PD Instructors
John Agioritis, LL.B
John practices in the area of tax litigation and tax dispute resolution. He has successfully challenged a number of Canada Revenue Agency assessments and reassessments using various dispute resolution mechanisms and through litigation at the Tax Court of Canada. He has also successfully obtained rectification and rescission orders to correct mistakes in tax based transactions and documentation for taxpayers, accountants and legal practitioners in various jurisdictions. John also represents clients on all types of criminal matters and regulatory infractions, including tax evasion and other allegations under the Income Tax Act and Excise Tax Act. John also routinely acts on criminal and regulatory infractions, particularly those laid under environmental, occupational health and safety, and criminal statutes. John has appeared before the Saskatchewan Provincial Court, the Saskatchewan Court of Queen’s Bench, the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal, the Supreme Court of the Northwest Territories and the Tax Court of Canada.
Kirsten S. Albo, FCPA, FCA
Kristen is the President of ASK KSA Consulting Inc. which offers specialized consulting and advisory services to small to mid-sized public accounting firms to help ensure they are onside with required standards in the most efficient and effective manner possible. The Company provides a multitude of services including standards compliance assessment, external monitoring and second partner consultations. She also works with firms performing file efficiency reviews and delivering specialized in-house training courses.
Kirsten has over 28 years of diversified business experience. The majority of her career was spent at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP where she was an assurance partner for public, private and NPO clients in a variety of industries. In this role she gained in-depth knowledge of assurance standards and accounting principles. She is known for her strong technical knowledge and the ability to apply it in a very practical manner. Kirsten is also an experienced and skilled instructor having taught courses locally, nationally and internationally over the span of her career. Kirsten has also written and delivered specialized courses on various topics. Her varied background and exposure provides her with a unique aspect to business.
Dean Austin, CPA, CA, M.Acc.
Dean is a partner at Scarrow & Donald, Chartered Professional Accountants, LLP. He provides a wide range of enterprises with assurance, accounting, tax and business advisory services. His professional service experiences include publicly and privately held enterprises in real estate, hospitality, mining, manufacturing and transportation sectors as well as not-for-profit organizations. He is a seminar leader for CPA Manitoba’s professional development program and a recipient of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Manitoba Early Achievement Award and CPA Manitoba Meritorious Service Award.
Karine Benzacar, FCPA, FCMA, CPA (Del), CFA, MBA
Karine is a seasoned industry professional with over 15 years of solid industry experience. After beginning her career in the finance departments of Avon Products and Kraft Foods, she held Senior Management positions at three major Canadian Banks – Royal Bank of Canada , Bank of Nova Scotia, and Bank of Montreal. Her career has spanned many functional areas including accounting, finance, capital markets, project management, re-engineering, and strategic management. She has performed consulting work, developed financial courses, and trained thousands of professionals from a wide variety of industries.
In addition to her corporate training activities, Karine has been teaching undergraduate and MBA courses at several leading universities which include University of Toronto, Concordia University, and Ryerson University. She is a highly acclaimed industry expert, has presented at national industry conferences, and facilitated seminars for the Society of Management Accountants for 10 years. She helped develop and mark professional accounting exams for the Society of Management Accountants. She also trains bankers throughout Canada and the US for the North American Risk Management Association on financial statement analysis, cash flow, and credit risk assessment. Karine has an MBA from McGill University, a CPA, CMA, and a US CPA
Ward Blatch, CPA, CA, MCSA
Ward provides consulting and training services as a partner with K2E Canada throughout the United States and Canada. The professional development courses presented by Ward include cloud computing, business intelligence, security, technology updates, internal controls, paperless office, mobile office, Adobe Acrobat, Excel, Word, PowerPoint and Outlook.
Ward obtained his CPA, CA designation while working at a Nova Scotia regional accounting firm before starting his own consulting and accounting practice. His practice provides accounting, tax, training, support, and network evaluations for small businesses and not-for-profit organizations.
Erin Bokshowan, LL.B
Erin provides advice to clients on income tax, provincial sales tax, and goods and services tax issues. She assists clients at all stages of the business cycle, from incorporation to winding-up, ensuring all transactions are undertaken in a tax-efficient manner. She has extensive experience with asset and share purchase transactions, and assists clients in the preparation of unanimous shareholder agreements. She also has experience dealing with the establishment and governance of not-for-profit entities and registered charities.
Erin also assists clients with estate planning matters, including the preparation of wills, powers of attorney and advance health care directives.
Erin spent time as in-house counsel for one of the world’s largest diversified mining companies, and brings a unique business-focused perspective to all her files.
Robert Boulton, CPA, CA, CBV
Robert is Executive Vice President and COO of the Canadian Institute of Chartered Business Valuators. Bob has consulted on valuation matters concerning shareholder disputes, mergers and acquisitions, estate and tax planning, and minority oppression actions: damages, quantification matters concerning commercial disputes, intellectual property infringement, professional negligence and competition. Bob teaches an MBA course on business valuation at McMaster University.
Greg Campeau, B.Comm
Since founding Campeau Learning in 1991, Greg has delivered over 2900 presentations and workshops throughout North America establishing a client list that that includes organizations such as … Lafarge, Telus, Finning, TD and Royal Banks, London Drugs, both Canadian and U.S. Federal Governments, BC Hydro, KPMG, Provincial Governments of Alberta and B.C., Rogers Wireless and the NHL Coaches Association
For thirteen years Greg instructed courses at BCIT (British Columbia Institute of Technology) School of Business in both Human Resource and Marketing faculties.
Previous to becoming a professional facilitator / speaker, Greg obtained an Honors Bachelor of Commerce Degree from University of Windsor. Greg then went on to spend over 15 years in international packaged goods corporations (Nestle, Nabisco and Cadbury’s) achieving increasingly senior management positions while creating an outstanding track record of consistent success. Twice Greg led corporate divisions from worst to first in terms of overall performance (revenue growth, market share and profit).
