developing opportunities + - CGA Online Learning Environment

C E R T I F I E D G E N E R A L A C C O U N T A N T S O F O N T A R I OJune/July 2011Volume 40, Number ThreeDEVELOPINGOPPORTUNITIESCGAs ON PURSUING CAREERSIN DEVELOPING COUNTRIESAND EMERGING ECONOMIESA PROFILE OF THE CFOOF THE CANADIANHEARING SOCIETY+SPHERE OF INFLUENCE:USING SOCIAL MEDIA TO WINTHE WAR FOR TALENT

STATEMENTSThe LedgerJune/July 2011456CAs, CMAs Enter Exploratory Merger TalksPublic Sector Day in Ottawa2010-11 CGA Ontario Award RecipientsCGA Canada and CAMLI PartnershipCGA Ontario Accounting Case CompetitionLetters to the Editor, Notes222325Columns‘NET ASSETS Doing Business AbroadTECH TALK Computing Clouds GatheringTHE PUBLIC SECTOR Leadership and Team Building7712182426FeaturesDEVELOPING OPPORTUNITIESCGAs On Pursuing Careers inDeveloping Countries and Emerging EconomiesSTEPHANUS GREEFF, CGACFO & VP, Finance, Canadian Hearing SocietySPHERE OF INFLUENCEUsing Social Media to Win the War for TalentNOTES TO STATEMENTSDiscipline NoticesNOTES TO STATEMENTSNews & Newsmakers12A profile of the chief financial officer andvice-president, finance, of the CanadianHearing Society: Stephanus Greeff, CGAPublished bimonthly by the CertifiedGeneral Accountants of Ontario.Contents may not be reprintedwithout permission from the editor.The views expressed in articles andcolumns are not necessarily thoseof Statements or CGA Ontario.Letters to the Editor should beaddressed to Statements, in careof CGA Ontario, by email toeditor@cga-ontario.org, by faxto 416-322-5594, or bymail to CGA Ontario.Statements is printed on 10per cent recycled paper.Publications Mail AgreementNo. 40006733.Return undeliverableCanadian addresses to:Circulation Dept.,330-123 Main Street,Toronto ON M5W 1A1.EditorColin Elliscellis@cga-ontario.orgAssociate EditorChristopher Stephensoncstephenson@cga-ontario.orgGraphic DesignerTim Chautchau@cga-ontario.orgCGA Ontario240 Eglinton Avenue EastToronto ON M4P 1K8Telephone: 416-322-6520or Toll-free: 1-800-668-1454Fax: 416-322-5594Website: cga-ontario.orgLAST ISSUERead “Licensed PublicAccountants” in theApril/May 2011 issueof Statements, onlinein the publications sectionat cga-ontario.org.JUNE/JULY 2011 STATEMENTS 3

DEVELOPINGOPPORTUNITIESCareers ▪ FEATUREBY JEFFBUCKSTEIN,CGACGAs ON PURSUINGCAREERS IN DEVELOPINGCOUNTRIES AND EMERGINGECONOMIESGlen Schmidt, FCGA, has worked inmore foreign countries than he canremember. Vietnam for one year.Cambodia for two. Three yearsin the Caribbean, includingTrinidad and Tobago, Dominica,Barbados, SaintKitts and Nevis, SaintVincent and the Grenadines,and “one or twocountries that I justcan’t recall off the topof my head.”The president ofGTS Seminars, Schmidt’s workas a consultant to the InternationalMonetary Fund makeshim one of the many CGAs whohave pursued opportunitiesabroad in developing countriesand emerging economies.The group can be divided intothree categories: CGAs recruited ortransferred to work overseas; CGAsapplying their skills on behalf ofhumanitarian organizations; andCGAs who have returned to theirbirthplace for business or personalreasons.Whether they’re working inMalawi, Mauritius or Moscow,CGAs who have chosen to workabroad have some good adviceon developing opportunities inemerging economies.JUNE/JULY 2011 STATEMENTS 7

CGAs Working OverseasThere are more than 75,000 CGAs and studentsin the CGA program of professional studiesaround the world. Members of CGA Ontario aloneare currently working in more than 50 countries:AntiguaArubaArgentinaAustraliaAustriaBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelgiumBelizeCayman IslandsEgyptEnglandEthiopiaFederated Statesof MicronesiaFranceGermanyGibraltarGreeceGuyanaHong KongIndiaIrelandIsraelItalyKazakhstanKenyaKuwaitLuxembourgMalawiMauritiusMexicoMoroccoNetherlandsNew ZealandOmanPakistanPolandPortugalQatarRomaniaRussiaSaint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaudi ArabiaSerbia and MontenegroSingaporeSouth KoreaSwitzerlandTaiwanTajikistanThailandTrinidad and TobagoTurks and Caicos IslandsUnited Arab EmiratesUnited KingdomVietnamA ROAD LESS TRAVELLEDThe opportunity to take a roadless travelled typically begins witha transfer or recruitment.Certified General AccountantJohn Saunders has worked for thepast two years in Atyrau, Kazakhstan,on assignment with AkerSolutions, an international engineeringand construction company.A graduate of the RichardIvey School of Business, Saundersproudly asserts that “Canadiansare looked upon as good ‘internationalists.’It has something todo with our Canadian personality,which allows us to get along wellin multicultural situations.”Certified General AccountantPeter Morley, however, began hisjourney by replying to an employmentadvertisement in an overseasnewspaper. A native of theUnited Kingdom who worked inCanada for many years, Morleymoved to Malawi, in southeastAfrica, in 1996, to become financemanager of a European-ownedfreight forwarding company, forwhom he still works in the Malawiancity of Blantyre.“I have always liked travellingand seeing new places,” explainsMorley. “Despite wanting to workin a developing country it was alwaysdifficult to get a position, sowhen I finally got the job in MalawiI was delighted.”Morley is a member of theAssociation of Chartered CertifiedAccountants, with whom CGACanada has a Mutual RecognitionAgreement (MRA), providing aroute for the members of either associationto pursue membershipin the other accountancy body.Morley says that most Africansstudy for the U.K. ACCAexaminations, so the ACCA designationis widely recognized inAfrica, an example of how CGACanada’s mutual recognitionagreements can provide CGAswith opportunities for internationalmobility. (Note: CGA Canadaalso has MRAs with CPA Ireland,CPA Australia and the Ordre desExperts-Comptables de France.)One key step to developingopportunities is to talk to a specializedrecruiter. Robert Half International,for example, recruitsaccountants worldwide and hasestablished a website, www.financejobsabroad.com, thatposts overseas positions as wellas information about life in othercountries.Mike Gooley, regional vicepresidentof Robert Half CanadaInc. in Toronto, has a suggestionfor accounting professionalswho wish to work in emergingeconomies.