the sandpaper - snc-lavalin pae sandpeper... · canex, a games and tv room, a medical clinic, a...
TRANSCRIPT
Special points of interest: CANCAP’S HOLIDAY
CELEBRATIONS WERE ENJOYED BY OUR DE-
P L O Y E D P ER S O N-
NEL…. .EVENTHO UG H IT’S NOT HOME, KAF IS A CLOSE SECOND DUR-
ING THE HOLIDAYS! SEE PAGES 16 & 17 FOR PHOTOS OF CHRISTMAS IN KAF.
WELCOME 2010! 1
CANCAP PROGRAM MANAGER’S MESSAGE
2
TRAGIC YEAR END 3
PROJECT MANAGER’S MESSAGE
4
LADIES’ NIGHT IN KAF 5
TIPS & TRICKS FROM CIS 6
MEET THE PMOO 8
HAWAIIAN LUAU IN KAF 9
CANCAP TRAVEL TALES 12
TRANSPORT IN THE SPOTLIGHT
14
CHRISTMAS IN KAF 16
CANCAP BBQ PHOTOS 18
HELLOS 19
GOODBYES 21
Inside this issue:
S N C - L A V A L I N P A E I N C . N E W S L E T T E R F O R C A N C A P E M P L O Y E E S & F A M I L I E S
The SANDPAPER ISO 9001:2000 Certified
VOLUME III, ISSUE 1
JAN / FEB 2010 WELCOME 2010!! What’s In Store? A New Volume of the Sandpaper & Changes to CANCAP Communications
Volume I II, Issue 1—JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2010
With 2009 behind us and nearly a year of the new Sandpa-
per under our belts, we are excited to be starting fresh in 2010! 2010 brings big changes to the ‘staff’ that creates The Sandpaper for you. As most of you know, your chief editors, Cheryl Samek and Carla Dawes both made temporary exits at the end of 2009—Cheryl finished her contract and left KAF to return to Canada and Carla gave birth to a baby boy and went off on maternity leave…..but that doesn’t stop us from continuing to bring The Sandpaper to you! Both of us are still onboard and have been working diligently to assemble a new team and help them get The Sandpaper to press.
We’re pleased to welcome several new contributors to this issue—Lucie Readman as our chief organizer and event writer in KAF. Also, Tony Forward, Matt Brunet and Tanya Montebello have joined our team in vari-ous capacities—thanks so much to these three for all their help in getting the first issue of 2010 out to you.
BUT….WE NEED YOUR HELP! Are there any other contributors out there?? Since Lucie Readman has moved to Camp Nathan Smith, we need someone to help us champion The Sandpaper in KAF. Are you interested? If you are willing to act as our Chief Editor in KAF, please come forward immediately! Also, if you have any ideas or are interested in joining The Sandpaper Team—either to offer a regular column or for occa-sional or one-time contributions, please come out from the shadows! We can use all the help we can get. If you’re interested, please contact me as soon as you can
([email protected]) - we really need help with the March/April issue soon!
On the SNC-Lavalin PAE / CANCAP communications front, we have BIG NEWS for 2010. We are completely redesigning and reorganizing the SNC-Lavalin PAE website! Yes, it’s true. Last year, we received
a lot of feedback on our online application system and other recruit-ing tools and features of our website, and we’re happy to announce that we’re making HUGE improvements that we hope will impact everyone. One neat feature that relates to our newsletter is that you’ll be able to access new and past issues of The Sandpaper online! So, you’ll be able to direct friends and family to our website to regularly read about what’s going on in KAF and in our Ottawa office! We’re very excited to unveil this new site, so keep your eyes and ears peeled for the announcement that it’s ready to go. Thanks to Ike Horvat
who has been looking after this project while Carla is away on maternity leave.
Thanks to everyone who contributed to The Sandpaper in 2009—it was a truly great year, and we’re proud of the rebirth of The Sandpaper. Please keep the content coming—2010 here we come!
Carla Dawes CANCAP Planning & Communications
Page 2
Volume III, Issue 1 The SANDPAPER N E W S L E T T E R F O R C A N C A P E M P L O Y E E S & F A M I L I E S
ISO 9001:2000 Certified
PROGRAM MANAGER’S CORNER
Where did that decade go? Not quite the “Roaring 00s”! Hopefully each of you came through the first decade of this new century and you are moving into a new phase. History will look back on those ten years and use them as an example of things that perhaps did not work out. Except for CANCAP that is! As you know, we received our
Incentive Fee Award from the Government recognizing another excellent level of sup-port from our project in KAF. This marks several years of outstanding results, an as-sessment that simply reflects the great work being done by our Project Team. We expect to hear sometime in May about the assess-ment for the July 09 to January 10 period.
