September 2007
President John Larsen, FCA Excited to lead the team in 2007/2008
On the Cover In this issue Why the ICABC presidency The AcSB wants you to weigh in on may be a perfect fi t for private enterprise GAAP John Larsen, FCA Member Recognition Dinner photos + Council 2007/2008 Paying dividends is no easy task + DHbalance.ca
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On the Cover 4 Notes from the COO Federal government makes good on T3 promise Want to get 5 For the Profession President John Larsen, the word out? FCA, shares the latest on 8 changing standards and Advertise in Beyond Numbers! Meet your new CA qualifying experience criteria president Here’s why: “No man is an island” 6 Research Corner 83% of BC CAs surveyed read could be John Larsen, Introducing the next Beyond Numbers FCA’s personal credo—this generation in accounting research, and saluting a Beyond Numbers goes out to guy is all about the team legend in the fi eld more than 8,300 members, 18 Tax Traps & Tips more than 1,400 students, Paying dividends just 14 got more complicated and over 200 external Council 2007/2008 stakeholders—including 20 PD News Meet your reps on the other institutes, associations, Highlights from the fall ICABC Council PD program and professional organizations 16 22 Plugged In Beyond Numbers has won News for and about awards for both content Financial reporting members & students and design, including by private enterprises Movers and shakers An overview of the AcSB’s in the profession Blue Wave Awards of Merit ICABC hosts Ultimate from the International Invitation to Comment Frisbee Tournament and Discussion Paper Is your entity a Association of Business going concern? Communications – BC Branch 26 BC Check-Up update To place an ad in Member Recognition 34 Ethical Dilemmas Dinner When education turns to Beyond Numbers, contact our regulation – part 2 of 2 representatives at: Highlights from the 2007 event Advertising in Print Tel: 604-681-1811 28 710 – 938 Howe St. Nominate a peer for Vancouver, BC V6Z 1N9 Fellowship Fax: 604-681-0456 Procedures for the Email: nomination and election [email protected] of FCAs UPDATE: September 2007, No.465
Published eight times annually by the Institute of Chartered Accountants Federal government of British Columbia. Editor furthers efforts to speed T3 delivery Michelle McRae
Design Blindfolio Design 604-761-9212
Advertising Advertising In Print Phone: 604-681-1811 Fax: 604-681-0456
Senior Director of External Affairs Lesley MacGregor
Institute Council Notes from the COO John Larsen, FCA President
Doug Murphy, CA It all started with your feedback during the 2006 Executive Tour. 1st Vice-President You told us there was a problem with the timeliness and accuracy of T3 Trust Income Tax and Information Returns. A survey of your colleagues confi rmed it. Karen Keilty, CA 2nd Vice-President We then enlisted other provincial institutes to conduct their own surveys, and almost 1,500 CA fi rms, representing over 1,000,000 personal taxpayers, Robert Wicks, CA, CFP weighed in. The results were clear: T3s were a problem across the country. Treasurer After your input helped put this topic on the profession’s national agenda, the Jack Arnold, CA T3 problem was brought to the attention of the federal government. In Lindalee Brougham, CA particular, the CICA asked the government to address the delay in the issuance Susan Burns Kyman Chan, CA of tax information for mutual funds and publicly traded trusts, including income Karen Christiansen, CA trusts. John Crawford, CA As I explained in the summer issue of Beyond Numbers, these efforts paid off: Ken Gelhorn, CA·IT Jill Guthrie, CA In the 2007 Federal Budget, the government included a section on T3s in which Al McNair it stated its expectation to release, “in the near future,” draft regulations that Peter Norwood, CA would create a more effi cient process for 2007 T3 slips. John Sims, FCA James Topham, CA I’m very pleased to say that the government has delivered on its promise: On Kenneth Tung July 4, 2007, the Department of Finance announced draft amendments to the Praveen Vohora, CA Income Tax Act and the Income Tax Regulations designed to reduce delays in Chief Executive Offi cer the preparation and issuance of T3 information slips (relating to distributions Richard Rees, FCA of publicly traded trusts) and T5013 information slips (relating to allocations of
Beyond Numbers is printed in British Columbia and publicly traded partnerships). mailed eight times annually to more than 8,300 According to the Finance Department, the draft amendments to the Income chartered accountants and more than 1,400 CA students in public practice, industry, education, and government Tax Act would provide authority for regulations requiring publicly traded trusts service throughout BC, Canada, and other countries. and partnerships to disclose information that enables investment managers to
Beyond Numbers’ editorial and business offi ces prepare the tax information slips they’re required to issue to investors. This are located at: disclosure would be made through a posting of the required information on the Suite 500, One Bentall Centre, 505 Burrard St., Box 22 Vancouver, BC V7X 1M4 website of CDS Innovations Inc. (a subsidiary of the Canadian Depository for Securities Limited), a website designed to provide this type of information to Phone: 604-681-3264 Toll-free in BC: 1-800-663-2677 investment managers. Fax: 604-681-1523 Of course, the proof will be in the pudding, but hopefully we will see a Internet: www.ica.bc.ca signifi cant improvement in the 2008 tax season. Opinions expressed are not necessarily In the meantime, if there are other issues you believe the profession should endorsed by the Institute. address, please let us know. Beyond Numbers supports the CA profession in BC by sharing news from the Institute and news about members, by sharing viewpoints on issues of specifi c — Jan Sampson, FCA interest to members, and by promoting member involvement in Institute activities.