Greg Campeau is a learner and teacher of timeless truths that that enhance both personal and organizational success and stability in the “white water world” of the 21st Century.
Jeremy Comeau, J.D., B.Comm.
Jeremy holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree with a major in accounting and a law degree from the University of Alberta. Jeremy joined Felesky Flynn LLP as an articling student in 2013. His practice focuses primarily on corporate and personal tax planning for owner managed enterprises, with a specialization in tax planning for private mergers and acquisitions.
Jeremy has been a speaker at numerous Canadian Tax Foundation, Canadian Bar Association and other tax related events, including most recently presenting a paper at the 2017 Prairie Provinces Tax Conference.
Susan Cox, CPA, CA
Susan is a professional development consultant with extensive experience in the assurance, taxation and national continuing education departments at PwC, in industry at Reed Paper, and most recently as the Director of Professional Development at CPA Ontario since 1999. She earned her CA designation in 1985, and completed the CPA Canada In-Depth Taxation Program in 1992.
Elizabeth J. Farrell, FCPA, FCA
Elizabeth is an Adjunct Professor at the Schulich School of Business. In recognition of her excellence in teaching she was selected as the winner of the Seymour Schulich Award for Teaching Excellence in 1999, 2003 and 2009 and nominated for the award in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2011 and 2015. She was selected as the winner of the John Peace Teaching Award in 2002 and 2012. Elizabeth served as assistant coordinator at CPA Ontario's School of Accountancy. She has taught executive development courses for the Schulich School of Business, professional development courses for CPA Ontario and firms. She was lead author on the CPA PEP assurance module, has authored publications including ian accounting case analysis software package, study guides, ASPE: A Comparison to IFRS, IFRS A Review of the Standards, IFRS Leases and co-authored Intermediate Financial Accounting, Researching and Documenting an Accounting Issue, ASPE and NFPO Updates and a variety of cases. Elizabeth was a member of the Competency Map Committee. Elizabeth has also served on the Board of Directors for a number of not-for-profit organizations.
Felesky Flynn LLP
Ryan Antonello, JD, CPA, CA
Ryan is a tax lawyer at Felesky Flynn LLP, which is a recognized leading tax law firm in Canada. Ryan tackles a wide variety of the tax law spectrum and focuses his expertise in tax planning. As a Chartered Accountant at an international accounting firm for five years prior to joining Felesky Flynn, Ryan is well versed in developing intricate solutions for all types of businesses and individuals.
Mike Dolson, LL.M.
Mike practices in all areas of taxation law with an emphasis on corporate and international tax planning. Mike has advised on transactions ranging from reorganizations of owner-manager businesses to billion-dollar public corporation divestures. He has also provided opinions on a wide range of income tax and GST matters, including topics relating to cross-border structures, insurance arrangements, not-for-profit organizations, charities and municipalities.
Mike joined Felesky Flynn LLP as an articling student in 2009 upon completing his Bachelor of Laws Degree (with distinction) at the University of Western Ontario, where he received the Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP award in Tax Law, the Goodmans LLP Award in Taxation, the James G. McKee Taxation Award, the Insolvency Institute of Canada Bruce Leonard Prize in Insolvency Studies and the Law Society of Upper Canada Prize for academic standing. He has also completed his Master of Laws degree in United States taxation from New York University.
Mike is an avid writer, and has presented for organizations including the Canadian Tax Foundation, the Canadian Bar Association, the Edmonton Tax Lawyers and Accountants Discussion Group and the Edmonton Tax Executive Community of Interest. He may also be the least physically gifted person to have ever presented to the Alberta Dance Educators Association. In his free time, Mike is a sessional lecturer in corporate taxation at the University of Alberta, Faculty of Law.
Perry Kiefer, CPA, CA, TEP
Perry is a partner in the Saskatoon office of Felesky Flynn LLP, advising on all aspects of corporate and personal tax planning, reorganizations and estate planning for owner-managed entities, and in particular, farming enterprises. In addition to being a lawyer, Perry is also a member of CPA Saskatchewan and is actively involved in the CPA community and the education of its members through his ongoing authorship and presentation of courses on a variety of different taxation topics.
Stephen Miazga, JD
Stephen is an associate with the Saskatoon office of Felesky Flynn LLP. Prior to joining Felesky Flynn, Stephen was an associate at a major western Canadian law firm. Stephen is a sessional lecturer at the College of Law at the University of Saskatchewan teaching Trusts. He is also the vice chair of the Canadian Tax Foundation Young Practitioners. Stephen enjoys traveling, golfing and spending time outdoors.
Crystal Taylor, TEP
Crystal Taylor is a Partner with the Saskatoon office of Felesky Flynn LLP. Crystal received the award of the Best Lawyers in Canada©, Tax Law in 2014, 2015 and 2016 and was recognized in the Canadian Legal Lexpert® Directory, Estate & Personal Tax Planning also in 2014 and 2015.
Crystal is a member of the Executive Committee for STEP Saskatchewan Chapter, Program Chair in 2015 and 2016. She was awarded Volunteer of the Year for 2015, STEP Saskatchewan Chapter.
Crystal was a professor of Tax I, College of Law, University of Saskatchewan in 2013 – 2014. She has also acted as a member of the Program Committee for the Prairie Provinces Tax Conference in both 2010 and 2014. Crystal is also on the Board of Directors of the Saskatoon Club. She is a frequent speaker, writer and presenter in the area of tax law.
Sean Zubryckyj, JD
Sean’s tax planning and litigation practice spans a broad range of client profiles, from estate planning, private company reorganizations and farming clients to complex mergers and acquisitions.