So what can we look forward to on the project for 2010? It appears that things will continue to move along. As most of you know we now have some people working at the PRT in Camp Nathan Smith. We are
starting with about 14 employees in the CE field to do the essential camp support tasks to help keep the place running. There may or may not be more positions in the future but we see the PRT as a valid place to use CANCAP and something a little different for us. Of course, we re-main concerned about security, so there will be extremely tight restric-tions on travel to and from CNS.
Many of you have heard news or rumours about the future of the Canadian Forces in Afghanistan. At this time, all I can tell you is that planning is progressing and that CANCAP will be part of the plan-ning.
We know that we can help with demobiliza-tion, re-conditioning of vehicles and equip-ment, and just generally helping with what-ever the CF decides to do next. We will keep you informed when things become a bit clearer and we are authorized to talk about the plans.
Are there jobs on other projects with the SNC-Lavalin or Lockheed empires? I get that one quite a lot and my answer is a qualified YES. I say qualified because, of course, you must meet the job qualifica-tions, but both of our senior compa-nies have a lot of projects on the go and they are often looking for appli-cants. What we can do is help you get by the first general HR review of your appli-cation and make sure the right peo-ple are aware of your interest. Check each company’s respective website and once you finish your contract with us, we will be glad to assist.
Just a short note on safety. Thus far we have an excellent record for workplace safety but every now and again we need to take an-other look at what we are doing. We have had a number of vehicle accidents since January and a few personal injuries due to lifting and physical strain. Our aim is to not have any employees injured on this project, no matter the cause. Please look at how you do the job, drive the vehicles or even play sports to make sure you are staying safe!
I plan to get out again in June (trip number 30 to Afghanistan) and get a bit of that KAF sunshine. See you then.
Ian Malcolm Program Manager
Goodbye 2009, Hello 2010….
Page 3
Volume III, Issue 1 The SANDPAPER N E W S L E T T E R F O R C A N C A P E M P L O Y E E S & F A M I L I E S
ISO 9001:2000 Certified
A TRAGIC YEAR-END IN AFGHANISTAN. The Last Month of 2009 Saddening For the Soldiers and Support Personnel of the Kandahar Mission As 2009 came to a close, it became soberingly clear how tragic and saddening the last month of 2009 was for our soldiers in this mission. The deaths of six soldiers and one journalist over a three week period in December and early January both shocked and saddened all members of SNC-Lavalin PAE.
The ramp ceremonies for Lieutenant Andrew Nuttall, Sergeant George Miok, Sergeant Kirk Taylor, Corporal Zachery McCor-mack, Private Garrett Chidley, Sergeant John Faught and journalist Michelle Lang were humbly attended by many SNC-Lavalin PAE and RCMP personnel, who paid their respects to the fallen.
Even though we are employees of the mission and represent a company whose goal is to provide support and service to the De-partment of National Defence, it goes without saying that we serve with great pride and feel a strong sense of loss and sadness in attending these ramp ceremonies honouring the brave men and women who have perished while serving our country and Af-ghanistan. Each one of the fallen, whether they be a soldier or a civilian, are part of our extended family here in Afghani-stan. They are remembered through our thoughts and prayers for their sacrifices and dedication to freedom.
Our deepest condolences go out to all family and friends of the fallen. As CANCAPers, we are privileged to attend ramp cere-monies to mourn and remember the fallen, and it is with deep honour and humbling pride that we do so. They will not be for-gotten.
Tony Forward
Photo above courtesy of the Canadian Forces. Photo Credit: Corporal Owen W. Budge, JTFK Image Tech, Afghanistan Roto 8. Photos below courtesy of Tony Forward.
Page 4
The SANDPAPER N E W S L E T T E R F O R C A N C A P E M P L O Y E E S & F A M I L I E S
ISO 9001:2000 Certified
Volume III, Issue 1
PROJECT MANAGER’S MESSAGE A Message from Terry Squires
Hello fellow CANCAPers, family, and friends. 2010 is here and as I write this, it is sunny and 23° C in Kandahar…not bad for March! In December, at the request of the Canadian Forces, a small team deployed forward to Camp Nathan Smith (CNS) to investigate the feasibility of SNC-Lavalin PAE providing some construction trades capability. As every-one here is now aware, the visit went very well and we will have our first “non KAF” employ-ees working at CNS by early April.