Publications Mail Agreement No: 40062742
4 ica.bc.ca Sept. ’07 For the Profession
Sensitive to the magnitude of these changes, We join the other provincial institutes across we are working with the CICA to ensure that Canada in supporting and approving these changes, members understand them and are aware of the which will ensure that the CA designation con- resources and learning opportunities available. tinues to be fully portable within Canada and The CICA has convened a working group to Bermuda. In turn, by joining other leading CA report to the Council of Senior Executives on accounting bodies around the world in offering the steps that need to be taken to ensure a expanded training opportunities, the Canadian smooth transition to both IFRS and ISA. CA profession is positioning itself favourably The profession also faces a crossroads with re- with its international counterparts. Changing Standards gard to fi nancial reporting by private enterprises. In most Canadian jurisdictions, CA students In May 2007, the AcSB issued an Invitation to will be recruited into the new training positions and Qualifying Comment and Discussion Paper on this issue, beginning in the fall of 2007, for employment Experience outlining three possible approaches (see our Fea- starting in 2008. In BC, we anticipate that only ture Story on page 16). The AcSB is currently a few applications for such training positions will Requirements seeking input from stakeholders, and I urge you be completed for approval by the fall of 2007, Take Centre-Stage to submit your comments to the Board before but we expect to approve a signifi cant number of the deadline of October 31, 2007. employers and positions by the fall of 2008. By John Larsen, FCA Information on this issue, and on IFRS, is This is an exciting move for the profession that President available on the CICA Implementation Support will help us facilitate access to students. Firms Gateway at http://cpd.cica.ca/ssg/About.cfm. are telling us they plan to train students in per- Greetings! We will continue to update you on new deve- formance measurement, with an emphasis on I hope you all took a well-deserved vacation this lopments, including roundtable discussions being taxation, business advisory services, or other summer and enjoyed some time away with family organized by the Institute. areas, and a number of leading corporations with and friends. large numbers of CA staff members have already In July, I had the pleasure of attending my Members approve expansion of CA expressed interest in becoming CA Training third Council retreat. I was reminded of the qualifying experience criteria Offi ces. commitment to, and passion for, our profession I’m delighted to announce that ICABC members For more information on how your fi rm or shared by my colleagues on Council, and I was approved the expansion of the CA qualifying company can hire CA students in these expanded greatly impressed by the diversity of experience experience criteria on June 14, 2007. This means routes, please contact Lara Greguric, CA, the and balance of perspectives demonstrated during that effective September 1, 2007, we began recog- associate director, CA Training Offi ce Liaison our deliberations. nizing expanded areas of experience (in addition (CASB), at [email protected], or contact Anne I am deeply honoured to serve as your president to the traditional audit and review practising Katrichak, CA, the director of Practice Review alongside these individuals as we oversee the certifi cates), both in approved CA fi rm training & Licensing (ICABC) at [email protected]. 2007/2008 operating agenda, and as we represent offi ces and in carefully selected corporations and Both can also be reached at 604-681-3264. the Institute on many of the issues faced by the government departments. Canadian profession today. These changes will maintain the excellence of Contact me our admission and qualifi cation standards, and I welcome your comments and questions at Transitioning to changing standards we expect them to appeal to both public practice [email protected], and I thank you for your One of the most critical issues for the coming fi rms and a select group of leading corporations support. year is the need to start transitioning our profession and public sector organizations—ones that employ to changes in standards—changes more substantial large numbers of CAs and have established train- than most of us have ever experienced in our ing infrastructures. careers as CAs. International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) will be the reporting standard for publicly I’m looking forward to meeting with members accountable enterprises effective 2011, with the exact changeover date to be confi rmed by the across the province during the upcoming Accounting Standards Board (AcSB) in the spring of 2008. During this same time, our pro- Executive Tour. Dates are being fi nalized at fession will move from Canadian auditing standards to International Standards in Auditing the time of this writing, and we’ll keep you (ISA), which are expected to be effective for peri- ods beginning on or after December 15, 2008. posted!