Enthusiastic about uncovering simplified insights for businesses and people, he excels at developing results-based and personalized strategies for his clients.”
Allan W. Foerster, CPA, CA
Allan is currently a member of the accounting faculty and Associate MBA Director for the Toronto campus at the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics at Wilfrid Laurier University where he teaches senior financial accounting courses in the graduate and undergraduate programs. Allan is a past member of the Private Enterprise Advisory Committee and a past member of the CPA Ontario Board of Examination Evaluators.
Robert Forsyth, FCPA, FCGA, CFI, MBA, MA
Robert (Bob) Forsyth, FCPA, FCGA, CFI, MBA, MA has a background in public practice, and for the last twenty years he has concentrated on forensic accounting and risk management. He has completed more than fifty assignments for clients such as government agencies, First Nations, and lawyers. Bob has taught Professional Development seminars across Canada and in the Caribbean.
Alex Garber, CPA, CA, MTax
Alex has been in public practice since 2004, focusing primarily on income taxation for Canadian owner-managed businesses and their shareholders. Alex also teaches at York University, at the CPA Canada In-Depth Tax Course and at the PEP program for aspiring CPA students. Alex started his career at Deloitte and he's currently working at Fuller Landau LLP in Toronto.
Jim Gaston, FCPA, FCA
Jim has over three decades helped clients with all phases of mergers, acquisitions and due diligence on companies they are interested in buying, or helping clients who are having due diligence performed on their organizations. He has provided these services re companies both very large or small in Canada as well as in other countries and brings a lot of real world experience to share. Jim is also an expert on auditing standards through having authored the audit methodologies of PW and through his work with CPAB. He has a firm grasp of internal control issues through engagements for the head of COSO on internal control issues and his years of experience as an EDP audit specialist. He has for the past two years been working with clients to help them raise finances for a variety of reasons.
Diane Gaudon, FCPA, FCGA
Diane Gaudon , FCPA, FCGA specializes in Goods and Services Tax (GST), Harmonized Sales Tax (HST), Quebec Sales Tax (QST) and provincial sales tax training and consultation for businesses of all sizes. Over the past 30 years as a professional accountant, she has gained extensive accounting and taxation expertise spanning many industries.
For almost 20 years, Diane has been advising and training both Canadian and foreign companies on federal and provincial sales tax matters. During 2009 and 2010, Diane was on the Ontario government HST Implementation committee.
She is a very popular speaker who frequently presents commodity tax related material to numerous professional organizations, including CPA Ontario and CPA Canada. Diane has authored numerous publications and courses for CPA/CGA Ontario and CPA Canada. She also has been a contributor to the Bottom Line, CCH Canadian and Carswell publications.
Currently, Diane has her own practice providing sales tax training and advisory services to practitioners and businesses of all sizes across Canada and the United States. Should you require assistance with respect to GST/HST, QST or provincial sales tax compliance, recovery or any other sales tax issue, please feel free to contact Diane.
Tom Gillespie, CPA, CA
Tom Gillespie is a partner and co-founder of Clearline Consulting CPA. Tom is a public practitioner with over ten years of accounting and assurance experience having formerly been the associate director of practice review with CPABC. Prior to working with CPABC he was an audit manager with a major international accounting firm. Tom provides file compliance, monitoring, in-house training, audit planning and on-going consulting services to CPA firms and practitioners, helping them succeed and build thriving practices.
Kent Greaves, CPA, CA
Kent is an enthusiastic, mathematically inclined, real world oriented, Chartered Professional Accountant. He has had extensive experience operating successful businesses in Alberta. While accounting has its foundation in journal entries and ledgers, Kent spends most of his time taking care of book keeping and tax filings while assisting small business owners make the key decisions necessary to ensure their companies grow and thrive. Kent is a business advisor.
Being involved in small business at a very young age, his first business was a flooring installation company that he started at the age of 19. After receiving a Bachelor of Commerce (with Distinction) from the University of Alberta, Kent realized that accounting is the language of business and enrolled in the Chartered Accounting School of Business where he obtained a Chartered Accountant designation.
Kent worked in medium/large accounting firms for nearly 7 years where he prepared countless tax returns and learned they myriad of rules and requirements of the CRA. Kent’s focus was privately held companies all across Alberta and he assisted owners in finding optimal tax planning and ensuring all the necessary paperwork was filed with the federal and provincial tax authorities.
Wanting a new challenge, Kent left public accounting and became the Corporate Controller for an engineering firm with 1,800+ employees. As a member of the executive management team, Kent spent the next three years trying to navigate the turbulent economic waters of Alberta (it was 2011/12/13) and grow the company as it rebuilt from the retraction that occurred in 2008/09. In his time there, revenues grew 125% and profits grew exponentially. Kent learned many key aspects of what it takes to succeed in today’s world and how to properly structure teams, locations and when/how to make tough decisions. Thanks to the hard work of many people, the company was sold in 2014 for an exceptional sum.
Having learned a great deal of how to structure a company, how to grow revenues, how to find the staff to do the work, and finally how to sell a profitable business, Kent started his own practice in 2014. He now helps small business in Alberta utilize some of the key tactics larger companies employ in reaching success.
Mike Harris, LLB
Mike is a partner of Dentons’ Tax Group. His practice is focused on corporate tax planning and reorganization, as well as tax litigation, compliance, and dispute resolution.
Mike advises clients on corporate reorganizations including share and asset rollovers, butterfly transactions among related parties, stock dividends, share redemptions, debt assignments/assumptions and debt-to-equity conversions. He also assists clients with GST issues, including on the sale of real property and applicability to amounts paid as settlements.
