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17.12.2013 Vol. 2 No. 51-52

At your service: Honorary Consuls

Eggerman promotes Finland in booming Saskatchewan

Text: Annika Martikainen Photo: Miller Thomson LLP

In Canada, however, it takes a lot longer to build consensus across the country. The main reason being geography and more ethnic diversity.

Long time dream

Eggerman has been Saskatoons Honorary Consul since May this year. Getting the position wasnt just a piece of cake though. He first had to convince the ambassador that the Honorary Consulate in Saskatchewan shouldnt be shut down. That was before the economic boom in Saskatchewan, and the future of the province didnt look all that bright. It was a hard work. I started the process already in 2008 when I was moving back to Saskatoon. The timing was perfect because the previous Honorary Consul had just resigned. Often it has to do with good timing, says Eggerman. Eggerman was determined to become the next Honorary Consul. After several phone interviews he invited the ambassador Charles Murto to visit the province. For a few days Eggerman took the time to show the ambassador around and to meet the local firms. Being an Honorary Consul was something that I had wanted to do for a long time. Finally, the embassy in Ottawa decided that the Honorary Consulate should stay in Saskatchewan. So far, Eggerman has been pretty busy in the new position: Every week theres a new opportunity to spread the word about Finland. He meets up with local politicians, civil servants and businessmen, and tells them why they should consider cooperation with Finnish firms or government. Finland is a leader in biotech and clean-tech, just like Saskatchewan. Theres a lot of potential in those fields. The people I meet are normally aware that Finnish companies are selling equipment

askatchewan-born Chad Eggerman experienced a culture shock a few years back. No, it didnt grasp him when moving out of Canada, but more surprisingly, when he was returning back. The young and prominent lawyer had just finished a 7-year work stretch in Finland and was ready to start his first permanent work in a Canadian law firm. He was astounded to see how the law firms were managed in his home country. Canadian firms were 20 years behind Finland. I felt that they were conservative and quite resistant to change, Eggerman looks back to the year 2008 when he moved back to Saskatoon. Internationally Canadian law firms arent that much behind, but Finnish firms are just so advanced in law firm management. I had my first real permanent full-time and demanding legal work experience in Finland, so I thought that was normal everywhere, says Eggerman who worked in one of the largest Northern European law firms, Roschier in Helsinki. Eggerman praises the way even the small law firms and

sole practitioners in Finland have adopted new technology to increase productivity. The brief and concise communication common to Finnish language prevents unnecessary circumlocution and produces documentation clients can easily understand. Six-week annual vacation gives time to rest and recharge but also to network with other lawyers and clients. The main difference is the cohesion and collaboration though. In Canada most lawyers work individually on their own files and concentrate on building their own reputation. They are even advertised by their face, whereas in Finland you would advertise the company as whole without focusing on a single individual person. In Finland its more about the group and cooperation within the company. Eggerman claims that consensus building is present in the whole of Finnish society as compared to Canada. At times it felt like the whole country just decided to do something and they simply did it. Sometimes its even a bit scary how unified Finns can be.
Teksti: Tiina Farin Kinnunen

in the forestry industry. At the moment Eggerman has a bigger project in mind. In the meetings he always mentions an Alberta-Finland Innovation and Commercialization Program that supports the collaboration of small and medium-sized cleantech companies. His aim is that in Saskatchewan there would be a similar program jointly funded by the province and the Finnish government. Now hes doing his best to plant that idea. I know that other Honorary Consuls are more focused on building community ties. My strengths are in business and that is why my aim as a Honorary Consul is to promote economic relations.

Newcomers from Finland

Long gone are the days when Saskatchewan was a remote province solely dependant on agriculture, although agriculture continues to play a significant role. The economy started booming in the end of the 2000s thanks to non-renewable resources, such as oil, gas and minerals such as potash and uranium. Saskatchewan had the fastest growth rate in average employment income in Canada. According to Statistics Canada the income rose by 60 percent from 2000 to 2010. Thats faster than in neighbouring Alberta. The rapid growth has brought a new group of Finnish immigrants, educated adults who work in research. Many newcomers are engineers in the mining industry, in addition to professors, hockey players and exchange students. Eggerman estimates that there are less than a thousand Finns living in the province. The Finns are poorly organized here, they are all over the place. At the moment there isnt a dedicated organization for Finns, and I would like to change that. The Saskatoon Finns get together at the Scandinavian Association that organizes traditional Nordic events, such as Midsummer celebration, St. Lucias Day and Independence Day. Just recently, Eggerman held a speech at the Finnish Dinner and met immigrants who had come there after the wars. Even though Eggerman moved out of Finland, he hasnt left the country behind. A Finnish wife and two children make sure that the connection to Finland remains. In the end, the northern countries arent that different. The longer you live in Finland, the more you find similarities with North America. Also, the more you travel, the more obvious that becomes. Its just the way we lead our day-to-day lives.

