POLAR XPRESS – May 19, 2020

FROM THE TOP

The Strategic Plan in a period of uncertainty

On April 15, 2020, POLAR’s President David J. Scott released the Strategic Plan to all POLAR employees. You can find the Strategic Plan on POLAR’s Intranet site:
http://intranet.polar.gc.ca/en/strategic-plan

Many of you had the opportunity to contribute to the development of the Strategic Plan, especially the Vision and the Values. You’ll recall from those sessions, that the Strategic Plan is a framework document meant to guide us (POLAR employees) in our day-to-day work, decisions and interactions. It is meant to ensure that our immediate or short-term decisions and activities support the long-term goals and vision of the organization.

This is particularly important in times of change and uncertainty – like what we are facing now in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. As we are required to re-evaluate what work we can accomplish this year, and the resources we have available to us, we can look to the Strategic Plan for high-level guidance on our priorities.

I would like to draw your attention to two sections of the Plan in particular.

• The first is the “What We Will Do” section, which includes the two key themes: (1) Advancing Knowledge Creation in the North; and, (2) Leading the Mobilization of Polar Knowledge in Canada and Abroad. Listed under each theme are key activities POLAR has committed to undertake. Can you see yourself and the work you do in one of these lists?
• The second is the “What We Will Seek to Achieve: Strategic Targets” section. This section includes target scenarios for 2020, 2023 and 2025. You can think of these as “sign posts” to let us know if we’re going in the right direction. When you look at these targets, do you see how your work contributes to getting there?

If you work in Corporate Services, you might not see a direct relationship to these activities, but I assure you the work you do is important to achieving POLAR’s Vision. From posting a staffing action to processing a travel claim, Corporate Services ensures that our colleagues in Programs have the resources and support they need to do their work.

Thank you for reading, and don’t hesitate to reach out to the Planning and Reporting Team with questions. We will be holding the first Strategic Plan Discussion and Information session virtually on Thursday, May 21, 2020.

Melissa Bolster
Senior Advisor Planning and Reporting

Current appointments at Polar Knowledge Canada

Notices of appointment opportunities at Polar Knowledge Canada have been launched by the Governor in Council on May 8:

• President and Chief Executive Officer
• Chair, Board of Directors
• Members, Board of Directors

CIRNAC and POLAR are promoting these appointment opportunities through social media and the Arctic and Northern Policy Framework networks which include, but not limited to, territorial governments, Indigenous governments and organizations, Northerners, the private sector, academia, non-governmental organizations, local, regional and national stakeholders networks.

Qualified candidates are encouraged to apply for vacancies at POLAR by May 26, 2020.

For more information, please visit the Governor in Council website here.

New email subscription service for COVID-19

The COVID-19 pages on Canada.ca receive millions of weekly page views. Since April 2020, the Government of Canada has developed an email subscription service to issue nation-wide messages about the coronavirus outbreak. This new subscription “Get Updates on COVID-19” is a collaboration between Health Canada, the Public Health Agency of Canada, Service Canada, and the Canadian Digital Service.

Sign up today! By subscribing, you are signing up to receive the latest updates from the Government of Canada about COVID-19.

POLAR’S PEOPLE

Exotic Creature in Antarctica Has Survived More than 30 Ice Ages

Ian Hogg’s Antarctic research is front and centre in an April article from the well-known magazine Scientific American. In 2018, Ian and a colleague found a rare species of springtail, Tullbergia mediantarctica, living in extreme conditions on slopes of the Transantarctic Mountains. This species had been seen in Antarctica only once before, in 1964. Springtails, (snow fleas) live around the world, and although twenty of them could fit on your thumbnail with room to spare, in Antarctica they’re the largest terrestrial animal. They’re also tenacious. Springtails have thrived for millions of years, through dozens of ice ages, in one of the harshest environments on Earth. Ian and his colleagues are using DNA techniques to learn how they’ve accomplished this astounding feat of polar survival – and what their story can teach us about life in other ecosystems on the planet.

LEARNING AND PERFORMANCE

Reminder: Performance agreements

Year-end performance reviews for 2019-2020 and new year performance agreements for 2020-2021 are both due on May 29. This is to encourage continuity of performance discussions and objectives from year to year, and to ensure that objectives for 2020-2021 are set at the beginning of the fiscal year.

If you have any questions about the year-end performance review process, please send them to the Human Resources inbox at HR_RH@polar.gc.ca.

Tools to support language maintenance

Maintaining your second language skills can be difficult when you are isolated and away from your normal work environment. To help with this, you may wish to set aside some time to practice your second language skills online with your colleagues or offline at home.

• Learning path for maintaining your second language
  Take advantage of a number of free online self-assessment tools, in English and in French, to help you improve or maintain your language skills. Access self-directed evaluation simulations and interactive tools designed to improve oral and written comprehension, pronunciation, grammar, written expression and fluency in both official languages.
• Self-assessment tests in your second language
  Practice your reading comprehension and written expression to prepare for future official evaluations with these sample tests from the Public Service Commission.

For more learning opportunities, please visit Canada.ca/school.

The Inuinnaqtun/Inuktitut words of the week focus on fulmars; the Arctic sea bird.

One fulmar | qaqulluk | ᖃᖁᓪᓗᒃ
It is pronounced: qa-qool-look

A pair of fulmars | qaqulluuk | ᖃᖁᓪᓘᒃ
It is pronounced: qa-qool-loook

Three or more fulmars | qaqulluit | ᖃᖁᓪᓗᐃᑦ
It is pronounced: qa-qool-loo-eet

Listen to the pronunciations here:

Are you ready to Talk the Talk?

UPDATES

Key outcomes from Senior Management Committee

Here are the key outcomes and decisions from the May 2020 Senior Management Committee discussions:

• Focussed on wrapping up old year performance reviews and year-end business.
• Discussions continue on how best to implement the ongoing guidance from central agencies related to the present telework arrangements, keeping employees safe and engaged, and moving forward as planning begins for the eventual gradual easing of current restrictions.

Board-approved POLAR work plan 2020-21

The 2020-2021 POLAR work plan has been approved by the Board of Directors and shared with POLAR employees. This work plan will be discussed during the May 21 virtual all-staff meeting. During these challenging times, the Board has recognized that the timelines to achieve objectives have been over taken by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the proposed goals remain valid and are now formally approved for implementation.

POLAR’s Strategic Plan and the 2020-2025 S&T Framework are both available on POLAR’s Intranet. It is important for you to read these documents to better understand how your work aligns with POLAR’s priorities, goals and activities.

During the all-staff meeting, the Senior Management team will also provide the latest updates surrounding COVID-19. Any questions you may have regarding the above topics should be sent to Kristin White in advance of the meeting at: kristin.white@polar-polaire.gc.ca.

POLAR Events Calendar

You will find below the latest version of the POLAR events calendar for your information.

All travel is currently postponed until further notice.

Please send any calendar updates or additions to Janine Angohiatok at janine.angohiatok@polar.gc.ca

POLAR events calendar: May 15, 2020

WORKPLACE NOTICES

A word search puzzle to help cabin-fever blues

Teleworking has become the new normal, which also comes with new at home routines. Whether you are home alone, with a spouse, or with children, we are all trying to find new ways to remain entertained after the work day ends. As cabin-fever begins to set in, it can be hard to find the motivation to take on new activities. To help pass some time, POLAR Communications has created a quick word search puzzle about POLAR to bring some fun to your day!

Download and print the Polar Knowledge Canada word search here: