POLAR XPRESS – November 16, 2020

FROM THE TOP

POLAR’s new appointments

Ms. Jennifer C. Hubbard has been announced as the new President and CEO of Polar Knowledge Canada by the Minister of Northern Affairs, the Honourable Daniel Vandal. She served recently as Chair of the Board of the NATO Support and Procurement Organization, and as Director General, Labour Relations and Workplace Management at Correctional Services Canada. She will be joining POLAR officially on December 10, 2020.

The new Chairperson of the Board of Directors has been announced as Mr. Joe Kunuk. As the current Executive Director of the Inuit Circumpolar Council Canada, Mr. Kunuk’s impressive and diverse wealth of knowledge of the North will be a great asset to POLAR. Three new Board members have also been appointed: Dr. Karen Barnes, Ms. Kimberly Fairman, and Ms. Jacqueline Pepper-Journal.

More information on all the new appointees is available on the POLAR website.

COVID Alert App

Along with washing your hands, keeping your distance and wearing a mask, the COVID Alert App helps limit the spread of the virus in communities across Canada. Use of this free app is completely voluntary, so it is up to you to decide whether to download it or not.

More than 5 million Canadians have already downloaded the COVID Alert app. The app alerts you when you have been exposed to COVID-19 so you can take appropriate action. COVID Alert uses strong measures to protect the privacy and confidentiality of any data it collects. The app does not track your location, nor does it collect personally identifiable information.

You can learn more about the app by going to the COVID Alert web page: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/coronavirus-disease-covid-19/covid-alert.html

Enhancing diversity in polar science

The UK Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office, in partnership with the British Antarctic Survey, has been supporting an initiative to enhance diversity in polar science. In support of this, November 18 has been designated as a day for Polar Pride. The proposal to have a specific polar focus to the international Pride in STEM day was welcomed by the Pride in Polar Research group.

The hope is that this day will be marked and supported internationally, as a day to celebrate and support the diversity of everyone involved in polar affairs – including science, logistics, policy, legal, and everything in between. No matter where in the world, anyone can post their pictures and use #PolarPride.

Since so few will be in Antarctica on November 18, we hope that everyone will get involved, no matter where they are in the world – and post their pictures or support using #PolarPride.

CSPS Virtual Café Series: a conversation on Indigenous health care with Dr. Stanley Vollant and Chief Ghislain Picard

There are 1.7 million Indigenous people in Canada, many living in rural, remote, and northern communities where residents face unique challenges. These challenges include difficulty accessing health care, as well as fundamental inequalities in areas considered to be determinants of health: poverty, housing and education, and systemic racism in the Canadian health care system.

Date and time: December 1, 2020 | 11:00 am to 12:00 pm (ET)
Registration deadline: November 30, 2020, 4:00 pm (ET)
Language: French, with interpretation in English
Location: This event will be delivered virtually. A link to the live broadcast will be provided upon registration.
Audience: All public servants at all levels
Register for webcast

POLAR’S PEOPLE

In the Arctic, 'everything is changing,' massive animal tracking study finds

POLAR Science & Technology Science Officer Jean-François Lamarre has co-authored a new paper published online in the journal Science about what decades of animal tracking is revealing about the changing Arctic. The paper discusses changes in animal behaviour across the Arctic, including when they breed, migrate and forage -- changes that have consequences for people in the Arctic who depend on wildlife for much of their food. Click here to read the published study or check out this news article published by CBC.

LEARNING AND PERFORMANCE

Managing Virtual Teams

Managers across the public service are invited to join the National Managers' Community to celebrate its 20th anniversary with an event on successfully leading virtual teams during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. Participants will learn how to set boundaries and implement strategies for self-care, to engage their team members in virtual settings, and to use practical tools and strategies to create a flexible working environment.

Date and time: November 26, 2020 | 1:30 pm to 2:30 pm (ET)
Registration deadline: November 25, 2020, 4:00 pm (ET)
Language: English
Location: This event will be delivered virtually. A link to the live broadcast will be provided to registered participants.
Audience: Managers and Aspiring Managers
Register for webcast

Inuktut word of the week

The Inuktut word of the week is: iksivautaq, which means: chair. It can also mean the chair of a committee or board.

It is pronounced: eek-see-vah-ooh-tack

Listen to the pronunciations here:

Are you ready to Talk the Talk?

UPDATES

Key outcomes from the Executive Team Meeting

Here are the key outcomes and decisions from the November 10, 2020, Executive Team Meeting discussions:

• Members reviewed and discussed the procurement log. Executives were encouraged to be mindful of upcoming procurement deadlines, and to ensure that items on the procurement log are reflected in their financial forecasts.
• Members reviewed the financial forecast as of October 31, 2020. All budget managers are to revise their forecasts and submit their updated numbers to Finance by November 13.

WORKPLACE NOTICES

Launch of the 2020 Public Service Employee Survey

POLAR employees will soon be invited to complete the 2020 Public Service Employee Survey (PSES), which takes place from November 30, 2020, to January 22, 2021.

We all know this has been a year unlike any other the federal public service has ever experienced -- unlike any other Canada has ever experienced. The 2020 PSES presents a unique opportunity to share your experiences so that you can help shape the way forward and advance the quality of the federal workplace.

On November 30, make your voice heard by taking a few minutes to complete the 2020 PSES. Your participation matters!