Mike also advises on employment benefit issues and salary deferral arrangements, and provides international clients with advice on “Canadianizing” share plans, specifically for US entities wishing to provide plans to Canadian employees and other Canada-US outbound and inbound investment issues.
Jeff Harrison, CPA, CMA
Jeff Harrison has been an indirect tax practitioner for over 28 years. He currently resides in Regina, Saskatchewan as a senior manager with MNP LLP as part of their national indirect tax service line. He spent over 7 years as a GST auditor with the Canada Revenue Agency, starting when the GST was first introduced in 1991. He has spent the next 19 years in public practice working in some of the largest accounting firms specializing in indirect taxes, including provincial sales tax.
Jeff is from Saskatchewan and serves clients of all types and sizes in most industry sectors including mining & energy, financial services, retail, manufacturing, non-profit/charity, among others. He is an experienced practitioner who can work with complex transactions and determine innovative and practical strategies to applying legislation. He serves clients throughout Saskatchewan as well as other parts of Canada. He has written numerous articles and presented on sales taxes to many organizations over the years to promote a better understanding of the sales taxes.
Jules Hawkins, CPA, CA
Jules is a partner of Hawkins and Co. Accounting Professional Corp. (www.hawkins-accounting.ca) He received his UK CA in England in 1996, and his Ontario CA in 2005. Before founding his own firm in 2014, Jules spent 20 years with Big 4 and regional-level firms, focusing on assurance. He has significant experience developing and teaching training courses in both the UK and Canada. Jules teaches advanced accounting courses at the University of Windsor, and serves on CPA Canada's SMP Advisory Committee. From 2011 through 2014, he was also Chief Financial Officer of Essex Angel Capital Inc., a TSX-Venture Exchange listed investment company.
Darrell Herauf, CPA, CA, CGA
Darrell is a professor in accounting at the Eric Sprott School of Business, Carleton University where he has received numerous teaching awards. He is the co-author of the market leading advanced financial accounting textbook in Canada and author of other teaching supplements. Darrell has been involved in professional accounting education at the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario and other professional accounting associations for over 25 years in a variety of roles, including teaching, developing cases, examinations and other program material, and serving as a member of the Examinations subcommittee.
Chi Ho Ng, CPA, CA, MBA
Chi Ho is a principal of Auditing and Assurance Standards with Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada (CPA Canada). In this role, Chi Ho is responsible for identifying, researching and making recommendations on complex auditing and assurance issues in Canada and drafting Canadian auditing and assurance standards. In addition, Chi Ho is a part-time instructor for several Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario (CPA Ontario) professional development courses and a frequent speaker to the CPA community on accounting and auditing topics. Chi Ho has also written several articles for CPA magazine and developed training materials.
Nicholas Horlick, JD
Nicholas is an associate lawyer and member of the MLT Aikins tax litigation team. He graduated from University of Saskatchewan with distinction in 2015 and was a member of the Saskatchewan Law Review editorial board and the Gale Moot team.
Melanie Joseph, CPA, CA
Melanie has over 20 years of experience working with private and public sector entities. She obtained her Masters in Accountancy from the University of Waterloo and currently works as a Principal in Grant Thornton LLP’s National Accounting Standards group. Melanie develops publications and training courses for her firm and works with clients dealing with complex accounting matters. She is also an active member of a number of accounting advisory groups including CPA Canada’s Private Enterprise Advisory Committee.
Doug Kalesnikoff, FCPA, FCA, IFA
Doug is an Assistant Professor with the Edwards School of Business at the University of Saskatchewan. His teaching responsibilities include MPACC806 - Assurance for the Masters of Professional Accounting Program, MBA803 and 844 -for the Masters of Business Administration Program and COMM420 - Fraud Prevention Detection and Investigation for the undergraduate program. In 2004, 2006 and 2008 Mr. Kalesnikoff was awarded the MPACC Teaching Excellence Award which is sponsored by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Alberta.
Mr. Kalesnikoff has practiced in the forensic accounting discipline for the past 20 years. He has provided expert evidence in the courts, international commissions of inquiry, and other commissions, hearings and tribunals on over 50 occasions
Mr. Kalesnikoff work as a forensic accountant dealing with criminal investigations and public inquiries, include:
- Investigation of alleged frauds on behalf of the R.C.M.P. Commercial Crime Sections, corporations and government agencies.
- Investigations of alleged drug traffickers on behalf of the R.C.M.P. Anti-Drug Profiteering and Proceeds of Crime Sections.
- Investigations into government corruption and fraud allegations for both the Williams and the Blom-Cooper Commissions of Inquiry for the Federation of St. Christopher and Nevis, West Indies.
- Investigation into government corruption, theft and fraud allegations of the Medical Benefits Scheme for the McIntyre Royal Commission of Inquiry in Antigua and Barbuda, West Indies.
- Compliance audits for royalty and tax matters for the governments of St. Kitts-Nevis, Jamaica, St. Lucia, St. Vincent-Grenadines, Antigua and the Cayman Islands in the Caribbean.
Mr. Kalesnikoff has developed and instructed courses on Forensic Accounting and Fraud Auditing provided to the R.C.M.P. Commercial Crime Sections of Saskatoon and Regina, the Saskatchewan Police College, the Saskatoon City Police, the Calgary Police Service, the Inland Revenue Service of the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis, the Tax At and Administrative Department of the Jamaica Revenue Service, Saskatchewan Crop Insurance, SaskPower, Credit Institute of Canada, Certified Fraud Examiners and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Saskatchewan.
Mr. Kalesnikoff was featured in an article titled "Our Man in Antigua" in the October 2002 issue of CA Magazine, a publication of the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants.
