NOTES & NEWS
Checking Up on BC's Economy
O
n May 13, 2016, CPABC held its first economic plenary session at a CPABC Pacific
Summit event. Building on the launch of CPABC’s economic roundtables in Kelowna
and Victoria in 2015, this plenary session marked the launch of another new initiative
to bring members into the discussion on BC’s economy.
Entitled “Checking up on BC’s Economy,” the plenary session featured three prominent CPA
business leaders: Dave Brownlie, FCPA, FCA, president and CEO of Whistler Blackcomb
Holdings; Meryle Corbett, FCPA, FCMA, CFO and director of finance of KF Aerospace; and
Peter Leitch, FCPA, FCA, president of North Shore Studios and Mammoth Studios.
During the hour-long session, which was moderated by CPABC president and CEO Richard
Rees, FCPA, FCA, the panellists discussed BC’s economic drivers, as well as its economic impediments, and answered questions from the member audience. Not surprisingly, the challenge posed
by housing costs in the Metro Vancouver area, the importance of recruiting and retaining
skilled labour, and the need to diversify BC’s economy were the hottest topics of discussion.
Attendees were invited to provide feedback on the plenary session via the Summit mobile application (as was the case for all Summit seminars and panels), and the vast majority gave it a high
rating. Look for more such sessions in future.
For a recap of the Pacific Summit and additional photos, see pages 44-45.
Share Your
Opinions on BC’s
Business Climate
Invitations to participate in
CPABC’s Business Outlook
Survey going out end of July
Kamaga/iStock/Thinkstock
CPABC will be conducting its annual Business
Outlook Survey at the end of July. Members
can expect an email invitation from NRG
Research Group inviting them to participate
in this year’s survey.
The Business Outlook Survey benchmarks
members’ views on:
• The short- and long-term economic
outlook for BC and other jurisdictions;
• The business impact of tax and
regulatory policies at the municipal,
provincial, and national levels; and
• The challenges to business success in BC.
Results from the survey will be released in
the fall. Survey findings form part of
CPABC’s budget submission to the provincial
government’s select standing committee on
finance and government services. To learn
more about the Business Outlook Survey, members are encouraged to visit the Government
Relations section of our website at bccpa.ca
under the News, Events & Publications tab.
Top photo: A packed house. Bottom photo (l to r): Richard Rees, FCPA, FCA, president and CEO of CPABC and moderator for the plenary session; Dave
Brownlie, FCPA, FCA, president and CEO of Whistler Blackcomb; Meryle Corbett, FCPA, FCMA, CFO and director of finance of KF Aerospace; and Peter
Leitch, FCPA, FCA, president of North Shore Studios and Mammoth Studios. Photos by Scott Brammer of Coast Mountain Photography.
erhui1979/iStock/Thinkstock
CPABC in Focus • July/August 2016 7