“Let’s say they want to [workin] one of the large cities in India.They can go on vacation and meetwith recruiting firms while they’rethere. For those that already havea CGA designation,” says Gooley,“it’s going to be a foot in the door.”INTERNATIONALCONSULTANCYCertified General Accountant EtienneNzolang Fondjo is a nativeof Cameroon who is currently aconsultant with the Canadian InternationalDevelopment Agency(CIDA). Fondjo says it’s far easierto apply one’s skills as a CGA onbehalf of an international organizationthan it is to open a practicein a foreign country.“If you go overseas through anagreement with an international8 STATEMENTS JUNE/JULY 2011

organization or foreign government,”says Fondjo, “it’s very differentthan setting up your own officein that country.” For example,“if you move to Cameroon to setup your own public practice, youhave to register with both thegovernment and the professionalaccounting association there.”That doesn’t mean that an internationalconsultancy career iseasy to pursue. “It’s pretty difficultto plan a career overseas as aninternational development consultant,”cautions Diane Begin,the president and chief executiveofficer of Human ResourcesStrategic Business (HRSB) ConceptsInc., in Ottawa. HRSB offershuman resources, organizationaland strategic developmentassistance to public sector organizationsin Canada and abroad.Begin lists five resources tocontact for international consultancyopportunities. “The Governmentof Canada. Governmentdepartments from other countries,like the U.K. Government’sDepartment for International Development.International developmentagencies like the United NationsDevelopment Programme.Non-governmental organizations.And consulting firms that specializein international developmentwork.”Glen Schmidt readily admitsthat he was recruited throughgovernment contacts to work forthe International Monetary Fund.“Because of my background ingovernment, education and publicaccounting, I was recruited byformer colleagues in the government,”Schmidt explains, “but itwas something that came out ofthe blue.”Schmidt’s experience inadvertentlysuggests another way todevelop opportunities: pursuingor refining one’s skills in an areaof accounting and finance thatmatters in the developing world.Such areas as microfinance,fraud prevention and humanitarianinvestment come to mindas particularly applicable in thecontext of developing countriesand emerging economies.Glen Schmidt’s work as aconsultant varied from countryto country but could generally bedescribed as tax modernizationand reform. “The bulk of it wasreally training,” says Schmidt.“In Vietnam I trained the seniorrepresentatives of about a hundreddifferent tax offices. It was avery detailed training program insuch things as self-assessment,auditing and accounting skills,the appeals program and datawarehousing concepts.”Schmidt has some advicefor CGAs who wish to pursueoverseas opportunities. “If you’relooking for posted ads I would goto international business magazineslike The Economist. Also,the larger public accounting firmshave international branches, andI would go to their internationalwebsites, as well as their domesticones, to look for internationalopportunities.”Schmidt strongly suggestscontacting non-governmental andcharitable organizations. “Don’tforget to contact organizationssuch as the Red Cross that areoperating in countries you’re interestedin.” While Schmidt’s adviceapplies to paid consultancy work,it also applies to CGAs who are interestedin humanitarian projects.THE REWARDS OFHUMANITARIAN WORKAnother road less travelled — but apotentially rewarding opportunity— is to apply one’s skills towardsthe betterment of a developingcountry.Joyce Evans, FCGA, is thedeputy treasurer/director of revenuefor the City of Kitchener. In2004, during Canada’s responseto the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami,Evans travelled to Sri Lankaon a number of occasions to assistand modernize the financedepartments of two Sri Lankanmunicipalities.“The Federation of CanadianMunicipalities sent an email thatsaid they were looking for peoplewith financial expertise to help outin Sri Lanka,” recounts Evans. “Iput my resumé in and I was luckyenough to be selected.” It was afascinating experience. “They hadno computers,” says Evans. “Everythingwas paper-based. Theywere following legislation to theletter that went back to the 1930swhen they first became a country.”Evans points out that this initiativewas a collaborative effort.“The Sri Lankans and Canadiansworked together. This was not ustelling them what to do. It was anopportunity for both parties tomodernize accounting practices.”The number of CGAs whohave travelled to foreign countrieson behalf of humanitarian organizationslike World Vision Canadaand UNICEF, or church-relatedgroups such as the internationalMennonite Economic DevelopmentAssociates, is too numerousto mention.Evans’ advice for her fellowCGAs is twofold: develop your contactsand be prepared. “There’salways somebody who knowssomebody else, so start the processnow by networking. But beprepared to answer the call whenit arrives, and that requires someflexibility in your professional life.”Evans also advises CGAs tolearn about the culture of theOverseasEmploymenta BalancingActThose planning a longtermmove overseasneed to be aware ofthe special careerchallenges they mightencounter.For example, “ifyou’re spending 100per cent of your timeoverseas you will likelydisconnect from workpossibilities herein Canada,” warnsDiane Begin, of HRSBConcepts. “It is achallenge to keep bothnetworks alive and well.Your business baselinein your home countryis probably going todiminish over time ifmost of your work isabroad,” she adds.“If you’re workingin a developing country,you have a responsibilityto keep your professionalknowledge and competenciesup to date.“There may be aday where you’ll need tocome back to Canada,and [so] it is veryimportant that you keepyour skill set sharp,”stresses Ms. Begin, whonotes that electroniccommunications andsocial media, includingonline collaborative toolssuch as Skype can assistin that regard.JUNE/JULY 2011 STATEMENTS 9

