CPABC in Focus July/August 2016 | Page 8

NOTES & NEWS

GFOABC Conference 2016

CPABC was pleased to be a sponsor of the 2016 Government Finance Officers Association of BC ( GFOABC ) Annual Conference , which was held in Whistler from June 1-3 . The event brought local government finance professionals together to explore best practices , innovative solutions , and future trends in the field of local government finance . This year ’ s conference , themed “ Partners in Leadership ,” was experienced by 280 attendees consisting of GFOABC members , sponsors , exhibitors , and speakers . During the three-day event , attendees took advantage of the many educational sessions and networking opportunities , which included a trade show and banquet . Of special note was the unveiling of the “ Leading Practices for Capital Project Procurement ” initiative and its related resource toolkit . This initiative , developed by GFOABC in partnership with the Local Government Management Association of BC , is designed to help purchasing professionals develop best practices , and then scale them according to the size of their communities . Many CPAs work in the public sector , playing an integral role in finding ways to manage financial services for local government in BC ’ s 160 municipalities and 28 regional districts . Accordingly , CPABC is proud to carry on the legacy accounting bodies ’ tradition of GFOABC sponsorship — not only by sponsoring the annual conference , but also by hosting professional development opportunities for GFOABC members .

L to R : Simone Leonard , CPA , CGA , vice-president of education and professional development at CPABC ; Paul Macklem , CPA , CMA , executive director of GFOABC ; and Ella Bohinska , CPA , CA , program manager of pre-approved programs at CPABC .

CPABC Management Forum Talks Corporate Governance and HR Management

CPABC ’ s Management Forum participated in two events this past April — the first an evening reception on corporate governance and the second a breakfast seminar on legal issues and trends in human resources management . The corporate governance event was held in Vancouver on April 12 in collaboration with the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade and the Directors College . More than 35 Forum members , each serving on the boards of private , public , and / or not-for-profit organizations , attended this event , which provided an opportunity for board members to meet with peers , alumni of the Chartered Director ( C . Dir .) program , and individuals interested in pursuing the C . Dir . program . The evening ’ s guest speaker was George Cadman , QC , a partner at Boughton Law in Vancouver , who shared his insights on corporate governance issues . A seasoned litigator with over 35 years ’ experience in corporate / commercial , securities , and real estate disputes , Cadman is involved in governance and risk management leadership as general counsel to several family-owned enterprises ; he ’ s also an active board member serving on several boards , and legal counsel to CPABC . The HR management breakfast session was held on April 20 at Vancouver ’ s Terminal City Club . The event , which was emceed by Carman Overholt , QC , of Overholt Law , attracted more than 80 attendees , including many members of CPABC ’ s Management Forum . The session was delivered by the team at Overholt Law and covered written employment contracts , complaint investigations , privacy and technology in the workplace , recent trends in termination , and case law updates . If you ’ d like to join the CPABC Management Forum and receive special invitations to these types of events , visit bccpa . ca / members / connect / member-forums or contact David Chiang , CPA , CA , CPABC ’ s VP of member services , at dchiang @ bccpa . ca .

Above ( l to r ): David Crawford , CPA , CMA , VP of the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade ; guest speaker George Cadman , QC , of Boughton Law ; Kathleen McGuire , then senior marketing and program co-ordinator of the Directors College ; and David Chiang , CPA , CA , VP of member services at CPABC . Below ( l to r ): Event emcee Carman Overholt , QC , of Overholt Law , with CPABC board member Tom Senft , CPA , CGA .

8 CPABC in Focus • July / August 2016