Member Heads Up 

Update For Friday, January 6, 2012 

Are you ready for the new estate planning rules? 


Register today for New Changes in Estate Planning Law breakfast seminar

Date:                      Thursday, February 2, 2012
Time:                     7:30 am – 9:30 am
Location:              Pan Pacific Hotel, Vancouver
Cost:                      $111 for members, $133 for non-members (2 CPD hours)
Speakers:            Emma A McArthur, LLB and Carmen S. Thériault, Q.C.

Seminar Description
The rules governing estate planning have undergone several changes over the last year, and those of us who advise clients can’t afford to fall behind.

Recent amendments to the Power of Attorney Act and Representation Act, proposed amendments to the Family Relations Act and the new Wills Estates and Succession Act (not yet in force) present significant changes that professional advisors need to be aware of to properly serve their clients. This seminar will examine the new power of attorney legislation that came into effect on September 1, 2011, and discuss its impact on members and their clients, including:

How it impacts on powers of attorney signed prior to Sept 1, 2011

• New capacity test for donors of a power of attorney
• Witnessing requirements and restrictions
• Issues relating to springing powers of attorney - which is a new concept in B.C.
• Attorney compensation clauses
• Proposed amendments to rights of spouses under the Family Relations Act of BC
• Update on the status of the Wills, Estates and Succession Act  
• Overview of the more significant changes proposed to estate planning and administration laws.

Click here for more information and to register. 

January Tax Time and Other CGA-BC PD 

Are you ready?

Join eight leading tax specialists for five days of concentrated tax seminars.

The 2012 January Tax Time Series includes:

• Personal Tax Update, with Lori Matheson, BCom, LLB, BCL, CGA
• Debt Forgiveness and Loss, with Manu Kakkar, BSc (Hons), CA, TEP, MTax, CGA
• Defensive Tax Practice, with Tim W. Clark, LLB, MA Econ
• Statutory Interpretation of the Income Tax Act, with Glen Schmidt, BA, FCGA
• Plus many others!

For a complete schedule and more information, visit January Tax Time Seminars.

Can’t attend Tax Time? We Still Have Plenty of PD in January and February.

Now that the 2009 – 2011 cycle is complete and the three-year rolling cycle has changed to 2010 – 2012, why not get on track for 2012 by taking advantage of PD seminars being offered now?

For a complete schedule of January and February PD offerings, click here.

*Please note: For January seminars, register by January 10, 2012.  Seminars that do not meet the minimum required registration will be cancelled at that time. 

Nominees for BC’s Small Business
Awards Announced 

Small Business BC has announced the Top Ten nominees in each category for its 9th Annual Successful You Awards contest.

This year’s nominees are from diverse sectors such as healthcare, hospitality and education. Over 15 communities are represented by a local SYA nominee, from large cities like Vancouver and Victoria to less populated areas such as the Comox Valley and Pemberton.

CGA-BC is again proud to sponsor the award for Best Business Concept. The nominees for best new concept are:

• The Dubh Glas Distillery – Oliver. Artisan single malt Canadian whisky from the heart of wine country.
• Pooch Partners – Vernon. Fitness and obedience training for dogs.
• Urban Foliage – Vancouver. Innovative green building solutions and services including consultation, design, distribution, installation and maintenance of living wall and green roof technologies.
• 505-Junk – Vancouver. Full service rubbish removal with an eye to recycling.
• The Wine Thief – Vancouver. Educational and entertaining sommelier-guided private wine events.
• On The Rocks Ice – Vancouver. The coolest ice for special events, hospitality and retail.
• CityQuest Games – Vancouver. Integrating Vancouver tourism with fun through a treasure hunt game.
• EightSix Network – Vancouver. A cutting-edge hiring tool for the restaurant and hospitality industries.
• The Juice Truck – Vancouver. Cold-pressed natural juices and smoothies.
• Lovey’s Body Products – Tsawwassen. Chemical-free products for babies’ bodies.

Nominees have been selected by residents of B.C. who benefit from these businesses, with votes collected online via various social media platforms.

The Top Five finalists in each category will be announced January 30. Winners will be honoured February 28 at a ceremony hosting industry professionals, government officials, delegates, awards sponsors and media. Participants and audience members will hear success stories from previous award winners, network with entrepreneurs within British Columbia’s small business community and mingle at the reception prior to the ceremony. The 2012 Successful You Awards Ceremony will be held at the Pan Pacific Hotel in Vancouver.