CNS is a Canadian-military operated camp; however, as at KAF, there are other nationali-ties living and working within. It may be a smaller site, but it has the requisite ball-hockey rink! In addition, there is a very well-equipped workout room, a small CANEX, a games and TV room, a medical clinic, a post office, and an outdoor café area. In addition to all that, the food is prepared by Ca-nadian military cooks and is of the same stan-dard that we enjoyed back in our Camp Julien days of 2003 to 2005. As if that wasn’t enough, they also have some grass…and it’s not cov-ered in dust!! In fact, CNS is noticeably dust free; not too surprising when you consider that KAF has thousands of heavy vehicles driving in a confined area and is made primar-ily of gravel roads. I expect that the lucky employees that end up living in CNS will be the envy of the rest of us.
The population on KAF continues to grow at an astonishing rate. As more Americans arrive, we are expecting to be “evicted” from the tent lines by early summer. That’s right... after almost 4 years of living life in the venerable Weatherhaven tents, we will be relocating to the new accommodation blocks being constructed in Canada 9 – that’s the area where the Canadian gym is located. Once the move is completed, all Canadians, soldier and civilian alike, will be living in the same neighbour-hood for the first time. Living in an “ISO” struc-ture will be a big change, especially for those of us that have spent many years living in a tent.
As always, the level of service and support that all of you provide to the military is amazing. This was brought home to me when, during a meeting with a senior military officer, he commented that he could not possibly be more satisfied with CAN-CAP – “everything is absolutely perfect”. You can’t do any better than that!
Congratulations to all.
Terry Squires
Project Manager
Page 5
The SANDPAPER N E W S L E T T E R F O R C A N C A P E M P L O Y E E S & F A M I L I E S
ISO 9001:2000 Certified
LADIES’ NIGHT IN KANDAHAR
Volume III, Issue 1
Lucie Readman
Page 6
The SANDPAPER N E W S L E T T E R F O R C A N C A P E M P L O Y E E S & F A M I L I E S
ISO 9001:2000 Certified
Volume III, Issue 1
If your computer is working slowly, there’s a good reason. There are three elements that factor into a computer’s speed – the processor, the RAM (random access memory), and the amount of work it’s doing (i.e. how many programs it’s running). The processor and the RAM are hardware issues best left for a professional, but any user can monitor and control how much work a computer does through a Windows program called the Task Manager.
The two most common and quickest ways to access the Task Manager are the famous keyboard short-cuts:
‘Control+Alt+Delete’ (CAD) or
‘Control+ Shift+ Escape’ (CSE).
In the Task Manager window, there are two tabs the novice user should be concerned with. The first (the one that opens with CAD) is the APPLICATIONS TAB, which tells the user which dominant programs are turned on (i.e. what programs the user is running).
The second tab is the PROCESSES TAB (which opens with CSE). This tab tells the user exactly what the com-puter is thinking about, be-yond simply what programs the user is running.
Computers are constantly crunching information. Before a user even opens his Internet browser, there are scores of miniature, background programs the computer has to run to remain usable. The Processes tab outlines all of these programs and gives the user the control to shut each one of them off if it’s necessary.
TIPS & TRICKS FROM CANCAP’s CIS DEPARTMENT Manage Tasks Using Task Manager
Matt Brunet
Page 7
The SANDPAPER N E W S L E T T E R F O R C A N C A P E M P L O Y E E S & F A M I L I E S
ISO 9001:2000 Certified
Volume III, Issue 1
TIPS & TRICKS FROM CANCAP’s CIS DEPARTMENT Manage Tasks Using Task Manager….Continued
BEWARE: Many of these processes are integral to the computer’s functionality, so don’t start deleting them at random. The processes are organized according to a number
of fields that run along the top of the Processes tab. Click on the User Name field to arrange them according to that field. This should arrange them into four groups: System, Local Service, Network Ser-vice, and the computer user’s name.
WARNING: Only those listed under the computer user’s name should be tampered with. The processes under the other three fields are integral to the operation of the com-
puter, and should under no circumstances be deleted except by a professional.