Nicole Kalesnikoff, CPA, CA, IFA
Nicole is a Manager with MNP’s Forensic & Investigative Services team in Saskatoon. Nicole’s clients range in size and include organizations in diverse sectors such as government, law, law enforcement, commercial, oil and gas, not-for-profits, Aboriginal, manufacturing, professional services and real estate.
Nicole has worked on forensic investigations, provided litigation support and assisted with audits, reviews and consulting engagements. Since 2009, she has focused her practice on investigative and forensic accounting and litigation support.
Nicole is adept at providing investigative and litigation support in both civil and criminal matters, including Ponzi schemes, employee fraud, estate / Power of Attorney disputes, shareholder disputes, insurance investigations and matrimonial disputes.
Kevin Kirkpatrick, JD, MBA
Kevin is an architect in a complex tax world. With a background in cross border tax law and accounting, his forward thinking approach allows him to analyze the intricacies of the law and the tax code, and simplify the often overwhelming situation for his clients. As with a traditional architect, the numbers matter, but Kevin’s eye is always on the prize and his ultimate goal is to do meaningful work for his clients, designing a complete, strategic plan to move them towards achieving their financial goals. Kevin is a barrister and solicitor with Moodys Gartner Tax Law LLP specializing in U.S. Tax.
Dallas Kleckner, CPA, CGA, JD
Never one to choose the path of least resistance, Dallas was attracted to the field of tax law because nobody has ever looked at the Income Tax Act and thought it was “easy”. Upon receiving his accounting designation, Dallas pursued a degree in law and found his niche somewhere in the middle, practicing tax law.
Dallas thrives on the challenge of applying the intricacies of taxation and the law to each unique client and case. Recognizing that no two matters are alike, he tailors his approach to strategically analyze their complete financial situation and how to optimize the tax piece. Dallas is a barrister and solicitor with Moodys Gartner Tax Law LLP.
Cindy Kottoor, CPA, CA, CIA
Cindy is President of Neverest Inc., a leading provider of fully customized professional development training for professional accountants and auditors. Working with professional institutes, corporations, the public sector and public accounting firms, Cindy is a risk and control specialist who brings her varied work experience in Canada and the US to each course she leads, ensuring each is highly practical, relevant, and interactive, imparting tools and techniques for immediate application. In 2011, Cindy received the CPA Ontario (formerly ICAO) Award of Distinction and was identified as a “Super CA” by CA Magazine. Visit www.neverest.ca to learn more.
Howie Kroon, CPA, CA
Howie is currently working as a management consultant providing strategic, operational, financial, and business coaching to CEO’s and their executive teams. He has a strong skill set in assisting clients with difficult situations. Previously, he was the CEO/President of Palliser Lumber Sales in Calgary. During his tenure, Palliser was recognized for six consecutive years as one of Canada’s 50 Best Managed Companies.
Jeff Lee, Q.C., LL.B
Jeff represents companies in financial distress, lenders and court officers in restructuring and insolvency proceedings across Western Canada. Jeff’s insolvency experience includes assignments in the manufacturing, energy, aviation, real estate, agribusiness, hospitality, transportation, telecommunications, fish processing, construction, forest products, mining and pulp and paper industries. He is a member of the MLT Aikins Wealth Preservation & Asset Protection Group. In his commercial litigation practice, Jeff represents parties involved in shareholder disputes, banking litigation, landlord-tenant matters and builders’ lien litigation. He has appeared before Superior Courts in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and New Brunswick, Appellate Courts in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba and before the Federal Court, Tax Court and Supreme Court of Canada.
Ryan Legage, JD, B.Comm.
Ryan practices in complex commercial litigation and arbitration. He has experience with significant class actions, insurance, regulatory and resource-related litigation. He has appeared before the trial and appellate courts in Saskatchewan and Alberta, the Federal Court and Federal Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada.
Milan Legris, LL.B., LL.M, TEP
Milan is a tax and estate planning lawyer in Ancaster, ON. Milan restricts his work to consulting with other professional advisors for high-net worth individuals, senior executives and key employees, as well as owner-managers and their families. Milan was called to the Ontario bar in 1986 and is also an advisor and author of reference materials on taxation for the Law Society of Ontario’s (LSO) Professional Development and Competence Department. Milan was a lecturer and instructor for the LSO’s Bar Admission Course on taxation.
Philip Maguire, CPA, CA
Philip received his designation while employed at Ernst & Young (formerly Clarkson Gordon) and a Certified Information Systems Auditor finalist. Philip is a principal in Glendian Consultancy Ltd., an accounting practice that specializes in Compliance and Internal Audit. Philip has over 30 years of business experience in Canada, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Ireland and the United States. His organization has implemented a number of assignments across a variety of industries for companies with market capitalizations ranging from $50 million to $2 billion. Before he formed Glenidan Consultancy in 2005 Philip was a Vice-President of Finance at one of the country's largest financial institutions. Philip has spoken at a number of accounting conferences across Canada. He is a member of the Accounting Standards Board Insurance Accounting Task Force- Associates Group: the Ontario Securities Commission’s Continuous Disclosure Advisory Committee: the Steering Committee of XBRL Canada: and the Committee on Corporate Reporting of Financial Executives International (Canada). Philip has been a guest speaker on several television shows such as The Prosperity Show, Money in the Bank and Your Wealth and has contributed many articles to the Canada Business Wire on matters dealing with personal finance. He is a former Chairman of the Multiple Sclerosis Society, Ontario Division, Mississauga Chapter. Philip is a mentor for the Ryerson University’s StartMeUp program and the Chartered Professional Accountants (CPA) Ontario MAP to Success program. Philip is also the founder and Managing Director of Executive Mentors Inc. Executive Mentors has retained a number of retired business executives who have the time, energy and wisdom to mentor Canada’s next generation of entrepreneurs and business leaders.
