Latest Issue
CPABC in Focus – Jan/Feb 2022
In this issue: With five generations in the workforce, how can businesses tap into the potential and wisdom of each generation to enhance performance, build collaborative teams, and harness the power of diversity? Research expert Olivia McIvor shares her insights on generational diversity in our cover story.
Plus: Profiles of the BC writers who made the September 2021 National CFE Honour Roll; five key tax forms Canadians need for the 2021 tax year; three common communication pitfalls and how to avoid them; a refresher on BC's temporary PST rebate program; tips to strengthen your writing skills, and more!
CPABC in Focus Articles in Newsroom
Career Development
Generational diversity at work
Harnessing the power of a multi-generational workforce
Jan 24, 2022
Resources for CPAs
Doughnut Economics and the push for regenerative, distributive systems
How a radical business model is changing the goal for business
Jan 20, 2022
Career Development
How to strengthen your writing skills (And why you should)
More organizational communication is written than you may think. Decisions, tasks, and knowledge are largely reliant on writing, so being able to communicate effectively in writing remains a vital job skill—particularly now, when so many people work remotely.
Jan 17, 2022
CPA Profession
Celebrating CFE success!
Meet the BC writers who excelled on the September 2021 CFE
Jan 13, 2022
CPA Profession
What's the buzz? Considerations on the current and temporary BC PST rebate program
The provincial government added the current temporary BC PST Rebate on Select Machinery and Equipment to its roster of COVID-19 tax incentives and benefits in March 2021. Since then, the BC Ministry of Finance has continued to update its webpage on the temporary rebate as additional details have become available.
Jan 12, 2022
CPA Profession
Insolvency expert turns memorable cases into thrilling fiction
David Bowra, FCPA, FCA, didn’t have to look far to find inspiration for his debut crime novel, Banking on Murder.
Jan 6, 2022
Resources for CPAs
Maintaining confidentiality and public confidence
CPAs in Canada are bound by a strict requirement of confidentiality that applies to all aspects of their professional work. In BC, the CPABC Code of Professional Conduct outlines the requirements and provides registrants with extensive guidance on this topic. In this article, we cover the major confidentiality rules in the CPA Code, describe situations that are prone to potential breaches of confidentiality, and provide some cautionary examples.
Nov 22, 2021
Resources for CPAs
Bill C-208 opens the door to new tax-planning opportunities for family businesses
Succession planning is an important consideration for the founders and owners of family businesses, and the tax strategies available for selling shares to and purchasing shares from a third party versus a related party can vary significantly. Bill C-208 is intended to give families more flexibility to access certain tax advantages to facilitate intergenerational transfers of shares of small family businesses.
Nov 19, 2021
CPA Profession
Digital transformation: The national picture
Canada’s CPA profession has always sought to collaborate on issues of national importance, and always in the public interest. One area of collective focus has been digital transformation, with an emphasis on member-facing initiatives.
Nov 18, 2021
Economy & Policy
Work in British Columbia
CPABC's BC Check-Up: Work report looks at emerging employment trends across the province.
Nov 17, 2021
Resources for CPAs
Managing cash difficulties
COVID-19 impacts have put financial pressure on many businesses and not-for-profit organizations, especially in certain sectors, resulting in reduced revenues and cash pressures. And while the government has provided substantial funding assistance since the pandemic started, this support is now in sunset mode, which means more CPAs will likely have to help their employers or clients manage through cash difficulties.
Nov 10, 2021
Personal Finance
Declaring revenue: Is it a hobby or a business?
Whether you bake cupcakes and sell them to co-workers or go fishing after work and sell what you catch to friends, any profit you make from your passion could be considered business income, subject to income tax in Canada.
Sep 22, 2021
Resources for CPAs
Understanding the need for an ESG strategy
“If Canada is to meet its long-term objectives, sustainable finance must become, simply, finance. In other words, climate change opportunity and risk management need to become business-as-usual in financial services, and embedded in everyday business decisions, products and services.”
Sep 9, 2021
CPA Profession
Celebrating CFE success!
Meet the two BC writers who made the May 2021 CFE National Honour Roll
Sep 8, 2021
CPA Profession
One cool customer: New CPABC chair Karen Horcher, FCPA, FCGA, CFA, has a knack for navigating uncertainty
She doesn’t consider herself a natural risk-taker, but Karen Horcher is definitely cool under pressure.
Sep 7, 2021
Resources for CPAs
Looking ahead: CPAs weigh in on the future of work
Here's what CPABC members had to say about the future landscape for employers and employees.
Sep 7, 2021
Career Development
Leveraging your CPA designation in the boardroom
A CPA designation may as well be the golden governance ticket. From small not-for-profit organizations to large corporations, it seems everyone wants a CPA on their board. And it’s understandable—in an increasingly complex world, organizations are looking for directors who bring innovation, systems thinking, and experience navigating ambiguity and disruption.
Aug 9, 2021
Resources for CPAs
Working from anywhere - the tax implications for employers
The pandemic has reshaped the way employees work. Many have been forced to work remotely, and some have chosen to relocate. But necessity has borne some interesting insights.
Aug 4, 2021
Career Development
Zooming your negotiations
Negotiation skills are among the most critical skills a leader can possess. A strong negotiator can creatively leverage corporate interests, catalyze change management efforts, resolve conflict, and influence key decisions. So what does it take to be a strong negotiator in a virtual world?
Jul 21, 2021
Economy & Policy
Life in British Columbia
BC Check-Up: Live report looks at demographic and affordability trends across the province
Jul 14, 2021
CPA Profession
"It just clicked" - Why Rhian Quarry made the switch from science to the CPA
It was while working reception at Madison Pacific Properties Inc., a real estate management and development company in Vancouver, that Rhian Quarry realized she wanted to become a CPA. She had just completed her bachelor’s degree in health sciences and was looking for a new direction when inspiration struck.
