the importance of these images for their community and the environment.

Tours of the CHARS campus

Tours of the CHARS campus will be led by POLAR staff to demonstrate the various functionalities of the campus. Tours for students will also include engaging activities for various age groups based on POLAR’s curriculum packages and youth science kits, as well as information sessions with POLAR employees and researchers. In addition, booklets introducing the Northern artists and their artwork currently displayed at the CHARS campus will be available for self-guided tours during the official opening.

Key Outcomes from Senior Management Committee

Here are the key outcomes and decisions deriving from the March 6 Senior Management Committee meeting:

• Senior Management discussed POLAR’s staffing-related legal obligations under Article 23 of the Nunavut Agreement, covering Inuit employment. This includes POLAR’s legal obligation to hire a Nunavut Inuk when found to meet the qualifications in a staffing process. Examples of opportunities and initiatives that POLAR will further consider as it updates its Inuit Employment Plan include: multi-year learning plans; developmental opportunities; and pre-employment training.
• POLAR’s Emergency Management Plan for the CHARS campus was briefly discussed. It covers a range of scenarios, such as fire alarms, wildlife threats, power outages, and hazardous material spills. Prioritized implementation will be key. Training will be provided to Cambridge Bay staff, with a smaller session for staff based elsewhere.
• Senior Management will be soliciting ideas from their teams in terms of topics that could be covered during the next all-staff meeting in April (timing TBC), in addition to the regular debrief from meetings of POLAR’s Board of Directors.
• The weekly time for CHARS campus tours has been moved to Wednesdays at 2pm. Tours outside of that will continue to require Director approval.
• All questions in relation to POLAR’s 2020-2023 Competitive Funding Process should continue to be referred to the Grants and Contributions Team (grants-contributions@polar.gc.ca) for consistency and transparency.

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 Regienna by email at regienna.baggayan@polar.gc.ca.

POLAR events calendar: March 13, 2019

POLAR Priorities Update

The latest Priorities Update document is here! Take a look at the priorities and activities of your colleagues between March 11 to April 5.