For more information about Small Business BC and the Successful You Awards, including all the 2012 nominees and a slide show of the 2011 awards ceremony, see Successful You.

CGA-Canada Agrees to Enter Exploratory Merger DiscussionsOctober 28, 2011

CGA-Canada has announced that it has agreed to enter exploratory discussions with the CICA and CMA Canada about the possibility of the three national accountancy bodies merging operations. The CICA and CMA Canada are welcoming CGA-Canada to these discussions.

Over the last five months as the CAs and CMAs moved forward with the unification initiative, the door was left open for the CGAs to enter the discussion. CGA-Canada has now agreed to work with CICA and CMA Canada to explore how the operations of the three national bodies can be merged to best support members and the provincial organizations throughout the unification process and beyond.

[Read More...]

Clarification Regarding Ethics Notice 

In the October issue of CGA Update, an ethics summary highlighted a ruling against Dennis K. Wong, CGA. The announcement didn’t immediately make it clear that the Mr. Wong being sanctioned is in public practice in Richmond, B.C. and is not Dennis K. Wong, CGA, who is employed by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, Vancouver. The Association regrets any misunderstanding.

Douglas College Introduces Professional Services Marketing CourseHistorically, professional services firms were limited in their marketing activities and success was often determined by personal relationships and industry contacts.  Now, greater latitude for marketing in this sector means that each firm is challenged to differentiate itself from its competitors.

Marketing 4235: Professional Services Marketing is a 14-week course of lectures and seminars. Several industry marketing professionals will be invited to discuss with the class their experiences and the project work of the class will be done with existing professional services firms. Relationship marketing, attracting and retaining clients, marketing tools and techniques as well as strategic planning will be explored. 

Association Introduces Electronic Voting for
2012 Board of Governors Election
In recent years the Association has taken steps towards adopting electronic voting processes for its annual Board elections. With amended Bylaws, updated Board policy and a new election audit plan in place, CGA-BC is now ready for electronic voting for this Fall's Board election. 

Member-based organizations increasingly are replacing mail outs, paper ballots and manual tabulation of votes with electronic voting systems. As well, professional associations, credit unions, educational institutions and publicly held corporations are bringing their election processes in line with their electronic communications and web-based services.

[Read More...]
 

Looking for the next rung on your career ladder? See our Hot Jobs page updated weekly. If you haven’t already signed up to CGAjobs.org, do so. And don’t forget to post your resumé to the site.

 Enjoy the Pride of B.C.—At a CGA-BC Discount
The BC Lions are offering CGA-BC members and students and their friends and families a special ticket offer for two home games. On August 5 the Lions take on Saskatchewan, and on September 30 they play Edmonton (in the grand opening of the redesigned BC Place).

The return to the downtown stadium, complete with retractable roof, will be in time for B.C. to host the 99th Grey Cup Championship. That makes 2011 the perfect time to be a season ticket holder. BC Lions season ticket holders receive priority seating and a 20 per cent savings on seats for the 2011 Grey Cup. Season tickets start at just $250. Reserve your seat for the season and 2011 Grey Cup today!

Three dollars from each ticket purchase goes to the CGA-BC Educational Foundation.

See the special ticket pricing for August 5  and September 30.

To purchase tickets contact Jeff Hill at (604) 930-5453.

 SFU Connect:
The Best, the Brightest, and the Biggest
A record turnout for CGA-BC’s longest running recruiting event

Photo Gallery 

For the past ten years, CGA-BC has held its largest recruiting event for Simon Fraser University’s accounting and business students on the SFU campus. It has also traditionally scheduled the event in the month June and during the past decade, neither the date nor the location has been a source of conflict. Until this year. 

The Vancouver Canucks’ run to the Stanley Cup finals energized many of the city’s hockey fans. Unfortunately, for people planning events in Vancouver it has meant that days when the local team was playing a game were all but blacked out for anything else. So, while ‘CGA’ is the most popular professional accounting designation in the province, it cannot compete with the Canucks and the Stanley Cup. So, this year CGA-BC’s recruitment staff had to schedule and then re-schedule the date of the popular SFU Connect student event on an evening when the men in blue and green were not playing.

[Read More...]
 