For a computer to run smoothly, there should be only a handful of processes running under the computer user’s name. These will include the following:
• “explorer.exe” (which creates the graphic user interface – the visual desktop and windows the user can manipulate)
• “taskmgr.exe” (the Task Manager window currently open),
• and a few other innocuous processes like ctfmon.exe, Monitor.exe and jusched.exe.
Aside from those and any processes controlling your currently open programs (like firefox.exe if you’re run-ning Mozilla Firefox to browse the Internet), the Task Manager should be relatively free of clutter.
If it’s Slowing Down, Clean it Up If a computer is performing sluggishly, it’s probably crunching too many numbers. A computer is only capa-ble of thinking about so much at any given time. The more requests and commands that get stacked onto its processor and bottlenecked in its RAM, the slower it operates. To improve performance, cleaning up the user’s processes is almost always the first place to start.
If the Task Manager looks cluttered, the user should get rid of as many user processes as possible. Any time a user is unsure about a process, simply Google it and find out what it is. A quick search will easily point the user to which processes are necessary and which are not. Once the processes have been pared down to an integral handful and the Task Manager is finally uncluttered, the overall computer performance should greatly increase.
The most important part is to not be scared of the computer. A user should feel at home with his or her computer, and that means more than simply changing the desktop background to fit a mood. The more familiar a user becomes with their computer, and the more they investigate its inner workings, the more comfortable they will feel with troubleshooting its problem issues … and the less apt they will be to shell out handsome sums of money to places like Geek Squad.
Matt Brunet
CANCAP CIS
Don’t be afraid of your computer! Learn as much as you can about it. Google a question and usually you’ll find a wealth of useful information.
And, when in doubt—ask!
Derek aka “the Rock” Wills has been working with us at the PMOO for almost two years now as our HR Planner. That sounds a bit mundane but what Derek does affects each of us. He is responsible for managing employee benefits for insurance, medical, dental and other coverage and for being a key part of our management of vacation travel to look at ways of travel, entitle-ments and days out of theatre.
Derek started out with SNC-Lavalin PAE as HR Supervisor in KAF for seven months where he earned a reputation for working extremely long hours and taking a sincere personal interest in addressing employee issues. He soon learned that our KAF employees can be a demanding crowd but also a bunch that work hard and de-liver high service.
Derek has kept his house and family down in Inverary, Ontario, a major urban spot about 8
miles outside of the Kingston downtown. He has become well know to us and many OPP offi-cers for his high rate of travel between Inver-ary and Ottawa
where he has successfully managed to set some sort of record for picking up tickets.
He is one of the few people I know who actually had to go to a session with a government minion to talk about his driving. When not travelling the back roads to and from work, Derek is a full
time hockey Dad with his kids and particularly his daughter who plays representative level hockey all over the province.
So he basically has two topics of conversation – going to another hockey tournament and meet-ing new police officers on the way.
Derek has a quite a sense of humour that toler-ates the more direct approach of other PMOO staffers and wins a lot of admiration for his calm approach to any problem. He works hard to make sure our benefits program supports our employees and has become a fanatic on getting every day of vacation travel he can for our peo-ples’ trips. If he can afford the cost of working here and the attention he gets on his drives, we look forward to working with Derek to the end of this contract.
Thanks to our PMOO Correspondent for providing this article about Derek
MEET THE PMOO PERSONNEL
Page 8
The SANDPAPER N E W S L E T T E R F O R C A N C A P E M P L O Y E E S & F A M I L I E S
INTERESTING AND LITTLE-KNOWN FACTS ABOUT PRUDY
FACT #1: DEREK HAS HIS BA IN
POLITICAL SCIENCE AND SPENT
15 YEARS IN OPERATIONS AND
HR FOR THE HOSPITALITY INDUS-
TRY BEFORE JOINING SNCL-PAE.
FAST FACT #2: HE ENJOYS
GOLFING, FISHING & HOCKEY
WITH HIS 14-YEAR-OLD DAUGH-
TER EMALEE, WHO IS THE ONLY
GOALTENDER FOR THE BANTAM
AA KINGSTON ICE WOLVES.
FACT # 3: DEREK IS AN ASSIS-
TANT COACH FOR THE ICE
WOLVES AND SPENDS 4-5
NIGHTS PER WEEK AT THE
HOCKEY RINK FOR PRACTICES,
GAMES AND TRAINING.
FACT # 4: DEREK’S YOUNGER
DAUGHTER MADDI IS AN AVID
HORSEBACK RIDER (WINTER) &
SOCCER PLAYER (SUMMER) AND
HIS WIFE CHERYL IS AN ELEMEN-
TARY SCHOOL TEACHER.
