POLAR XPRESS – November 30, 2020

FROM THE TOP

International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD)

This year’s theme for International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) is Not all Disabilities are Visible. The virtual event hosted by Shared Services Canada will be focusing on raising awareness and understanding of disabilities that are not immediately apparent, such as mental illness, chronic pain or fatigue, sight or hearing impairments, diabetes, brain injuries, neurological disorders, learning differences and cognitive dysfunctions, among others.

Take part in the IDPD event:
This year’s speakers will be covering a range of topics on invisible disabilities and inclusive and accessible workplaces. There’s no need to register in advance to participate in IDPD – but please ensure your manager has approved your participation in advance. Then, mark it in your calendar and join any of the sessions throughout the day using the link below:

December 3, 2020 | 10:45 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Eastern Time) Link to event

The sessions will be fully accessible with simultaneous translation and closed captioning in both official languages, as well as American Sign Language (ASL) and la langue des signes québécoise (LSQ) interpretation.

The 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence

The 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence is an annual international campaign that began on November 25, 2020, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and ends on December 10, Human Rights Day. It was started by activists at the inaugural Women’s Global Leadership Institute in 1991. It is used by individuals and organizations around the world to call for the prevention and elimination of violence against women and girls, and LGBTQ2 and gender-diverse individuals. In Canada, the campaign also includes the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence against Women, commemorating the anniversary of the tragic mass shooting at l’École Polytechnique Montréal (December 6, 1989).

POLAR’S PEOPLE

A POLAR retirement

Just like the Arctic environment in which it is headquartered, POLAR is experiencing rapid change. One of those changes is the retirement of Julie Laghi.

Julie joined POLAR in October 2019 as the Executive Director of Corporate Services and CFO. She brought a wealth of public service experience and provided stable and thoughtful leadership to POLAR’s Corporate Services teams. In August, Julie took on the role of A/President, and (almost immediately it seems) started thinking about retirement (insert laugh track here).

Julie will be retiring from the Public Service on December 9, 2020.

I know I can speak for all of my colleagues when I say that Julie will be greatly missed at POLAR. When Julie announced her retirement to her Corporate Services management team, with her typical self-deprecating humour, she indicated she didn’t think it would too big a deal for others in the organization. I know that to be very far from the truth.

Julie’s leadership style has set a positive tone and collaborative example for all of us. It has brought out the best in many of us, especially over the last few months as she has been A/President.

I am deeply saddened to see Julie go, but, I and my colleagues across POLAR wish her the very best in her retirement!

Julie – may you have many wonderful days with your family and friends in your new home. May you enjoy your afternoon coffee, not because you need the caffeine to make it through an onslaught of emails, but because you enjoy the brew!
Cheers to you!

Melissa Bolster
Senior Advisor, Planning and Reporting

LEARNING AND PERFORMANCE

The New Economy Series

The latest of The New Economy Series presented by the Canada School of Public Service will be hosted on December 1, 2020. The sixth event in the series will examine the importance of standards in the digital economy and how Canada can be a leader in the development of international technology standards. The session will explain what standards are, why they matter, and which tools and strategies can help the public service respond effectively.

  • Date and time: December 1, 2020 | 1:30 pm to 2:45 pm (ET)
  • Registration deadline: November 30, 2020, 4:00 pm (ET)
  • Language: English, with interpretation in French
  • Location: This event will be delivered virtually. A link to the live broadcast will be provided to registered participants.
  • Audience: All public servants at all levels
  • Register for webcast

The New Economy Series

The sixth Anti-Racism Event Series event Disaggregated Data: A Tool for Dismantling Systemic Barriers in the Federal Public Service will be hosted on December 4, 2020. Surveys, such as the Public Service Employee Survey, are important sources of data for the public service, providing insight into who makes up the public service and what challenges exist in the workplace. In the spirit of the Public Service Employee Survey, the Canada School of Public Service is bringing top experts together to discuss what good disaggregated data means and looks like. This includes the importance of collecting strong disaggregated data and how it can be used as a critical tool in dismantling systemic barriers that still exist in the federal public service.

  • Date and time: December 4, 2020 | 1:30 pm to 3:00 pm (ET)
  • Registration deadline: December 4, 2020, 10 am (ET)
  • Language: Bilingual, with interpretation in both official languages
  • Location: This event will be delivered virtually. A link to the live broadcast will be provided to registered participants.
  • Audience: All public servants at all levels
  • Register for webcast

Inuktut word of the week

The Inuktut word of the week is: alappaa, which means: I’m cold. It can also be used to say “it’s very cold”

It is pronounced: ah-lawp-paw

Listen to the pronunciations here:

Are you ready to Talk the Talk?

Talk the Talk

UPDATES

Key outcomes from the Senior Management Committee (SMC) Meeting

Here are the key outcomes and decisions from the November 25, 2020, Senior Management Committee discussions:

  • SMC discussed planning for the Multi-stakeholder Review Committee for the Inuit-Nunangat table, including ongoing efforts to finalize the membership of the committee.
  • SMC also discussed the decision regarding the proposed reprofile of POLAR’s transfer payment funds and options for how POLAR might be able to utilize some of these funds in the current year.

WORKPLACE NOTICES

Upcoming Holidays!

The holidays are upon us! With less than four weeks to Christmas, it’s time to start thinking about holiday leave. If you plan to take leave, reach out to your manager for approval soon. Although the celebrations will be different this year, it is incredibly important to follow the advice from our experts regarding travelling for the holidays.

The safest way to celebrate and enjoy the holidays this year is with your immediate household. If you plan to celebrate with individuals outside of your immediate household, consider the gathering size and their social circle before celebrating. If you or anyone attending your celebration have been in contact with someone who has or is suspected to have COVID-19 or if you or any of your planned guests are showing symptoms of COVID-19 or has recently traveled outside of Canada, it is best to cancel or change your plans.

For further information on celebrating the holidays the safest way possible visit: Canada.ca