Shari Mann, CPA, CA
Shari is a lecturer at the University of Waterloo, president of Strann Consulting Inc. and a member of the Private Enterprise Advisory Committee. Prior experience includes over ten years in public practice, both in Canada and New Zealand. In one of her positions, Shari was responsible for staff training, standards and quality control at a national firm. Her consulting activities include the preparation and presentation of numerous professional development courses in financial accounting and assurance. Complementary activities include the provision of professional services to small and medium-sized accounting firms.
Arun K. Mathur, CPA, CA, LPA
Arun is the Executive Director at UltimQuest Knowledge Inc. and Partner at Gerald Duthie & Co. LLP, Chartered Professional Accountants. He has extensive consulting, auditing and internal control evaluation experience in the Public, Corporate and Not-For-Profit sectors. He began delivering training at Clarkson Gordon’s (now EY) Toronto office and at several universities and colleges in Ontario. Today, he delivers live and online training on Improving Governance in the Public, Corporate and Not-For-Profit sectors, Business Ethics, Internal Control, Fraud Prevention, Risk Management, Financial Management and Public Speaking. He delivers training across the country through CPA British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, New Brunswick, PEI, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador and Bermuda. He serves on the board at Health Force Ontario Marketing and Recruitment Agency and chairs its Finance and Audit Committee. Visit www.ultimquest.com for more information.
Jennifer McCann, CPA, CA
Jennifer is the CEO of FocusCPD Inc. With over 20 years’ experience, Jennifer assists accounting firms with the effective and efficient application of accounting and assurance standards and the maintenance of quality controls systems through creating and delivering relevant training programs. Jennifer is also co-author of CPA Canada publications The Professional Engagement Guide (PEG) and The Quality Assurance Manual. She is an active member of the IAASB's Data Analytics Working Group Project Panel.
Hugh Neilson, FCPA, FCA, TEP
Hugh is an independent contractor to Kingston Ross Pasnak LLP, where he is a Director, Taxation Services. He is also an independent contractor to Video News Inc. where he is a member of the Editorial Board of Video Tax News, appearing regularly in their monthly video and newsletter. Hugh has over 25 years of public practice experience, focusing on income tax services for individuals and owner-managed private corporations. He is an author, mentor and instructor in the provincial Continuing Professional Education programs in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, has presented at the CPA Canada National Conference on Income Tax and The One conference, the Canadian Tax Foundation’s Prairie Provinces Tax Conference, the Banff Small Practitioners Forum and CPA Forum North. Since April, 2013, he has served as a Director, and the Treasurer, of the Centre for Public Legal Education of Alberta. Hugh is the 2014 recipient of CPA Canada’s Award for Excellence in Income Tax.
Vivian Nicholas, CPA, CA
Vivian Nicholas has over 30 years of experience in the public sector at the municipal and provincial levels and was a member of the Public Sector Accounting Board. She served on the PSAB Task Force for Tangible Capital Assets and as Director of Finance was responsible for implementing PSAB standards at the City of Regina, including accounting for landfill, pension and employee benefit costs. Vivian served as President of the Western Canada Government Finance Officers Association (now Canadian Association of Government Finance Officers) from 2007 to 2010. As an assistant professor at the University of Regina, Vivian taught introductory and intermediate accounting and has led seminars and presentations on various topics over her career.
Bridget Noonan, CPA, CA
Bridget Noonan is the director and co-founder of Clearline Consulting. Bridget was with a mid-size accounting firm in Vancouver for 12 years as a leader in the audit and assurance practice, while managing internal training and firm development. Bridget moved into a professional standards adviser role at CPABC where she continued to support and assist practitioners through the application of professional standards. Bridget now provides consulting services to small and mid-size firms in areas of regulatory and standards compliance, quality control, monitoring, in-house training and efficiency projects.
Paul Olfert, JD
Paul draws on the experience of our prominent corporate and commercial group to provide practical advice to businesses, lenders and individuals and focuses particularly on real estate matters. He has negotiated and drafted agreements and corporate arrangements related to share transactions, real estate transactions, and business purchases and relationships. In addition to providing transactional and regulatory advice to small and large businesses, Paul also has experience working with lenders on mortgage enforcement solutions. Prior to joining the firm, Paul clerked at the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal. He is a member of the MLT Aikins Wealth Preservation & Asset Protection Practice Group
Massood Oroomchi, BSc. (Econ.)
Massood is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales, and a past-member of the Accounting Standards Oversight Council of CPA Canada. As a founding member of FinEx Group, he specializes in design and implementation of internal control systems including COSO 2013, best practices for corporate governance, enterprise-wide risk assessment, and finance process optimization including accelerated close and spreadsheet controls. He has developed a comprehensive top-down, risk-based Internal Control Program that could easily be customized to any size of firm whether publicly traded, private, pre-IPO, government or not-for-profit organizations.
Tom Pister, CPA, CA, LL.B.
Tom is a CPA and tax lawyer specializing in all facets of income taxation and estate planning in the private corporation and owner/manager contexts with particular expertise in the area of corporate reorganizations. He also represents clients on a variety of tax issues involving the CRA (including voluntary disclosures, tax audits, objections etc.). He has taught tax courses through CPA Ontario and the Ontario Bar Admission Course.
Dennis Plum
Dennis Plum has over thirty years IT experience as a Corporate Manager, Application Developer, Microsoft Systems Engineer and Microsoft Certified Trainer. His current training and consulting practice focuses on Microsoft Excel, Macros and VBA. He is the President and Principle Trainer at Willis Plum Holdings Inc. and has developed the “Excel with Macros and VBA” workshops. Since launching this training in 2008, over 3,000 participants have said that this training has not only met their expectations, but they’d recommend it to others.
