work for days at a time - but that is just construction in the north. Part of a $142.4 million investment announced by Prime Minister Harper in 2012, once constructed CHARS will provide a technology development centre, traditional knowledge centre, and advanced laboratories intended to engage international scientists in cut- ting-edge Arctic science and technol- ogy. It will also include facilities for teaching, training, and community en- gagement. CHARS has been designed with support from the Inuit Qaujimajatuqan- git (IQ) approach. According to the CHARS website, this includes the pil- lars of: Piliriqatigiingniq (collaborative relationship), Avatimik Kamattiarniq (environmental stewardship), Qanu- atuurungarniq (resourcefulness or problem-solving) and Pilimmaksarniq (skills and knowledge acquisition). AN OPPORTUNITY EllisDon’s trademark includes the expression “we build on great relation- ships.” That philosophy extends both to the contractors and project partners with which the company works and also to the communities where it builds. CHARS project co-ordinator Sharon Law has undertaken a unique ap- proach to local relationships. “Cambridge Bay is a small commu- nity of approximately 1,600 people, most of who are Inuit,” she said. “For the next three years the project will have a major impact on this hamlet and their land.” Law says she noticed Cambridge Bay had a minor hockey program but lacked an outlet for purchasing hockey equipment. Due to the community's remote location, these goods need to be flown in and end up being ex- tremely expensive. “When I returned home, I called a friend who is affiliated with the Ottawa Senators and asked if he thought there was any way the team would consider donating some of their used hockey equipment to the youth of Cambridge Bay,” she said. Law said the Senators opened their storage facility to her to take as much as she was able to send. The result of the initiative: 42 bags of donated equipment delivered to Cambridge Bay by EllisDon. Law also plans to donate an Ottawa Senators flag in her site trailer to hang in the local arena. “The director of recreation in Cambridge Bay said to me ‘can you imagine a kid putting on a pair of gloves and wondering which player wore them’?” She credits Matthew Wason of the Senators’ Fan and Community Devel- opment department and the Equip- ment 4 Kids program presented by Canadian Tire, the Ottawa Senators Foundation, and Hockey Eastern On- tario. Besides the hockey equipment, Law says a delay in establishing the camp resulted in food arriving before it could be used. “We had thousands of pounds of produce that couldn't be used so it was donated to the hamlet- run daycare centre and the local food bank.” Law says this kind of initiative is typical for EllisDon. In Ottawa, the company has an annual Christmas time food drive to support the Ottawa Food Bank and supports the annual Walk for Cystic Fibrosis. She says many sites also host bi-weekly or monthly barbeques for the trades and all proceeds go to charity. Law says her experience on the CHARS project has been both chal- lenging and rewarding. “On a project like this time is of the essence and we have to make the best of every day be- cause you never know weather-wise what tomorrow brings. We work long hours to keep on schedule. People wonder what it's like living and work- ing in 24 hours of darkness and 24 hours of sunlight.” “The friendliest people I have ever met are the Inuit,” she said. Their homes and hearts are so welcoming and warm.” The Canadian Design and Construction Report — February - March 2015 – 37