country they are travelling to before theygo. She calls her experience in Sri Lanka“the most fulfilling thing I’ve ever donewith my skill set as an accountant andadministrator.“As accountants we know we make adifference but we don’t always see it. InSri Lanka I was able to lend my skills andreceive so much back in return.”COMING HOMEFamily circumstances were behind YacoobIsmail’s decision to return to his nativeMauritius, an Indian Ocean island just eastof Madagascar. He had spent nearly a decadein Toronto, attaining his CGA designationand becoming regional controller of alarge property management firm.Ismail now works for a Mauritian outsourcingengineering firm as their groupfinance and administration manager; healso runs his own offshore outsourcingcompany offering bilingual back office accountingservices to Canadian companies.“For expats and returning residents,”says Ismail, “there are a lot of professionalopportunities in the private sector, especiallyon the compensation side. In Mauritius,a management role usually comeswith benefits such as a company car andairline tickets. Being an expat, you mayalso be entitled to an accommodationallowance.”Certified General Accountant IrinaSafonova is currently working in one of thebooming emerging economies known collectivelyas BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India andChina). She is the Moscow-based businessdevelopment director at HOCK training,which provides courses to professional accountantsand also has offices in Belarus,Kazakhstan and the Ukraine.Safonova points out that many Russianfirms do not necessarily require theiraccountants to be certified. However, Russianfirms listed on foreign exchanges andpreparing financial statements based oninternational financial reporting standards,or U.S. generally accepted accounting principles,as well as multinational companiesbased in Russia, will require an overseascertification.Safonova is a fellow of the ACCA andsays, “Canadian accounting designationsare less well known in Russia [than theACCA].” Nevertheless, in many countries,a CGA designation can prove to be a significantbargaining tool, says Carmen Jacques,CGA, who was born and raised in India.Jacques is a business developmentmanager with CGA Ontario who works extensivelywith internationally educated professionals.If, for whatever reason, a CGAchooses to return to his or her country oforigin, that CGA typically has a network offamily and friends they can draw upon.“Their CGA designation is seen as astandard of excellence and professionalismin all aspects of finance and businessmanagement,” she says. “Their professionalstatus will be recognized and willhelp them in interviews with prospectiveemployers.”Diane Begin of HRSB Concepts pointsto the opportunities available to internationallyeducated professionals who haveachieved professional status in developednations like Canada.“Most governments in developingcountries have a very tight-knit associationwith their diaspora,” she explains. “Oftenthey have programs for citizens that wishto return and start a business. They alsooffer fairly good employment opportunities.Returning citizens are often assignedto leadership positions where their skillsand competencies are put into practiceimmediately.”LIFE IN A DEVELOPINGCOUNTRYThe level of compensation enjoyed by foreignprofessionals in developing countriesvaries by country and position, but CGAsliving abroad tend to report a lower costof living and taxation than that of Canada.Yacoob Ismail says that, while salariesfor some accounting positions may belower in Mauritius than in Canada, thereare other compensating benefits, such asa flat tax rate of 15 per cent and a lowercost of living in one of the top tourist destinationsin the world.Peter Morley says expatriate salaries inMalawi depend on the firm one is workingfor, but should be much better than thesalary of an equivalent position in Canada.Morley adds that the top tax rate in Malawiis only 30 per cent; furthermore, expats areusually provided a house with full utilities,security guards and house staff, along withan automobile, fuel costs, air fare for tripsback home, a medical policy, and privateschool fees for children.Mike Gooley of Robert Half Canadastrikes a cautionary note. “I would suggest[that] anybody wanting to make themove get in touch with the embassy of thecountry,” he says. “Make sure you understandthe local taxation, compensation,standard of living, schools, etc. There isa whole list of things to consider in orderfor someone to have a good sense of whatthey’re getting into.”There are also many personal, lifestyleimplications associated with a move to adeveloping country that need to be carefullyconsidered. This is especially so where aspouse and children are involved, as factorssuch as personal safety, schools, andstandard of living could very well play amuch bigger role in the decision to relocate.Morley, however, sees these points aspositives. “I think it is easier to be an expatwhen you have children at school as youmeet a lot more people as a result. Somespouses work but it is necessary to obtainwork permits. It is easiest for spouseswho are teachers as there are always jobsavailable.”There are clear cultural differencesassociated with living in a country like Malawi,but English is widely spoken and isthe language for business. Morley notes,“People are very friendly. There is crime,but it is much better than in other parts ofAfrica. During the day time it is very safeto walk around.”Yacoob Ismail notes some of the challengesof developing countries like Mauritius.