NOTES & NEWS
CPABC Proclamation Day Celebrations – June 24, 2015
O
n June 24, 2015, CPABC leaders gathered at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver to celebrate
the enactment of the Chartered Professional Accountants Act. In attendance were
members of the three legacy governing bodies, the new CPABC board, and the
CPABC executive, along with BC’s advanced education minister, Andrew Wilkinson.
The history-making day began with an all-members meeting, where the CPABC executive
and members of the Transitional Steering Committee addressed an audience of more than 100
CPAs. Their one-hour presentation recounted the journey to the formation of CPABC, provided
a summary of the annual report and audited financial statements for the 2014-2015 fiscal year,
and introduced the organization’s inaugural board of directors.
The all-members meeting was followed by a luncheon event dubbed “United CPA: Why it’s good
for business,” which was co-presented with the Vancouver Board of Trade. CPABC president &
CEO Richard Rees, FCPA, FCA, and the advanced education minister each spoke about the
positive impact the CPA legislation will have on the profession and the business sector. They then
participated in a panel session with Mary Anne Davidson, director of the Vancouver Board of
Trade, and Lori Mathison, CPA, CGA, Vancouver managing partner of Dentons Canada LLP,
to further discuss the benefits a unified accounting profession will bring to British Columbia.
More than 200 CPABC members and business leaders attended the luncheon.
After the luncheon, CPABC’s board of directors met briefly with the advanced education minister to thank him for his efforts in the unification process. During the meeting, Olin Anton, FCPA,
FCA, chair of the CPABC board, presented Andrew Wilkinson with a plaque acknowledging his
contributions to the creation of the CPA profession.
Left (top and bottom): Shots from the CPABC all-members meeting. Above
(top to bottom): A presentation to members featured CPABC Chair Olin
Anton, FCPA, FCA; Simon Philp, FCPA, FCMA, past CMABC chair and former
co-chair of the CPABC Transitional Steering Committee (TSC); Brian
Friedrich, FCPA, FCGA, member at large on the CPABC executive committee,
past CGA-BC chair, and former co-chair of the TSC; and Dan Little, FCPA,
FCA, past ICABC president and former co-chair of the TSC.
8 CPABC in Focus • Sept/Oct 2015