ISO 9001:2000 Certified
Derek ‘The Rock’ Wills—Human Resources Planner
Volume III, Issue 1
Derek’s Family—His wife Cheryl and two daughters Emalee and Maddi.
Page 9
The SANDPAPER N E W S L E T T E R F O R C A N C A P E M P L O Y E E S & F A M I L I E S
ISO 9001:2000 Certified
A Pig Roast, A Limbo Contest, and a Lei Decorating Contest...All In A Kandahar Day! HAWAIIAN LUAU IN KANDAHAR
Volume III, Issue 1
A PIG ROAST IN KANDAHAR—
WHAT A SUCCESS IT WAS!
EVERYONE HAD A GREAT TIME.
THERE WERE TWO FUN
COMPETITIONS: HAWAIIAN LEI
DECORATING AND A LIMBO
CONTEST! ALL PARTICIPANTS
ENJOYED THEMSELVES AND
THERE WERE NO MAJOR INJU-
RIES….. ONLY MINOR ONES—
SOME PEOPLE WOKE UP A
LITTLE BIT SORE!
SPECIAL THANKS:
• Denise, our fantastic cook—the pig turned out awesome! Thank-you!
• Thank-you to Garnet & his staff for providing the ideas and goods to make the pig roast a success.
• To all who participated and helped with this event….thank-you.
Page 10
The SANDPAPER N E W S L E T T E R F O R C A N C A P E M P L O Y E E S & F A M I L I E S
ISO 9001:2000 Certified
Volume III, Issue 1
HAWAIIAN LUAU IN KANDAHAR...continued from p. 9
CONGRATULATIONS TO
THE WINNERS OF THE
MOST CREATIVE
HAWAIIAN LEI
CONTEST!!
Page 11
The SANDPAPER N E W S L E T T E R F O R C A N C A P E M P L O Y E E S & F A M I L I E S
ISO 9001:2000 Certified
Volume III, Issue 1
HAWAIIAN LUAU IN KANDAHAR...continued from p. 10
Page 12
The SANDPAPER N E W S L E T T E R F O R C A N C A P E M P L O Y E E S & F A M I L I E S
ISO 9001:2000 Certified
OBJECTIVE OF THE TRIP
To learn more about the local cultures and people, see some famous sites, and to enjoy the food.
30 SECOND COUNTRY BACKGROUND
Thailand, Cambodia and Indonesia are all a part of the region of Southeast Asia, each with their own independent language.
ENTRY TO THE COUNTRIES
Canadians do not require a Visa for Thailand for a stay of up to 30 days. A Visa is required for both Cambodia and Indonesia; these can be secured at the airport upon arrival and cost 20 USD.
CURRENCY
Thai bhat (1 USD = approximately 30 bhat)
Cambodian riel (this the local currency, however, the USD is widely used)
Indonesian rupiah (1 USD = approximately 10,000 rupiah)
GETTING THERE
The most efficient starting point is Bangkok, as everything else in the region is quite easy to get to from there. Plus, flights are more widely available to and from Bangkok.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE TRIP
• Chiang Mai, with its numerous Buddhist temples and various activities
• Volunteering at the elephant nature reserve north of Chiang Mai
Volume III, Issue 1
Page 13
The SANDPAPER N E W S L E T T E R F O R C A N C A P E M P L O Y E E S & F A M I L I E S
ISO 9001:2000 Certified
• Visiting the Grand Palace in Bangkok
• Hiking in Doi Inthanon National Park north of Chiang Mai
• Cruising the Golden Triangle on the Mekong Delta where Thai-land, Burma and Laos meet
• Swimming and sunning at beautiful Geger Beach, Nusa Dua in southeastern Bali
• Wandering around Bali’s cultural hub of Ubud with its arts and crafts, Hindu temples, monkey forest, and terraced rice-paddies
• Hiring a tuk-tuk for the day and exploring the amazing Temples of Angkor
• Volunteering at a local children’s orphanage in Siem Reap
• Eating on the cheap in Thailand and drinking Bitang beer in Bali
THE LAST SUPPER (BEST/TRADITIONAL MEAL)
The food is excellent and cheap. Especially enjoyed the pad thai (noodles), tom yam kung (prawn and coconut soup), the curries, and nasi goreng. Also loved all the fresh fruit shakes available everywhere, and the cheap local beer.