“Comfort and health care are definitelyissues you need to adapt to; you need toaccept the fact that basic things can be aluxury here,” he says. Expatriates, however,would be entitled to certain luxuries, suchas private hospital care with excellent servicespaid for by their company, he says.Like other accountants who haveworked in Canada as well as overseas, Ismailhas noticed some stark differencesin the professional responsibilities ofworking overseas. “Here, accountants areexpected to be more involved in the overalloperations, including payroll, information10 STATEMENTS JUNE/JULY 2011

technology, administration and overallstrategy.”Peter Morley concurs. “Job-wise it isnecessary to be far more ‘hands on’ inAfrica. When one does delegate it oftenrequires a lot of followup to ensure thattasks have been properly done.”Morley is frank about his professionalchallenges. “The amount of paper work thatgoes across my desk is horrendous,” hesays, “because it is essential to approveand tightly control everything. Fraud is areal problem and there is usually extensivecollusion to bypass controls.”SHOCKING, FASCINATING,REWARDINGGlenn Schmidt’s work with the InternationalMonetary Fund sent him exclusivelyto what the United Nations classified as“least developed” or “developing” countries.Schmidt doesn’t mince words whencalling the poverty and standard of livingof those countries “shocking.”He points out that at the time of hiswork in Cambodia, the average annual percapita income was US$227.Yet he was fascinated by the cultureand people of the countries he workedin. “The thirst for knowledge was unbelievable,”he says with clear admirationin his voice. “The people appreciated ourprofessional knowledge and they wantedto use that knowledge to continue to developtheir country and government.”Like many CGAs who have devotedtheir time and skills to the betterment ofdeveloping countries and emerging economies,Schmidt points to the importance ofhis designation in pursuing opportunitiesabroad. “The CGA designation was thedoor opener,” he says. “It provided thechance to work in countries where everyday brought a new challenge.”So how would he describe the overallexperience?“Extremely rewarding,” he saysproudly.Jeff Buckstein, CGA, is an Ottawabasedfreelance business writer.With files from the staff of CGA Ontario.10TIPSFOR PURSUING OPPORTUNITIESOVERSEASThe simplest and most common way for accountingprofessionals to work abroad is to be transferred byone’s organization, whether private or public. But ifthis is not possible, here are 10 tried and true tipsto pursuing opportunities overseas:1. Contact a recruiting firm that specializes inoverseas employment.2. Contact government departments whosemandates are related to foreign affairs.3. Contact non-governmental and charitableorganizations.4. Contact consulting firms that specialize in overseaswork.5. Read the employment ads of internationalmagazines and newspapers.6. Talk with recruiters and potential employerswhile on vacation in foreign countries.7. Develop your international contacts by attendingconferences and humanitarianevents, especially with an internationalaspect.8. Volunteer for a humanitarian or church organizationthat does charitable work overseas.9. Network with friends and family contactsoverseas.10. Raise your profile internationally through socialmedia such as LinkedIn and Facebook.Finally, be prepared to take advantage of opportunitieswhen they arrive. Try to cultivate someflexibility in your professional life. Learn the languageand culture of a region where you’d liketo work. Plan your vacations with an eye towardsemployment overseas.And take advantage of CGA Canada’s mutualrecognition agreements with the ACCA, CPAIreland, CPA Australia and the Ordre des Experts-Comptables de France.JUNE/JULY 2011 STATEMENTS 11

Left: Stephanus Greeff, CGA,communicates in sign language withfinancial analyst Markos Markou.Right: Members of the finance teamat the Canadian Hearing Society.From left to right, Markos Markou; KimberleeFernandez; Bineet Lathia; Stephanus Greeff,CGA; Faye Wang; and Marjeta Gjika.advice and guidance on resumé development and employment.Instead, it was the brother of a good friend — who was working inToronto as a financial broker at a well-known bank — that encouragedGreeff to look into the CGA program of professional studies.Months later, a recruiting firm invited Greeff to an interviewfor some local contract work. The firm simply provided him withthe name of an HR contact, a business address and a scheduledinterview time. Keen on finding work, he didn’t ask any questions,and much to his surprise the job was with CHS.