Collaboration of Consuls
Eggerman works closely with the other Honorary Consuls in Saskatoon. Especially the Dutch and German representatives who are very active in organizing meetings with the local politicians and businessmen, and the other Consuls are welcome to join the meetings and share their ideas. Im quite lucky to work with a group of active European Honorary Consuls all located here in Saskatoon. When a delegation arrives from abroad, the Honorary Consuls make sure they all meet. For example, in October they hosted together a conference on jet biofuel, which was attended by the leading producers like the Finnish oil company Neste Oil. Eggerman says that they have a pretty unique way of working compared to other Consulates in Canada. This is how Consuls should work, together with other representatives. The cooperation creates opportunities to meet prominent people from all around the world.

Lets talk
As the coldest day of the year to date hit us with a bit of winters cold reality last week, I found myself contemplating the many different ways us humans have yielded the cold to our advantage. Finns especially have become masters of the cold. From storing the abundance of Christmas food during the holidays outside when the fridge runs out of room, to home-made beer coolers dug out of snowed in doorways. Not to mention when lakes freeze over and allow skiers, snowmobilers and cars alike a way to commute

Ice makes it better

when there was no way for them to make such a trip before. Some people love the winter and cold weather. They love all the things they can do in the snow, on the snow and make out of the snow. I am not one of those people. I am on the other extreme end of the spectrum that abhors the cold, despite my Finnish heritage. I can say this is mainly due to the many injuries I have incurred due to ice. But funnily enough, the very thing that hurt me is also the thing that heals me, and it is this concept that we will explore for the rest of this article. I cannot know how many of you have been injured before, or to what extent, but I feel I can safely assume that all of you have experienced some form of injury before. Whether it was a sprained ankle, some type of impact injury, over used muscles or heaven forbid a broken bone the very first step in first aid is always ice! Well, second step if you go by R.I.C.E. Anyone else remember this from school? R.I.C.E stands for Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation. They say that the first 15 minutes after an injury is the most critical time to through some ice on the affected area. I remember learning this from a dance troupe that was here from Finland performing at Caravan in 1994. One of the dancers hurt her knee, I forget how, but what I do remember is the fury with which 5-6 of her teammates ran to get her an instant ice-pac. I have since heard it from many different sources. Even in longer term care for chronic pain, muscle spasms, herniated discs and nerve pain ice is the naturally occurring magic that heals so many kinds of bodily distress. In the words of my chiropractor: Ice is therapeutic, do not underestimate the healing power of ice. Who knew? I mean, weve heard it before but do we really understand? I have come to love ice in, small amounts, for the instant relief it brings me no matter what I am icing, or for what reason, ice seems to be one of natures healing gifts. It is an anti-inflammatory and clinically proven pain killer. I share this with the wonder and newly discovered respect I have for ice because of the huge part it now plays in my life. I repeat: the very thing that hurt me is now the thing that heals me. Isnt life funny that way?

17.12.2013 Vol. 2 No. 51-52

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Palveluksessanne: Kunniakonsulit

Eggerman liputtaa Suomen puolesta kasvavassa Saskatchewanissa

Teksti: Annika Martikainen

iel vuosikymmen sitten Saskatchewanin tulevaisuus ei nyttnyt kovin valoisalta. Provinssin talous nojasi vahvasti viljan tuotantoon ja investoijia oli hankala saada innostumaan alueesta. Nyt Saskatchewanilla menee lujaa, kiitos ljyn, kaivostoiminnan sek biopolttoaineiden. Tll hetkell se on Kanadan provinsseista suurin viej asukasmrns nhden. Saskatoonin kunniakonsuli Chad Eggerman uskoo, ett Suomella olisi annettavaa kasvavalle provinssille. Suomi on johtava maa bioteknologiassa ja cleantechiss, aivan niin kuin Saskatchewan. Noilla aloilla on paljon potentiaalia, Eggerman sanoo. Eggermanille kunniakonsulina oleminen on uusi haaste, sill hn on ollut tehtvss vasta toukokuusta lhtien. Alku on ollut kiireinen: joka viikko hn tapaa paikallisten poliitikkojen ja liike-elmn toimijoiden kanssa ja kertoo