Sept ’07 ica.bc.ca 5 Research Corner
the effi ciency of executive compensation. Need- in which the chief executive offi cer also chairs less to say, both parts of her study, corporate the board of directors are more likely to use governance and executive compensation, are of inside information in setting compensation. This keen interest to many stakeholders. latter fi nding is interesting because having the Hers is a diffi cult study to execute because the same person serve the CEO and chair positions is benchmark for the optimal or ideal compensation generally regarded as a sign of poorer corporate contract remains largely a mystery. For example, governance; in this context, however, the arrange- above-average compensation does not necessarily ment facilitates the transfer of inside information indicate excessive pay; similarly, below-average from the executives to the board. The Next pay does not indicate good governance if the pay In short, good governance is associated with a is not sensitive to performance. To overcome this more effi cient use of information in setting com- Generation diffi culty, Serena uses existing evidence indicating pensation for executives, although what constitutes By Dr. Kin Lo, CA, Ph.D. that boards use inside information on future good governance depends on the decision context. performance (such as future years’ return on Serena expects to complete her thesis over the next equity) when making decisions about current-year year. his summer saw thesis proposals from compensation. Her hypothesis, then, is whether In my next two column entries, I’ll discuss the three promising young scholars in the boards characterized by good corporate gover- two other dissertations mentioned above. Tdoctoral program in accounting at the nance make better use of their inside information Sauder School of Business. They cover a range on future performance to set current-year pay. Kudos to a personal mentor of topics, from the precision or vagueness of Serena’s research to date suggests that boards On a separate note, I’d like to congratulate Jerry auditing standards to the effi cacy of international composed of a higher percentage of independent Feltham, FCA, Ph.D., on his retirement from fi nancial reporting standards in developing directors make more effi cient use of information the University of BC this past June after 36 years economies. on future performance to set compensation for of extraordinary service. Serena Wu, entering her fi fth year in our program, executives. She has also found that smaller boards Dr. Ronald Dye of Northwestern University’s is studying DtheAP? effectBEYOND ofNU McorporateBERS?NOV governancePDF on use information 0- more effi ciently, and that fi rms Kellogg School of Management once described Jerry as both “a fox and a hedgehog” in terms of his research—a fox, roving from one topic to another, covering a wide array of interesting re- search questions but never spending much time in any single area; a hedgehog, slow and me- thodical, delving deeply into each topic. He was right—Jerry had the rare distinction of being both broad and deep in his inquiries. Fittingly, he received numerous awards for his efforts. Jerry and his wife June now live in Victoria, where they are enjoying more time with their daughters and their daughters’ families. I had the good fortune to work with Jerry over the last eight years, gleaning valuable insights from his decades of experience. I must thank him for recruiting me to UBC and to Vancouver—if not for Jerry, I would not be working at this great institution and living in this wonderful city.
Kin Lo, CA, Ph.D., holds the CA Professorship in Accounting in the Sauder School of Business at UBC. The CA Professorship is funded by the CA Education Foundation of BC. Send your questions on accounting research to Kin at kin.lo@sauder. ubc.ca.
6 ica.bc.ca Sept. ’07 Care to join us?
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“You can’t be in the service industry without being interested in people. The CA profession is a ‘people business.’”