“My whole life I’ve been volunteering for organizations likethis,” says Greeff proudly. “They support a subject matter closeto my heart, something I feel great passion for.”THE ADVANTAGES OF ONLINE LEARNINGGreeff entered the CGA program of professional studies in 2002.He speaks highly of the experience. “I liked the online delivery ofthe CGA program,” he says. “I didn’t have to go to classes [andlip read] or work with interpreters or any of that kind of thing.I could study at my own pace. It was the right program for me.”He compares the program favourably to the universityexperience. “Unlike university,” he explains, “where you have tomeet in person to do group work, in the CGA program you can connectonline with fellow students and discuss reports, homeworkor a course — and the information is black and white. It’s on yourcomputer screen. I can follow, I can respond, I can participate asI choose to. The program made life so much easier for me.”Greeff pauses to make a point. “That said, you still have toput in the hours and dedicate yourself to succeeding. But theprogram fit my needs, my career aspirations and my passion forthe not-for-profit sector.”In Canada, the U.S. and some European countries, universitieswill provide interpreters to Deaf and hard of hearing students,but when Stephanus was in South Africa there was no such service.“If you attended class,” he explains, “you had to lip read. InSouth Africa, interpreting wasn’t an option.”The flexibility of the program is one reason why he championsit to people with hearing loss. “When I speak to potentialstudents,” he says, “I talk about the online learning environment(OLE) and the fact that you don’t need an interpreter to networkwith peers or talk about homework. The OLE is a wonderful tool.You can access it from anywhere through the Internet.”JUNE/JULY 2011 STATEMENTS 15

FEATURE ▪ Human ResourcesSPHERE OFINFLUENCEUsing social media to winthe war for talentBy Lesley Young, HR Professional MagazineMost hiring firms will review a candidate’s social mediapresence as part of the vetting process, with 38 per centindicating they always search for applicants’ social networkingprofiles, and 32 per cent doing so only sometimes, accordingto a 2010 Jobvite Social Recruiting Survey.Jennifer Ricci, director of human resources at wirelessstartup Mobilicity, experienced first hand the value of socialmedia in recruiting. “I was approached and interviewed formy current job based solely on my LinkedIn profile. I didn’tbring my resumé to the interview, and they didn’t ask to see one.”Since then (October 2009), Ricci’s hired 75 per cent of Mobilicity’sworkforce from scratch, either through social media postingsand viral referrals or unsolicited enquiries about positionsthat come through LinkedIn and Twitter (now that she’s hiring forretail stores, she’s developing a Facebook career page).Mobilicity’s hiring approach is a textbook example of howsocial networking is changing the recruiting landscape. The daysof relying on passive job postings, recruiting in silos and hummingand hawing over paper resumés, for that matter, will soonbe over. Social media channels like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitterand YouTube offer new, much quicker, more efficient pipelines toa far greater range of potential candidates.For now, experts advise that social media be an add-on torecruitment strategies. “Social recruiting will never replace face-tofaceconnections,” says Anita Sampson Binder, director of recruitingat Compass Group Canada, which fills hundreds of positions everyyear for the foodservice industry in Canada.Instead, social media is another layer to help you find, engageand build a relationship with prospects before the interviewstage. The key, say experienced HR professionals, is to leveragethe new online recruiting vehicles in the best way possible — suchas through staying abreast of new technology, using well-thoughtout strategies to source, build and manage an online pool of talentand engaging prospects with employer branding.Haven’t started yet? Begin slowly with one or two of the bigsocial media sites (see “The Big Four,” on page 21). “The mostimportant thing you need is a strategic plan to manage the actualnetworking that will occur over the channels,” adds MichaelMahoney, senior marketing co-ordinator at Drake International, atalent management solution provider in Toronto. But whatever youdo, don’t hesitate.“Now is the time to get onboard while everyone is still learningand there isn’t a strong legal presence,” says Mahoney. “Wait anotherthree or four years, and mistakes will be a lot more public.”18 STATEMENTS JUNE/JULY 2011

How can Social Media Impact yourRecruitment Strategy?1.You’ll find qualified leads faster than ever.Don’t believe it? Ricci, who is also the president of Canadian Association of Career Educatorsand Employers, says that she recently found four super-qualified, senior-levelcandidates in less than three hours simply by having employees mention a job postingthrough their own, personal Facebook updates. Ricci points out that her target market,telecommunication professionals, is already tech savvy.In other words, her talent pool is deeply entrenched and “connected” through socialmedia. Other industries, for example, a large automotive manufacturer, may not enjoysuch spectacular results.“What we cansay is… socialmedia is a moreeffective way tofind specializedtalent.”CAVEATYour social recruiting success will varydepending on the industry you are in,the markets you’re searching (smallercities like Edmonton don’t work as wellfor Ricci, for example) and on your skilland strategy, according to Mahoney, whocautions HR professionals not to abandontheir current recruiting strategies.It can take a long time to build up adecent following on sites like Twitter, fyi.