heille Suomesta. Mill aloilla suomalaiset firmat toimivat Saskatchewanissa ja millaista erityisosaamista Suomessa on. Niss tapaamissa Eggerman muistaa aina mainita Albertan ja Suomen vlisen innovaatioprojektin, joka tukee pienten ja keskisuurten yritysten yhteistyt. Hnen tavoitteenaan on saada mys Saskatchewaniin vastaava ohjelma, jota rahoitettaisi sek provinssi ett Suomen valtio. Tiedn, ett muut kunniakonsulit ovat keskittyneet suomalaisyhteisn kehittmiseen. Minun vahvuuteni ovat liike-elmn puolella ja siksi kunniakonsulina haluan edist taloudellisia suhteita.

Uusi tulijoita Suomesta

Saskatchewanin talouskasvu on tuonut provinssiin uudenlaisen ryhmn suomalaisia siirtolaisia, tutkimuksen parissa tyskentelevi koulutettuja suomalaisia. Monet uudet tulijat ovat kaivosteollisuuden insinrej, professoreita rintama.

tai vaihto-oppilaita. Eggerman arvioi, ett provinsissa el alle tuhat suomalaista. Suomalaiset ovat hajallaan ympri provinssia. Tll hetkell suomalaisille ei ole omaa jrjest tai klubia, mutta haluaisin tehd asialle jotakin, sanoo Eggerman. Provinssin suurimmassa kaupungissa Saskatoonissa suomalaisilla on tapana tavata Scandinavia Associationissa. Siell vietetn perinteisi pohjoismaisia juhlia, kuten juhannusta, Pyhn Lucian piv sek itsenisyyspiv. Viime kuussa oli puolestaan Eggermanin vuoro pit puhe Suomalaisella Illallisella. Kunniakonsulin tehtv on ollut Eggermanin unelma jo kauan. Hnen ensikosketuksensa Suomeen oli vaihto-oppilasvuotena Jnkpingiss, Ruotsissa. Hn tutustui siell suomalaisiin vaihto-oppilaisiin ja ptyi valmistumisen jlkeen Suomeen tihin. Vuoden pyrhdys ulkomailla venhti seitsemksi vuodeksi.

Lakia opiskellut Eggerman oli aluksi kntjn Nokian alihankkijalla, sittemmin hn opetti juridista englantia ja lopulta ptyi Pohjoismaiden suurimpaan lakitoimistoon tihin.

Suomi puhaltaa yhteen hiileen

Saskatooniin Eggerman palasi vuonna 2008. Hn kehuu suomalaisten asianajotoimistojen sisist yhtenisyytt sek kyky puhaltaa yhteen hiileen. Eggermanin mukaan yhteisymmrryksen hakeminen on tyelmn lisksi lsn koko Suomen yhteiskunnassa. Vlill oli tilanteita, jolloin tuntui ett koko maa ptti samaan aikaan tehd jonkun tietyn asian. Joskus se oli jopa hieman outoa, kuinka yhtenisi suomalaiset voivat olla. Kanadassa puolestaan kest paljon kauemmin saada yhteisymmrrys. Vaikka Eggerman on muuttanut pois Suomesta, hn ei ole jttnyt sit taakseen. Suomalai-

nen vaimo ja kaksi lasta pitv huolen, ett yhteys Suomeen silyy. Loppujen lopuksi nm kaksi pohjoista maata eivt ole niin erilaisia. Mit kauemmin asuu Suomessa, sit enemmn huomaa yhtlisyyksi Pohjois-Amerikan kanssa. Ja mit enemmn matkustaa, sit ilmeisemmiksi se tulee, kuinka samalla tavalla arkemme pyrii.
Tss Kanadan Sanomien artikkelisarjassa esitelln Kanadan kunniakonsulit. Yhteens 13 kunniakonsulia tyskentelee suomalaisten hyvksi eri puolilla Kanadaa. Sarjan aikaisemmissa osissa kerrottiin Sault Ste. Marien kunniakonsulista Raimo Viitalasta (#42/2013), Halifaxin Frank Metcalsta (#46/2013) sek Timminsin Margaret Kangaksesta (#50/2013).