Scott Powell, CPA, CA
Scott is the Managing Director of MDA Training for Canada. Scott has designed and delivered workshops for organizations as diverse as Accenture, Allied Irish Bank, AMEC, ATB Financial, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, JP Morgan, BC Ferries, Coast Capital Savings, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, HSBC, ICBC, ING and CPA Canada. Scott is both a Canadian and a UK Chartered Accountant who holds an honours degree in Politics/Economics from Trent University, Canada and a master’s degree in Economics from Cambridge University.
Stephen Priddle, CPA, CA, CMA
Stephen is the President and founder of Practical PD, Seminars for Accountants, as well as Vice-President, Finance, Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Secretary of SureWx Inc. He also advises a number of businesses and not for profit organizations. An engaging and experienced speaker, Stephen weaves practical tips together with stories from his business experience and input from participants. His seminars are based on over 30 years of corporate experience.
After working with KPMG for five years, Stephen moved into industry, where he has worked for both public and private companies. He has gained a wide range of experience in financial reporting, treasury management, merger & acquisition and other business matters. Stephen speaks at accounting conferences, and presents accounting seminars in many contexts. He leads sessions in the CPA PEP program and previously taught in the legacy CA Program, CGA, CMA Programs and has also taught at the University of Toronto and Carleton University. Stephen is also a prolific author. His published business, accounting and finance cases are used by organizations across Canada.
Margaret Riggin, CPA, CA
Margaret obtained her CA in 1980 and completed the CPA Canada In-Depth Tax program in 1984. She is a sole practitioner providing tax consulting services to small firms and sole practitioners. She has extensive experience with estates and will planning, corporate reorganizations, real estate, acquisitions and divestitures, and corporate and personal tax planning. Margaret has been a frequent instructor and lecturer for CPAO, teaches income tax law at York University, and is an accomplished author on various tax subject matters.
Tammy Robertson, MA
Tammy believes that the essence of our challenge today is captured in one simple message, “Get Your Heart in the Game!” As a life coach, author, and professional speaker to audiences across North America she inspires and challenges you to step into your Best Life -- to be purposeful and passionate -- to slow down -- to get a grip, tune in and have faith.
Tammy believes most people want to be excited about their life and work, and learning to stay positive and inspired is the key to a fulfilling life. She is known for her impact and the ability to ignite positive change and renewed energy with people and organizations. As a respected commentator in the media on workplace wellness and culture, Tammy offers a unique blend of research, observation and gritty guidance along with a distinct call to action to “make your time count.”
Tammy Robertson has a Masters in Physical and Health Education from the University of Western Ontario. With over 25 years of corporate and entrepreneurial experience, she brings a keen understanding of current challenges to her audiences. Tammy speaks to audiences from 50 to 500 and has an extensive and broad client base from Finance, Education, Health Care, Oil and Gas, and Government to Non-Profit. Her work with trusted clients often evolves from a speaking engagement to ongoing consultation, in-house workshop facilitation and leadership coaching to provide tools and practices that support a new culture of encouragement and accountability and a higher level of living and leading.
Tammy teaches at two universities, with over 1,000 hours teaching leadership for the Faculty of Continuing Education at University of Calgary. She is a recent faculty member at The Banff Centre for Management in Banff, AB. and is part of an international team of coaches delivering the Coaching for Great Work Program™. Tammy is also a Founder of RealTalk, a global community committed to improving communication and relationships one real talk at a time.
Jonathan Robinson, MA, MFCC
Jonathan Robinson is a psychotherapist, best-selling author of fourteen books, and a professional speaker from Northern California. For the past 30 years he has spoken to dozens of Fortune 500 companies including Google, Microsoft, Dell Computer, Coca-Cola, and Fed-Ex. Mr. Robinson has made numerous appearances on the Oprah show and CNN, as well as other national TV talk shows. He has reached over 100 million people around the world, and is known for providing his audiences with immediately useful information presented in a fun and entertaining manner.
Gregory M. Sawatsky, MAcc, CPA, CA
Gregory graduated from Brock University’s Co-Op Program with an Honours Bachelor of Accounting degree in 2000, receiving three awards for academic achievement. Greg passed the 2000 National Uniform Final CA examinations, ranking 6th in Ontario and received his CA designation in 2001. Greg completed his Master of Accountancy degree with a specialization in Taxation in December 2001. Greg was appointed manager in 2002 and was admitted to partnership in 2007. He has completed the CICA In-Depth Tax course and the CICA In-Depth GST course.
John Schappert, CPA, CA
With over ten years of experience advising unique businesses on the potential tax implications of unusual transactions or potential projects, there’s not much John hasn’t been faced with. Whether he’s consulting on business sales and acquisitions, ensuring compliance with the ever-evolving tax regime, or maximizing your after-tax dollars – the more complex the problem, the more he comes into his own.
John has a genuine appreciation for entrepreneurs whose energy, capital, and capacity for innovation and re-invention are the main driving force for our economy. John knows trust is everything, and that’s what makes the difference when it comes to working with owner-managed businesses and medium-sized enterprises. John’s focus on continuous learning ensures he will constantly search for better ways to help his clients accomplish their goals. John is a tax advisor with Moodys Gartner Tax Law LLP.
Joel Shapiro, Ph.D.
Joel has educated thousands of leaders in his open enrolment programs and has designed and facilitated customized leadership and organizational development programs for many national and international organizations, including Accenture, Apache, ATCO, BC Hydro, Direct Energy, ICBC, LaFarge, TELUS, and WestJet. Joel specializes in building leadership capacity, improving collaborative practice, and aligning culture with strategy to create a competitive advantage for his clients.
Joel helped save his third generation family business in an extreme turnaround situation, transforming the company from a local, non-competitive, commodity supplier into a national, highly competitive, value added service provider. He founded Advanture Consulting in 2001 and is now working on a start up in the agriculture and energy spaces.