“We don’t know how social media is goingto fit in the long term,” he says. “What wecan say is that for smaller organizations,social media is a more effective way tofind specialized talent. And for larger organizations,it allows them to get a largermessage out to a wider variety of candidatesin a faster way.”2.You’ll have more control over your recruiting.Sampson Binder, who manages a team of national recruiters, says that social media hasenabled her department to shift from a post-and-pray mentality to a hunting mentality. Likeany good hunter, you have to employ strategy, she adds. Sampson Binder is referring tokeyword searches that net good leads; finding niche-based social media sites to haul upa solid connection; and targeting competitor social media sites, to name but a few tactics.“…understandsearchoptimizationand find outwhere your keyinfluencers are.”CAVEAT“You have to be active with social media,”say Mahoney. “You need to know keywords,understand search optimizationand find out where your key influencersare.” You also need to research and investigatethe latest relevant software andtechnology applications, says Mahoney.Many of the lead nurturing and search optimizationtools in marketing can be usedfor social recruiting, he adds. SampsonBinder recently created a new role in herdepartment so one person is dedicatedto researching and presenting new socialrecruiting technology as well as strategiesto the team.JUNE/JULY 2011 STATEMENTS 19

3.You’ll create a pool of talent you can tap into later.Sampson Binder says one of the greatest advantages of social media is the ability to createrelationships with talent prospects using email and tweets. “We might not always have aposition open, but there might be a good fit down the road. I call it ‘keeping them warm.’”“It’s notnecessary tohire one personto handlesocial mediacommunications.”CAVEATRicci says the volume of social media interactionsMobilicity receives is enormous.“There’s a lot of relationship managementrequired. The emails come in andit’s difficult for us to track.” Ricci is concernedabout leaving potential candidateshanging, or worse, establishing a badcompany impression early in the recruitmentprocess.“It’s not necessary to hire one personto handle social media communications,”says Harpaul Sambhi, CEO of socialnetworking recruiting consultancy Careerifyand author of Social HR — A ParadigmShift: Looking at Social Media andHow it is Affecting the Entire Disciplineof Human Resources (Thomson-Reuters,2010).“You can create designated resourcesacross the entire HR function.Each recruiter can be asked to take 10minutes every day to check Facebook andLinkedIn, add updates and respond toquestions.”4.You’ll have more control over your employer brand.YouTube is an exceptional tool for posting videos that promote your employer brand image,says Mahoney (although don’t put up anything too glossy. Generation Y is all about authenticity,he adds). You can post videos on Facebook career pages and link them betweenTwitter and your corporate website, too.Ernst & Young is a leader in leveraging social media for brand communications,especially in campus recruiting (it hires about 500 students across Canada every year).“For the campus recruiting side, social media is more about branding and communicationthan searching for candidates,” says Nancy Woo, Ernst & Young’s campus recruiting leadfor Canada, which is why they have no intention of cutting back their career fair presencejust yet.“Our Facebook career page is like a career fair, a 24/7 one that’s as relevant andengaging to our target market of 20-somethings.” This year, E&Y took its brand messaginga step deeper by asking a first-year staffer to tweet what it’s like to work at Ernst &Young (she is based in the U.S., but anyone can follow her). The goal is to give prospectsa genuine, realistic view of what it’s like to work at E&Y.“You shouldn’terase negativecommentsbecause that canhave a negativeeffect on yourbrand.”CAVEATSocial media enables a level of transparencyinto your organization and about yourorganization that’s never existed before.Just as employees can be your best recruitersby tweeting positive, they can beyour worst enemies by posting negative.According to Mahoney, you can’tand shouldn’t erase negative kinds ofcomments because that can have a worseeffect on your brand. You need to expectsome negativity, but use those as insightsinto where you need to improve. Optingnot to have any presence in the socialmedia realm renders you completely helplessto counter any negativity.20 STATEMENTS JUNE/JULY 2011

5.You’ll have more validation in yourdecision-making.While Ricci still conducts intense screening and backgroundchecks on possible hires, she loves the extra layer of prospect validationthat comes with sourcing candidates through social media.“There’s a pretty strong indicator when you look in theirnetwork and they are connected to five of your top performers,”she says.“Consult legaland form apublic policy...that clearlystates measuresbeing takento ensure adiscriminationfreehiringprocess.”Money SavedCAVEATBecause social media is a newtool, there are legal issues thatemployers need to consider,says Sambhi. Thanks to socialmedia, it is now possible toview a person’s picture, guesstheir age, ethnicity, which takeinto account other factors (e.g.,what they did last night) thatcould lead to a human rightscomplaint.There’s little legal precedentin this area, and for now,experts including Mahoney, adviseHR professionals to consultlegal and form a public policy,posted on all social media sites,that clearly states measuresbeing taken to ensure a discrimination-freehiring process.