Jul 7, 2021
Resources for CPAs
Taking the first step to a digital transformation
One silver lining that has emerged over the past year is that the majority of organizations have realized the value of digital efforts—from client service to marketing to stakeholder engagement—and are putting resources into planning and implementing them.
May 14, 2021
Resources for CPAs
Family business continuity: How to secure the family legacy
If there’s one thing business leaders have learned over the last 12 months, it’s that they need to be prepared for the unexpected. The rapid emergence of COVID-19 and its subsequent impact on businesses across industries underscored.
May 10, 2021
Resources for CPAs
Improving the mental health of Canadian workers (Infographic)
Did you know that Canada has both a national mental health strategy and a National Standard for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace?
May 7, 2021
Career Development
Prioritizing mental health at work
How KPMG GVA is supporting wellness and destigmatizing illness
May 5, 2021
Resources for CPAs
When it comes to the debt forgiveness rules, is all really forgiven?
The recent economic downturn may bring forth unexpected tax issues. As creditors become more inclined to forgive or settle debt without full or even partial repayment, more corporations may find that they are settling debt for less than the principal amount.
Mar 10, 2021
Economy & Policy
The fight continues
An update on anti-money-laundering initiatives
Jan 13, 2021
CPA Profession
CPABC’s Indigenous strategy
Building for a strong, more inclusive future.
Jan 11, 2021
CPA Profession
Celebrating CFE success!
Meet the 10 candidates from BC and Yukon who made the National Honour Roll.
Jan 7, 2021
Economy & Policy
BC Check-Up: Work
New report provides insights on COVID-19 employment disruption
Nov 16, 2020
CPA Profession
The earning potential of BC CPAs (Infographic)
How much to British Columbia's CPAs make? Here's a look at the BC stats from CPA Canada's 2019 CPA Member Compensation Study.
Nov 12, 2020
CPA Profession
Bringing calm resolve to turbulent times
Geoffrey Dodds, CPA, CA, embraces his role as chair of the CPABC board even as COVID-19 continues to disrupt norms.
Nov 10, 2020
Cybersecurity
The ethics of technology
The explosion of technology over the last 30 years has changed the way we do business—but have we given enough consideration to its ethical impacts?
Oct 20, 2020
Resources for CPAs
Finding opportunities in an economic downturn: Estate freezes (and refreezes)
During an economic downturn such as the one in which we currently find ourselves, many taxpayers focus on finding cost-cutting measures, including opportunities to decrease their immediate tax burdens. What may not be top of mind, however, are opportunities to minimize future tax burdens by freezing or refreezing an estate.
Sep 22, 2020
Resources for CPAs
Accelerating business agility: Maximizing organizational effectiveness in the age of COVID-19
Many business leaders and accounting professionals are wondering how best to recover from the disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic and set their organizations up for success in the uncertain months and years ahead.
Sep 17, 2020
Economy & Policy
Highlights from CPABC's BC Check-Up: Work Survey (Infographic)
More than 560 members responded in the most recent survey, which focused on work in BC.
Sep 16, 2020
CPA Profession
Keeping the numbers up
Report recommends measures to maintain CPA training pipeline and meet future demand
Sep 14, 2020
Personal Finance
Family trusts: Recent changes and continued benefits
The last three years have seen significant changes in tax legislation. Private family businesses have felt the bulk of these changes, and many are still trying to digest the impact within their businesses.
Jun 3, 2020
Resources for CPAs
#MeToo – Empowering women leaders is good business
Does anyone really want to talk about gender issues in the workplace? Generally speaking, the answer is no.
Mar 13, 2020
Career Development
Clear, concise, consistent – The three Cs of effective communication
Communication is by far one of the most valuable skills in any professional’s toolkit. Whether you’re just starting your career or you’re a seasoned vet, being an effective communicator at work is key to your success.
Jan 24, 2020
Resources for CPAs
The office of 2020 and beyond: What is the future of work?
CPABC’s 2019 BC Check-Up report paints a clear picture of British Columbia’s tight labour market. As noted in the report, unemployment in BC fell from 6.1% in 2014 to 4.7% in 2018, while the job vacancy rate increased by 0.8%, reaching a high of 2.5%. Competition for talent is tough, and employers in all industries are struggling to fill positions.
Nov 15, 2019
Resources for CPAs
Why is strategy so hard?
Many organizations struggle with strategy. In my experience, there are three main reasons why: Strategy is not one thing, it must be implemented and monitored, and companies often try to do too much.
Oct 30, 2019
CPA Profession
Harnessing the power of diversity
Increasingly, the business world is recognizing the importance of diversity in the workplace—not just in terms of optics but also in terms of the bottom line. So why do some businesses still consider diversity as an option (or, worse still, a last resort when all other options fail) when others already recognize that it’s an indispensable factor in hiring?
Aug 7, 2019
Career Development
Practice makes happiness
Phew! You’ve just finished a huge assignment that involved a lot of overtime and considerable pressure. Time to shorten your office hours and start packing for a well-deserved vacation, right?
May 29, 2019
Resources for CPAs
What do diversity and inclusion in the workplace truly look like?
When a race-related incident at a Philadelphia Starbucks sparked worldwide outrage in the summer of 2018, the company’s response to the incident—an afternoon of anti-bias training for staff across North America—came under intense scrutiny.
Jan 3, 2019
CPA Profession
BC tax incentives for the technology and entertainment sectors
The technology industry has steadily grown and matured over the last decade to become a key sector in the British Columbia economy. According to the Profile of the British Columbia Technology Sector: 2017 Edition released by BC Stats, the high-tech sector now employs more people than the mining, oil and gas, and forestry sectors combined.
Mar 12, 2018