8 ica.bc.ca Sept. ’07 here are two important things we didn’t and his maternal grandfather was the founder of of eight members and two spares, all UBC grads really discuss,” John Larsen tells me the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and the and alumni, competed in the 1964 Tokyo Games. Tover the phone the day after our face-to- Ottawa Philharmonic Orchestra. John’s mother John’s team of eight placed out of the medals, while face interview. “Teamwork and integrity.” Elsje was a concert pianist as a teenager, and the two spare members—Dr. Roger Jackson, “We didn’t?” I think to myself, remembering later founded the Vancouver Music School. OC,1 and John’s long-time friend George Hun- our conversation of the previous day. He’s right, “My mother’s real gift,” John says, “was for gerford, OC, QC—competed as a pair and won in a way. Although the concepts of teamwork taking projects and making them a reality.” Canada’s fi rst-ever gold medal in their event. and integrity had underscored our entire conver- A passionate volunteer throughout her life, Ready for his next experience once the Olympics sation, we hadn’t discussed them explicitly. Elsje was recognized with the Order of Canada were over, John headed to Montreal, where I get my pen ready. for her various contributions to the community. he’d secured a position with Wood Gundy. The “My experience in sports taught me the impor- For these same efforts, a point of land near experience was educational. tance of teamwork,” he says, “and this awareness Vancouver’s Maritime Museum was named “Elsje “I realized pretty quickly that I didn’t want to translated directly into my professional life. In Point” in her honour. pursue a sales career in the investment business,” both sports and business, you have to work as a The academics came from his father’s side of the John says. “I was more interested in research.” team to agree on goals and meet expectations. family. Though his father Jack worked primarily A trip to the company’s offi ce in Toronto soon “We don’t work in isolation—certainly not in in the forest industry, his paternal grandfather revealed, however, that opportunities in invest- the audit fi eld,” he adds. “Teamwork is key, both was a scholar of English literature and taught at ment research were extremely limited. with colleagues and clients. It’s like rowing—you the University of BC, and one of his uncles “At that time,” John recalls, “there were only can’t fake it in a shell. Everybody has to give served as headmaster of Shawnigan Lake School, three people employed in research for all of 100%.” where John was a student. Wood Gundy.” His background in sports, he tells me, is one of While the regimented atmosphere of private It was 1965, and John was at a crossroads. The the reasons he has found the CA profession to be school didn’t appeal to him—“I never liked the death of his father later that same year catalysed a great fi t. Another is the profession’s emphasis hierarchy,” he says—it was at Shawnigan that his decision to return to Vancouver. on ethical behaviour. John discovered a passion for sports. In addition to “He was only 53,” John recounts. “I was 22 at “I’ve always tried to conduct myself with integ- playing A-class squash, he participated in a variety the time, and my sister was just eight. I felt a big rity,” he says. “I’ve always believed in the of team sports, including rugby and rowing. sense of responsibility. I fi gured it was time to importance of taking a principled approach. He continued to participate in sports while get more serious about my life.” That’s why I’m so enthusiastic about the profes- attending the University of BC, where he majored John’s return home also reunited him with the sion—especially today.” in math, minored in political science, and took woman he describes as “the love of his life,” his courses ranging from art history to philosophy. future wife Gay. That said, becoming an accountant was not His participation on the UBC rowing team, With IBM being the word on the street, John something John ever envisioned for himself which trained under the auspices of the Vancouver applied for a job as one of its systems engineers. growing up. Rowing Club, led to a once-in-a-lifetime oppor- Though his interview went well, he was ultimately A third-generation Vancouverite, he was born tunity during his graduating year: the chance to told that IBM wasn’t the place for him. into a family of musicians and academics. On his try out for the Olympics. “It was true, I guess,” John muses. “I’m not a mother’s side were direct descendants of German After qualifying at the Olympic trials, the team conformist, at that time, IBM had a very staid composer and conductor Felix Mendelssohn. His maternal grandmother was a singing teacher, 1 Jackson and Hungerford were both named Offi cers of the Order of Canada (OC) in 1984.
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Sept ’07 ica.bc.ca 9 corporate culture—strictly grey suits and white shirts.” He decided it was time to get more education to improve his career prospects. Accounting wasn’t the immediate choice. “I’d taken an accounting course in university, and just hated it,” John explains with a laugh. “I remember telling people: ‘I will never go into accounting. Double-entry bookkeeping is so boring!” After some friends in the CA profession (including his future brother-in-law, Tom Sharp) dispelled some myths about the accounting profession, however, John set his eyes on the CA designation. He met with several fi rms, received four offers, and began articling with McDonald Currie. “I fl oundered a bit for a while, because courses were only available in the spring and summer back then,” John remembers, “but within the fi rst few months, I’d met and worked with some great people, including partners at the fi rm.” John was so enthused about his new career path that he took every opportunity to spread the word, convincing his friends Robin Elliott, FCA, and Harold Robertson, CA, to join McDonald Currie as well. The following spring, all three friends began taking basic accounting courses. John credits his instructor Bob Gayton, FCA, with having taught him “a practical perspective of accounting.” He was enjoying his articling experience, but it wasn’t without obstacles. “After my fi rst year, I had to write an intermediate exam, which was essentially a mini-UFE,” John recounts. “I didn’t pass, which was a disappointment. Thankfully, however, they discontinued the exam that same year!” One more setback lay ahead however. When he wrote his fi nal exams the following year, John passed the accounting portion, but failed the auditing portion. It was another disappointment, but John was determined to succeed. “I’m sympathetic to students who fail the UFE,” he says. “It was a shock to fail the auditing portion of the exam, but I was fortunate to have a lot of support from my fi rm’s partners. I knew that I just had to buckle down.” After passing the auditing portion on his second attempt, John became a CA in 1970, by which time he was already working as a supervisor at his fi rm.
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