LE ‘THIS REMINDS ME OF KANDAHAR’ PART OF THE TRIP
Nothing much reminded me of Kandahar throughout the region, except perhaps the condition of some of the roads and the oppressive heat in Bali. It felt good to not have to go outside to visit the bathroom!
TOTAL $ DAMAGE $ FOR THE ENTIRE TRIP
About $2800 for the entire 28 days. That included some local flights, ac-commodation at an average of $40 USD per night, eating at local restau-rants, souvenirs, some local tours, and seeing the sites. It can be done for even less, as cheaper rooms are widely available, and street vendors sell food for even less than at restaurants.
DO YOU SPEAK ENGLISH? KHUN POOT ANGKRIT DAI MAI KAA? (THAI) NIAK JEH PHIASAA AWNGLE TE? (KHMER) SITU BISA BAHASA INGGERIS? (INDONESIAN) English is fairly well understood in the region. French is also very useful in Cambodia. It helps to learn a few keywords in the local languages. The people love it and they will automatically warm up to you!
ATTRACTION TIP Tanya feels that if you want to spend time with the elephants in Thailand, you should do so at the nature reserve in northern Thailand, which takes care of rescued elephants. ‘Working elephants’, the ones you see in parks, that offer rides, and that are taken around the cities, are severely abused in order to make them submissive.
NEXT TRIP (ITINERARY IN THE WORKS)
Greece and Turkey in July!!
THANKS TANYA!
BEEN THERE, DONE THAT...Travel Tales…Continued from Page 12
Volume III, Issue 1
Page 14
The SANDPAPER N E W S L E T T E R F O R C A N C A P E M P L O Y E E S & F A M I L I E S
ISO 9001:2000 Certified
SNC-Lavalin PAE has a large variety of services provided to the Department of National Defence that are essential not only to the daily function and support of the mission, but are critical to the direct function of the base operations. One of these essential sections is Transportation. CANCAP’s Transport Section is made up of equipment and personnel that are effectively a direct reflection of the military equivalent at any DND base or station. Each Cana-dian Forces installation and base requires a large degree of coordinated transport support. With the heavy day-to-day military commitment of the ser-vice member to perform outside-the-wire activi-ties, CANCAP Transport picks up a large portion of the on-camp duties associated with transporting Cana-dian personnel and equipment. These duties don't stop at 1700 Hrs. It is common to see drivers and operators up throughout the wee hours of the night, moving personnel and equipment in anticipation of a flight in and/or out of KAF.
The busiest period for transport is during the RIPs (Relief in Place). Along with the people-moving and seacan-loading, Transport must also provide a coordinated team dedicated to keeping control of some 300 on base rental vehicles and their scheduled maintenance. These rental vehicles are frequently replaced and keeping track of their location and condition is just a small part of the responsi-bilities of Transport.
CANCAP’S TRANSPORTATION SECTION
Volume III, Issue 1
The Transport Section also includes a heavy equipment element that is essential to the day-to-day activities in KAF. These Retch/Kalmar heavy equipment operators are very competent. They also rely on the guidance and sup-port of ground guides/escorts to safely and efficiently oper-ate the large vehicles. The various additional Transport duties, including escort-ing the local Afghanistan employees, mail duty, daily laun-dry runs , meal pick-up and the occasional miscellaneous bus detail, make the Transport section a rather hectic place to work.
Two Equipment/Supply Technicians also support the day-to-day transport activities. Their activities include provid-ing support to the Section on KAF, and also supporting the daily military clips going out to the FOBs. Their day-to-day activities are necessary to keep the military and civilian drivers/operators ‘kitted-up’ for out of the wire CLIPs and frequent on-base taskings.
This is all coordinated through a small but efficient Trans-port Orderly Room that works hand-in-hand with their military counterparts right next door. They manage, dis-patch and coordinate all on-base transport taskings deemed necessary to support the mission here in Afghanistan. On the whole, Transport is an extremely busy and produc-tive section.
Tony Forward
Page 15
The SANDPAPER N E W S L E T T E R F O R C A N C A P E M P L O Y E E S & F A M I L I E S
ISO 9001:2000 Certified
Volume III, Issue 1
Page 16
The SANDPAPER N E W S L E T T E R F O R C A N C A P E M P L O Y E E S & F A M I L I E S
ISO 9001:2000 Certified
CHRISTMAS IN KANDAHAR
CANCAP’s special place, The Oasis,
was lovingly decorated to help CANCAPers feel a
little more at home during the holiday season.