“You’ve also got to deliveron that,” adds Mahoney. “Everystep possible should be takento train your recruiters to avoidbias in their screening.”There’s no doubt that social media can save money, although measuringsocial recruiting ROI is not yet fully possible. Mahoney says heknows with certainty that social media at Drake is more than payingfor itself. “It saves us a ton of money. But we are not quite at the samestage where we can say what the employer brand value is in everysingle Facebook posting.”Sambhi says that some clients at Careerify have trimmed up to$25,000 from their hiring budgets using social media. At Compass,Sampson Binder has measured the efficiency of social media: it hasshaved their hiring time down to 28 or 29 days from 45.Lesley Young is a freelance writer based in Newmarket, Ontario.This article has been reprinted with the permission of the HumanResources Professionals Association.THEBIGFOURIf you’re thinking about getting into social media, don’tbite off more than you can chew, says Michael Mahoney,senior marketing co-ordinator at Drake International, atalent management solution provider in Toronto. “If youcover these four — Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and You-Tube — you’ve got a pretty good base,” he says.From there, you can conduct searches for relevantniche social networks, adds Mahoney.LinkedIn: A professional networking site withabout 80 million users — currently the most popularrecruiting site for companies. Most users areprofessionals, seeking to expand their businessnetwork. While it hasn’t penetrated universitycampuses, a number of tools are in the works toappeal to students in the early stages of developingtheir careers.According to Harpaul Sambhi, CEO of Careerify,LinkedIn has grown from a professionalsocial network to a talent network. He says thatresearch shows 70 per cent of users are puretalent — the remaining 30 per cent are recruiters.Facebook: The largest personal social networksite with more than 500 million active users.The largest group of users is between 18 and 35and they all use the space differently. This is thesecond most popular site for recruiters. Note forrecruiters with an ageing workforce: the fastestgrowing user group is age 55-plus.Twitter: A social networking and microbloggingservice with about 175 million users. The typicalage of users is between 25 and 35.While Twitter is not currently popular withhigh school and university kids — since it hasbeen primarily about work-related content engagement— that will soon change as kids realizethey can follow stars like Justin Bieber (orcomplain about a bad job environment at TheGAP). This is the fastest growing site for companyrecruiters.YouTube: An online video community where twobillion videos are watched daily. Users vary widelyand are between the ages of 18 and 55. From arecruitment perspective, YouTube is essential formonitoring your employer brand (watch what employeesare saying about you) and for positioningyour employer brand (creating authentic, realisticvideos about what it’s like to work for you), saysMahoney.JUNE/JULY 2011 STATEMENTS 21

Grant Rowson, CGA ▪ TECH TALKAccounting for the Latest Trends in TechnologyComputing Clouds GatheringTurbulence between Google and Microsoft is a good sign for cloud computingill 2011 finally be the Year of Cloud Computing? If theturbulence between Google and Microsoft over FISMAcertification is any indication, there’s too much moneyat stake for cloud computing to stay grounded for much longer.The Problem with Cloud ComputingOver the years, cloud computing has had many names — ApplicationService Providers (ASP), Software as a Service (SaaS) — butthe basic concept has remained the same: transferring softwareand data from one’s own computer to a server located in anotherlocation and owned by someone else.To date, affordable public systems, like Google Apps, havelacked the security and application features demanded by corporateusers, while custom platforms, like Amazon’s Elastic ComputeCloud or Microsoft’s Azure, have required a prohibitive degree oftechnical knowledge to configure and connect.Meanwhile, corporate executives continue to say “I’m not goingto trust my privileged data to some system outside my control.”Now all that’s changing. All it took was some chest thumpingby two IT gorillas, some U.S. legislation that’s been on the bookssince 2002, and the promise of lucrative paydays to come.FISMA to the RescueThe U.S. Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002(FISMA) laid out the basic information technology requirements ofany network that supports sensitive information. FISMA is similarto the Control Objectives for Information and related Technology(COBIT) and the Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliance regulationsin that each is an attempt to address and eliminate concernsabout data protection.What does this have to do with cloud computing? Well, theannual information technology budget of the U.S. federal governmentis a reported US$78.5 billion. That’s a big honey jar.But if you’re an IT vendor, your products must be FISMAcompliantto be approved for use by the federal government andits departments. In other words, your paw must be approved beforeyou dip it in the honey jar. You can understand why technologyvendors both big and small tend to get a little testy when itcomes to issues of compliance.Google versus MicrosoftMicrosoft blasted Google earlier this year for making “misleading”claims about FISMA certification for Google Apps. Microsoft’sproblem with Google stemmed from Google’s announcement thatGoogle Apps for Government had received FISMA certification,when it was Google Apps Premier that received FISMA certification,not Google Apps for Government.Google argued it was all semantics. “Google Apps for Governmentis the same technology platform as Google Apps PremierEdition, not a separate system,” but the fight occurred againstthe backdrop of Microsoft’s pursuit of FISMA certification for acloud computing package called the Business Productivity OnlineSuite (BPOS), which Microsoft had designed specifically for federalgovernment users.The IT Goliath eventually received approval but the processhas taken so long that