NOTES & NEWS
Sponsorships & Events
I
n July and August, CPABC sponsored or attended a variety of events on and off campus to promote the profession to post-secondary students.
Events included speed networking events with mid-size public practice firms; summer socials and barbeques with UBC, SFU, BCIT, and
Fraser Valley students at Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s Surrey Campus; and the SFU Accounting Student Association banquet.
Other CPABC-related recruiting events included a lunch & learn session with Ledcor, a diversified construction company, that enabled prospective
students to learn more about the CPA designation, program options, and how CPABC works with employers—including employers in industry.
Fall recruit, CPABC’s annual program of recruiting events for small-to-mid-size and national public practice firms and CPABC-approved
training offices, has been underway since the beginning of September, and events are currently being held throughout the province. Also happening in September is the CPABC Pacific Summit in Kelowna (September 23-25)—see page 14 for details. And coming up on October 10 and
November 21 will be the convocation ceremonies for legacy CPA, CMA and CPA, CGA graduates, respectively.
For more information on CPABC’s sponsorships and events, visit the News, Events & Publications section of bccpa.ca.
Climate Change – Risks and Opportunities
O
n June 19, CPA Canada and CPABC co-hosted a breakfast
session entitled “Risk and Opportunities of a Changing Climate” at the Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue in Vancouver.
This session, which examined how a changing climate gives rise to a
variety of business issues—including operational, financial, and legal
obligations—was part of CPA Canada’s sustainability initiative.
Todd Scaletta, FCMA (Manitoba), director of research, guidance, and
support at CPA Canada, was on hand to discuss the national body’s
efforts vis-a-vis climate change.
“CPA Canada has commenced a multi-year climate change initiative
supported by Natural Resources Canada,” he told participants. “We
appreciate CPABC members’ interest in supporting these initiatives,
and members in BC can look forward to more events in the future.”
Also on hand was Susan Todd, CPA, CA, a member of CPA Canada’s
sustainability advisory board, lead judge of the sustainability category
for CPA Canada’s 2014 Corporate Reporting Awards, and the principal
of Solstice Sustainability Works Inc. With over 20 years of experience
in sustainability consulting and stakeholder engagement, she was wellequipped to moderate the panel discussion, which featured panellists
Cathy McLay, CPA, CMA, CFO and executive vice-president finance
and corporate services at TransLink; Jennifer Ash, CMA (Manitoba),
VP finance and operations at Frontiers North Adventures (FNA); and
Thomas White, manager of science and adaptation at the Climate Action
Secretariat in the BC Ministry of the Environment.
Cathy McLay explained that TransLink’s capital review committee,
which she chairs, is mandated to ensure that climate change risks are
included in the company’s capital review process.
“Asset management has to be strategic,” she said. “The