Thanks to CANCAP’s
Social Committee for all your
efforts to help everyone get into the holiday spirit even when they were far away from home.
Volume III, Issue 1
Families are lonely and sad when a loved one cannot be home for the holidays but what's it like for the people that are deployed?
Well...it's not like being at home, but it's not all that bad either. This past year, the Social Committee worked really hard decorating the Oasis with Christmas trees, blow up figures, stockings, garland and lights. It set the overall mood and a lot of people decorated their own tents as well. All that was missing was the snow!
The first event was the monthly BBQ on De-cember 24th. The LEMS section secured and cleaned out the RG hangar and the Social Committee decorated it the best they could (it's a big hangar). The Transport section put on a shuttle bus and the CIS section pro-vided the music once again. Thanks to the generosity of SNC-Lavalin, a feast was prepared by Garnet Blanchette and Denise Mester. Steaks were barbequed to perfection and topped off with
salads, potatoes, cheese and cracker platters...and let's not forget the chocolate cheesecake. G and Denise outdid themselves...thanks again! A whopping $3000 was given out in the lottery and everyone enjoyed their 2 beers.
Following the BBQ, Santa made a stop in KAF and while everyone (well almost everyone) was sound asleep, delivered stockings to each person. What a treat it was to wake up and have a goodie bag to un-wrap on Christmas morning.
It’s Not Home, But It’s a Close Second!
Page 17
The SANDPAPER N E W S L E T T E R F O R C A N C A P E M P L O Y E E S & F A M I L I E S
ISO 9001:2000 Certified
CHRISTMAS IN KANDAHAR...continued...
Special thanks to Chantal Leblanc
and Margaret Trautwein and all the members of
SNC-Lavalin O&M’s Calgary
SCUs for making the origami
cranes that were sent over for the
holidays!
Volume III, Issue 1
Thanks to SNC-Lavalin O & M and PAE for the goodies and a special thanks to the SNC-Lavalin O & M’s various Strategic Client Units from Calgary who made the Origami Cranes at their annual Christmas party and sent them over to KAF for those who were deployed at Christmas. An extra special thank-you to Chantal Leblanc and Margaret Trautwein of the Calgary head office for taking the time to learn and perfect the art of origami to teach those at the holiday party—your thoughtfulness and efforts were much appreciated!
The Luxemburg DFAC (dining facility) prepared the turkey dinner with all the fixings for the Canadian Contingent on Christmas day. The dinner was served by the higher ranking mili-
tary members as well as the management staff of CANCAP. No one left hungry or disappointed. For those that wished to partici-pate in the NSE beer call later that day, 2 more beers were there for the offering!
So...for the families at home that worry about their loved ones overseas...don't. Everyone is well taken care of. SNC Lavalin PAE recognizes the sacrifices the employees have made to be in KAF and are committed to their well being.
Cheryl Samek
CANCAP Alumni
Thanks to SNC-Lavalin Defence
Programs’ generosity,
Garnet Blanchette and Denise Mester were able to prepare an
amazing holiday feast for
everyone, including some
mean BBQ’d steaks.
The SANDPAPER N E W S L E T T E R F O R C A N C A P E M P L O Y E E S & F A M I L I E S
ISO 9001:2000 Certified
Page 18
Volume III, Issue 1
FEBRUARY 25th, 2010 CANCAP BBQ
A Few Photos
Page 19
The SANDPAPER N E W S L E T T E R F O R C A N C A P E M P L O Y E E S & F A M I L I E S
ISO 9001:2000 Certified
WELCOME NEW CANCAPERS! We Hope You Enjoy The Show... NOVEMBER 2009 Arrivals in KAF
THE PEOPLE
PICTURED HERE
DEPLOYED TO
KAF IN
NOVEMBER 2009.
WELCOME TO
OUR TEAM,
STAY SAFE,
AND WE HOPE
YOU ENJOY YOUR
TIME WITH
CANCAP!
Volume III, Issue 1
Page
The SANDPAPER N E W S L E T T E R F O R C A N C A P E M P L O Y E E S & F A M I L I E S
ISO 9001:2000 Certified
Volume III, Issue 1
THE PEOPLE
PICTURED HERE
DEPLOYED TO
KAF IN
DECEMBER 2009.
WELCOME TO
OUR TEAM,
STAY SAFE,
AND WE HOPE
YOU ENJOY YOUR
TIME WITH
CANCAP!