Jatkuu sivulta 15 kin tuntisi nykyist Kiinaa ja sen miljardrej. USA ei ole en Suuri Saatana Iranin uudelle presidentille Khameneille ja maa on kypsynyt taloudellisten pakotteiden puristuksessa rakentamaan suhteita lnteen. Maan lentoyhti tarvitsee uusia koneita romutettavaksi joutavien tilalle ja nuori polvi haluaa uusia autoja sek lypuhelimia. USA:ssa arvioidaan, ett Iran ostaisi vuodessa yht paljon autoja kuin Kanada puhumattakaan muista modernin teknologian tuotteista. Ikivanha kulttuurikansa, jonka jseni monet ovat tavanneet Torontossakin ainakin pankkien konsultteina, on entist valmiimpi ottamaan paikkansa sekulaaristen valtioiden joukossa ja kampeamaan teknokraatit maan johdosta tai ainakin lieventmn kaikenkattavia islamilaisia lakeja. Taloudelliset pakotteet ovat useimmiten eponnistuneet, mutta niiden ansiosta maailma saattaa vltt uuden ydinasemahdin Iranin kohdalla. Vastassa on harvoin nhty USA:n, Venjn ja Kiinan yhteninen

Harper Israeliin
Harperin elmss uskonnolla on suuri tekij, kertovat hnen lheisens. Itse hn vaikenee siit tysin. Siihenkin on syyns. Kanadalaisen gallupin mukaan kansasta vain 17 prosenttia hyvksyisi pministeriksi henkiln, joka edustaa julkisesti niit uudestisyntyneit konservatiivisia evankelistoja, jotka Harperin kirkon tapaan torjuvat naispappeuden, pitvt homoutta suurimpana syntin ja kieltytyvt vihkimst eronnutta henkil uudelleen. Mielenkiintoista on, ett saman mittauksen mukaan 68 prosenttia kanadalaisista hyvksyisi muslimipministerin! Harper lhtee tammikuussa ensimmiselle viralliselle vierailulleen Israeliin, jota hn kutsui Jewish National Fundin illallisilla Torontossa vapauden ja demokratian valoksi pimeyden vallassa olevalla alueella. Israelissa hn vihkii nimelleen omistetun lintujen suojelualueen. Jos pministeri j tyttmksi seuraavissa vaaleissa, Israelissa ainakin olisi hnelle sovelias suojelualue.

Jouluruokavisa
1. Mit kalaa rosolliin on tapana laittaa lisukkeeksi? a) graavilohta b) lipekalaa c) silli tai suolasilakoita d) puna-ahventa 2. Mit seuraavista ei yleens kytet kinkun kuorrutuksessa? a) korppujauhoja b) kokonaisia neilikoita c) tomaattikastiketta d) sinappia 3. Mik seuraavista kuuluu perinteisen porkkanalaatikon raaka-aineisiin? a) makaroni b) riisi c) peruna d) maissi 4. Miksi perinteist joululeip kutsutaan? a) joulusmpyl b) joulukorppu c) joulupatonki d) joululimppu 5. Mink maan jouluperinteeseen kuuluvat ohuet hunajaiset tirggel-keksit? a) Sveitsin b) Ruotsin c) Islannin d) Brasilian 6. Mik seuraavista on pohjoisitalialaisten perinteinen jouluherkku? a) xandore b) pandoro c) bandoro d) fandore 7. Mink muotoiseksi punajuuret, porkkanat ja perunat pilkotaan rosolliin? a) tikuiksi b) viipaleiksi c) kuutioiksi d) niit e pilkota, vaan ne raastetaan 8. Mik seuraavista on Unkarissa erityisesti joulunpyhien juhlaruokaa? a) lammasvartaat b) sianlihaa inkivrikastikkeessa c) hapankaalikryleet d) unkarilainen makkarapata 9. Minklaisena etenkin Lnsi-Suomessa jouluruokana tunnettu kaljavelli nautitaan? a) kylmn jiden kera b) hyydytettyn c) viilen d) lmpimn 10. Mit seuraavista joulukinkun kanssa yleens sydn? a) majoneesia b) kaviaaria c) ketsuppia d) sinappia 11. Mist maasta joulumakkaraperinne on alkujaan? a) Ranskasta b) Saksasta c) Puolasta d) Suomesta 12. Mill yleens rosollin kermavaahto vrjtn? a) punaviinill b) karamellivrill c) punajuuriliemell d) luumuhillolla 13. Mist kalasta joulupytn kuuluva suutarinlohi valmistetaan? a) sillist b) silakasta c) lohesta d) ahvenesta

Oikeat vastaukset: 1c, 2c, 3b, 4d, 5a, 6b, 7c, 8c, 9d, 10d, 11b, 12c, 13b