He is a former member of the Canadian National Freestyle Ski Team; earned a Ph.D. with Distinction in Philosophy; served as an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the leading edge Master of Workplace Learning Program at the University of Calgary; is Associate Faculty for the Vancouver School for Narrative Therapy; and does pro-bono work for a variety of non-profits (ethnic, gender, and environmental).
Jeffrey D. Sherman, FCPA, FCA, MBA, CIM
Jeffrey has over 25 years’ experience as a corporate director and executive in high tech, biotechnology/medical, financial services, and business services. His interests include corporate governance, risk management and internal control, corporate finance, restructuring and start-up enterprises and initial public offerings.
Mr. Sherman is a popular presenter, and was an adjunct professor at York University for fifteen years. He is a frequent course director and course author for many organizations including provincial bodies of chartered professional accountants across Canada, and the Law Society of Upper Canada, and has written many magazine articles and over twenty books including: Canadian Treasury Management, and Financial Instruments: A Guide for Financial Managers (published by Thomson-Reuters/Carswell), as well as Finance and Accounting PolicyPro and Information Technology PolicyPro (guides to governance, procedures, and internal control), and Cash Management Toolkit for Small and Medium Businesses (published or co-published by the CPA Canada).
David Trahair, CPA, CA
David is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CA), and a personal finance writer, trainer and e-Learning content developer. He is the author of six books on personal financial issues including three national bestsellers and was a columnist for CPA Magazine from 2014 to 2018. A straight shooter, David is able to explain the often confusing world of personal finance in simple English. He has a no-nonsense style and independent view. Because he does not work in the financial services industry or sell financial products, there are no sponsors behind the scenes shaping what he says. He says and writes what he wants, providing unfiltered advice for the hard-working Canadian.
David operates a personal finance training and e-Learning content development firm and gives in-class and on-line seminars to CPAs in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, New Brunswick, Newfoundland & Labrador and Nova Scotia. He has made many television appearances including CITY TV Breakfast Television, BNN, CBC NewsWorld, CTV and CFTO News, Rogers TV, CBC Venture and CHTV. I have also been featured on many local and national radio programs including CBC Radio One.
David was also a past-director of Credit Canada, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping people deal with credit problems.
Warren Trickey, BComm, CPA, CA, TEP
Warren, a graduate of Queen’s University, received his designation in 1974. With over forty years’ experience as a tax specialist with McCay Duff LLP in Ottawa, his career includes advising clients in such specialized areas as corporate reorganizations, personal tax, retirement and estate planning, U. S. personal income tax and other cross-border issues. Warren is a frequent presenter of income tax courses for CPA Ontario.
Adam Unick, JD
Adam is an associate lawyer based in the firm’s Regina office. He maintains a general corporate commercial practice with a focus on corporate governance, commercial transactions and taxation. He completed his Juris Doctor in 2018 at the University of Saskatchewan with great distinction. During law school, Adam worked on the Editorial Board of the Saskatchewan Law Review, was a teaching assistant for the Legal Research and Writing course, and competed in the Bowman National Tax Moot.
Kim Varey, CPA, CA
Kim has instructed a wide range of courses in financial accounting, assurance, management and leadership for Canadian accounting associations, the CA and CPA Western Schools of Business, Mount Royal University, AuditWatch and directly to firms and public companies. In addition to teaching, she provides consulting services on effective business management and technical review in IFRS and ASPE. Kim began her career with eleven years in public practice, serving owner-managed business, public companies and not-for-profits. Kim is extensively involved with Calgary and Foothills Search and Rescue, and has served on the Board of Foothills Land Trust.
Garrett Wasny, MA, CMC, CITP/FIBP
Garrett is a Vancouver-based professional development consultant to accountants worldwide. He advises Certified Public Accountants, Chartered Professional Accountants and other financial professionals how to be more productive online using search, mobile, productivity and social tools.
His writing credits include three books (published by McGraw Hill, Government Institutes, and John Wiley and Sons) and more than 100 published articles in leading newspapers and business publications including the Financial Post, Knight Ridder publications, Business in Vancouver and World Trade.
Garrett is the host of Cloud Warrior Week, a week-long professional development experience for mature executives and workers who want to get instantly up to speed on the latest and best cloud tools including search, mobile, productivity and social technologies.
Kurt Wintermute, LL.B., B.Comm.
Kurt Wintermute is the senior tax litigator and head of the firm’s tax litigation practice area. Kurt’s primary practice area is tax dispute resolution and tax litigation. He advises clients and litigates matters at all court levels involving corporate and personal income tax, goods and services tax, voluntary disclosures, tax evasion, employment insurance, Canada Pension Plan and Customs issues, provincial sales tax, provincial royalties, and commodities tax. He has successfully challenged a number of Canada Revenue Agency and provincial tax reassessments, most recently involving Canadian residency issues and the Canada-U.S. treaty tie breaker rules, the GAAR and the kiddie tax, Saskatchewan mineral royalties, transfer pricing penalties, employee benefits and the deductibility of resource surcharges. Kurt has extensive experience in achieving cost-effective resolutions of tax disputes on behalf of clients with federal and provincial taxation agencies and before the Tax Court of Canada, Superior Courts of the Provinces and Appellate Courts.
Chris Wyman, CPA, CMA, CIA
Chris is VP, Learning and Development with MDA Training Inc. Previously Chris held the role of Director of Internal Audit at a Canadian financial institution. Chris has experience with corporate governance, risk and compliance. He also has operational experience in commercial, private and retail banking. Chris is a CPA (CMA). He is also a Certified Internal Auditor, a Certified Risk Management Assurance Professional and is accredited by the Institute of Internal Auditors to facilitate IIA Courses.