DECEMBER 2009 Arrivals in KAF WELCOME NEW CANCAPERS! We Hope You Enjoy The Show...
Missing from photos: Michel Woodhouse.
Page 21
The SANDPAPER N E W S L E T T E R F O R C A N C A P E M P L O Y E E S & F A M I L I E S
ISO 9001:2000 Certified
Volume III, Issue 1
JANUARY 2010 Arrivals in KAF
WELCOME NEW CANCAPERS! We Hope You Enjoy The Show...
THE PEOPLE
PICTURED HERE
DEPLOYED TO
KAF IN
JANUARY 2010.
WELCOME TO
OUR TEAM,
STAY SAFE,
AND WE HOPE
YOU ENJOY YOUR
TIME WITH
CANCAP!
FAREWELL FELLOW CANCAPERS! Until We Meet Again…. NOVEMBER 2009 Departures from KAF
Page 22
The SANDPAPER N E W S L E T T E R F O R C A N C A P E M P L O Y E E S & F A M I L I E S
ISO 9001:2000 Certified
Volume III, Issue 1
NOVEMBER 2009 Departures from KAF...Continued from Page 21….
THE PEOPLE
PICTURED HERE
AND AT THE
BOTTOM OF PAGE
21 DEPARTED KAF
IN NOVEMBER
2009. WE THANK
THEM FOR THEIR
HARD WORK AND
DEDICATION AND
HOPE TO SEE
SOME OF THEIR
FACES AGAIN
SOON. SAFE
TRAVELS AND ALL
THE BEST!
FAREWELL FELLOW CANCAPERS! Until We Meet Again….
FAREWELL FELLOW CANCAPERS! Until We Meet Again….
DECEMBER 2009 Departures from KAF
THE PEOPLE
PICTURED HERE
DEPARTED KAF IN
DECEMBER 2009.
WE THANK THEM
FOR THEIR HARD
WORK AND
DEDICATION AND
HOPE TO SEE
SOME OF THEIR
FACES AGAIN
SOON. SAFE
TRAVELS AND ALL
THE BEST!
Page 23
The SANDPAPER N E W S L E T T E R F O R C A N C A P E M P L O Y E E S & F A M I L I E S
ISO 9001:2000 Certified
Volume III, Issue 1
SNC-Lavalin PAE Inc. is a joint venture between SNC-Lavalin Defence Programs Inc.—a member of the SNC-Lavalin Group, and PAE Government Services Canada Inc.—a Lockheed Martin company. These two global leaders have partnered to deliver the Canadian Contractor Augmentation Program (CANCAP)
supporting Canadian Forces overseas deployments. CANCAP currently supports the Canadian Forces mission in Kandahar, Afghanistan. Visit our parent company websites:
www.paegroup.com www.snclavalinom.com
The SANDPAPER
SNC-Lavalin PAE Inc. 170 Laurier Ave. West, Suite 1104 Ottawa, ON, Canada K1P 5V5
Phone: 613-565-7853 Fax: 613-565-8245 Email: [email protected]
PROFESSIONALS PROVIDING SOLUTIONS
S N C - L A V A L I N P A E I N C . N E W S L E T T E R F O R C A N C A P E M P L O Y E E S & F A M I L I E S
AIM:
To provide the highest quality services to
our client while achieving our corporate goals.
CORE VALUES:
Integrity, Empathy, Respect, Initiative, Teamwork, Stewardship, Commitment
GOAL: To be recognized as a
world-class provider of support services to the Canadian Forces in Deployed Operations.
Volume III, Issue 1
JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2010
Editors:
Carla Dawes Cheryl Samek Lucie Readman
Thank-you to those who
contributed stories, photos and content to this issue of the
new SANDPAPER:
Matt Brunet Carol Ann Daley-McGlade
Tony Forward Ian Malcolm
Tanya Montebello Terry Squires Derek Wills
CANCAP publishes The SANDPAPER every two months.
If you would like to add your friends or family members to our distribution list, please send their
email addresses to: [email protected]
ISO 9001:2000 Certified
This is YOUR newsletter, so get involved and share your knowledge, news, thoughts, anecdotes and insights.
Please send articles, feedback, ideas, photos and anything else you’d like to contribute to The SANDPAPER to
Deadline for submissions for Volume III, Issue 2 is May 20th, 2010
Get your creative juices flowing and contribute as soon as you can! We look forward to it...