 Hot for 2011: Performance Analyst, Controller and Public Accountant 

Pipers piping didn’t make the cut this holiday season, but Robert Half International has released its list of 11 top jobs for 2011. The list, born of the recruitment and compensation firm’s salary guide results, represents several fields —including accounting and finance, technology, legal and administrative— and shows promising increases in starting salaries and growing demand among employers. The new research may hold clues as to what the most promising professional positions will be in the year to come. Accounting and finance positions lead the way with the top four spots on the list.

"The common thread among the jobs highlighted in our research is that they help businesses improve efficiency and profits, and foster a more positive customer experience," said Max Messmer, Chairman and CEO of Robert Half International. "The most successful job candidates bring multiple skill sets, a track record of success and a strong sense of accountability to their roles."

The top jobs for 2011 are as follows:

1. Performance analyst - Among nearly 130 finance and accounting positions listed in the 2011 Salary Guide, performance analysts are expected to see the largest jump in starting salaries. Average starting compensation is projected to rise 5.1 per cent to the range of $56,250 to $86,750. Many Canadian employers seek talented professionals who can prepare portfolio, benchmark and statistical reports; maintain and update performance databases; and evaluate return on investment for the company.
2. Controller - Average starting salaries for controllers at midsize companies ($50 million to $100 million in sales) are expected to climb 4.9 per cent, to the range of $85,500 to $113,750. Organizations are adding controllers and assistant controllers to oversee accounting operations, enhance accounting and internal control systems, and assist with growth initiatives.
3. Public accountant - Professionals in midsize/small firms can anticipate a 2.2 per cent gain in base pay, to a range of $65,500 to $84,250. Demand is consistent for staff that can perform a broad range of accounting, auditing, tax and consulting activities.
4. ERP business analyst - Base compensation for these professionals who tailor enterprise resource planning software - is projected to increase 9.3 per cent next year, to a range of $80,000 to $105,000.  ERP enables organizations of all sizes and types to improve efficiency and cut costs. Companies need analysts who can guide better decision-making processes in a constantly changing business environment, help reduce costs and better evaluate internal/external clients.

Rounding out the list are IT auditor, lead application developer, lawyer (especially in litigation, healthcare and corporate law), law clerk, executive assistant, medical data entry specialist, and senior administrative assistant. 

Robert Half also tracks professional hiring expectations and business confidence through its quarterly Professional Employment Report available at www.roberthalf.ca/per. 

Advance Your Career


Make the most of your leadership potential and take your career to the senior executive level. Check out the CGA-BC Certificate in Executive Leadership—where leaders are made. Learn all you need to know about this exciting opportunity here.
 

Share Your Volunteer Experience to
Promote Your Favourite Charities 

For years you’ve heard how B.C.’s CGAs and CGA students are influential, ethical and highly respected by both the business community and general public. What sometimes gets overlooked is the tremendous work we do away from the office for our communities—as volunteers for schools, teams, and charities from A to Z.

If you are a volunteer, whether president of the board of a charitable society, coach to your child’s soccer team, or regular visitor to your local seniors centre, we want to know about your good work. Just fill in our five question survey and we’ll post the results on our website. We’ll learn how diverse our volunteer efforts are and you’ll have a chance to promote the charities and institutions near to your heart as we link to the sites of those not-for-profit organizations. 

As word spreads and our volunteer database grows, we’ll feature a Volunteer of the Month in each issue of CGA Update. It’s a win-win-win-win situation as you, your charity, end users, and your Association make new contacts and benefit from new opportunities and heightened reputations.


Get the ball rolling by telling us about your Volunteer Work and what it means to you. We promise it can be done in a minute. Even if you don’t currently volunteer but would like to put your name forward as willing to perform treasury services or board work for a local charity, we’d like you to visit the survey page.

 Subscribe Now to Your Chapter Newsletter 
The best way to stay up-to-date on your chapter's activities and news is by subscribing to your online chapter newsletter. It’s easy.

 

1. Visit the Chapter Newsletter page of our website.
2. Select your newsletter.
3. Click on the orange RSS Feed button on the top right of the newsletter.
4. Select the ‘Subscribe to this feed’ button to automatically receive new posts via email.

Now you won't need to remember to visit the newsletter online, the news will come to you.


 

New Routes to Professional Development 

Are you looking for innovative ways to gain CPD hours? If you’re interested in Webcasts, video seminars and online courses, it’s time to check out PD Net. Visit today and discover a wealth of opportunities on a huge variety of topics. You’ll find seminars on ethics, taxes, leadership and more. And all of these seminars are designed for working CGAs like you.