Microsoft is facing another certificationchallenge as it prepares to launch its successor to BPOS-Federal:Office 365.Microsoft Office 365Office 365 is a collection of cloud-based versions of Microsoftbusiness products such as Microsoft Office, Exchange, SharePoint,and Lync. Instead of paying licensing fees, users subscribe to theproducts and services they need.365 holds the promise of easy access to cloud computing forthe masses. You subscribe through the Microsoft home page anduse Microsoft’s familiar applications while working and storinginformation collaboratively. You can access your data from anywhereand on any device — PC, iPad, Android phone, BlackBerry— as long as you have a data plan and can tap into the Internet.No longer must you invest in file servers, storage drives andbackup tapes. Microsoft takes care of all that for you.Still worried about the privacy and confidentiality aspects ofyour data? If Office 365 passes FISMA, chances are the systemwill be far more secure than your own systems could ever be, especiallyfor small to medium-sized enterprises.And if you wondered why Microsoft would be willing to spendUS$8.5 billion for Skype, the video calling service, consider thepossibilities of embedded video and audio conferencing capabilitiesin Office 365. Suddenly cloud computing takes on a wholenew dimension.It’s your move, Google. Microsoft appears to have inventeda cloud computing product that combines sophisticated securitywith ease of access and use. For now, Google Apps looks like theDavid to Microsoft’s Goliath, but this David has billions in marketcapitalization to build a better slingshot. Their fight for marketshare will benefit us all.2011 may finally be the Year of Cloud Computing.Grant Rowson, CGA, is the administrative director of financialservices & information technology for the Dryden Regional HealthCentre. In addition to his CGA designation, Grant holds the certifiedinformation systems (CISA) designation.JUNE/JULY 2011 STATEMENTS 23

Notes to StatementsD I S C I P L I N E N O T I C E SPRACTICE OF THEPROFESSIONThe “Practice of the Profession”section of CGAOntario’s Code of EthicalPrinciples and Rules of Conduct(“the Code”) states that“Members shall act openlyand fairly towards others inthe practice of their profession.A firm shall be foundedand conducted upon a reputationfor professional excellence.”This section stipulatesthe conditions underwhich members may providepractice-related services tothe public. The Code canbe read in its entirety in the“Serving the Public” sectionof cga-ontario.org.Fung, StanleyStanley Ming Hong Fungof the City of Mississaugawas found in breach of Rule509.1, Misleading Nameof Firm or Style of Practice;Rule 514, Registration; Rule515, Practice InspectionRequirements; Rule 516, ProfessionalLiability Insurance;and Rule 601, Compliance,of the Code.Mr. Fung advertised andprovided professional servicesto the public thoughhe was not permitted to doso as he was not registeredin professional practice withthe Association.The following penaltieswere proposed and acceptedby Mr. Fung:1. A reprimand.2. Payment of a fine of$5,000.3. Payment of the sum of$3,947.24, representingthe costs of the PublicPractice Manual, CICAHandbook and professionalliability insurancethat should have beenpurchased for the years2009 and 2010.4. Suspension of membershipin the Associationfor a period of sixmonths.5. Return of CGA Ontarioand CGA Canada membershipcertificates tothe Association.6. Publication in Statementsand a localnewspaper.Goldhawk, AlbertAlbert Edward (Ted) Goldhawkof the City of Thorold wasfound in breach of Rule 102,Unlawful Activity; Rule 509.1,Misleading Name of Firm orStyle of Practice; Rule 514,Registration; Rule 515, PracticeInspection Requirements;Rule 516, Professional LiabilityInsurance; Rule 601, Compliance;and Rule 606(a), DetrimentalActions, of the Code.Mr. Goldhawk issued reviewengagement reports in2008 without a public accountinglicence, which isin violation of the Public AccountingAct, 2004. In addition,he advertised and providedprofessional services tothe public though he was notpermitted to do so as he wasnot registered in professionalpractice with the Association.The following penaltieswere proposed and acceptedby Mr. Goldhawk:1. A reprimand.2. Payment of a fine of$17,000.3. Payment of the sumof 9,240.64, representingthe costs of thePublic Practice Manual,CICA Handbook andprofessional liability insurancethat should havebeen purchased for theyears 2005 to present.4. Suspension of membershipin the Associationfor a period of threemonths.5. Return of CGA Ontarioand CGA Canada membershipcertificates tothe Association.6. Publication in Statementsand a localnewspaper.Vellani, Al-NoorAl-Noor Vellani of the Townof Mount Hope, Ontario,was found in breach of Rule102, Unlawful Activity; Rule514, Registration; Rule 515,Practice Inspection Requirements;Rule 516, ProfessionalLiability Insurance;Rule 601, Compliance; andRule 606(a), Detrimental Actions,of the Code.Mr. Vellani issued areview engagement reportwithout a public accountinglicence, which is in violationof the Public Accounting Act,2004. In addition, he providedprofessional servicesto the public though he wasnot permitted to do so as hewas not registered in professionalpractice with the Association.The ProfessionalConduct Tribunal ordered thefollowing penalties:1. Expulsion from theAssociation.2. Payment of a fine of$10,000 and costs of$3,500 as a contributiontowards the Association’scosts of the hearing.3. Payment of the sum of$6,347.51, representingthe costs of the PublicPractice Manual, CICAHandbook and professionalliability insurancethat should have beenpurchased for the years2007 to 2010.4. Publication in Statementsand a local newspaper.Zhang, WenboWenbo Zhang of the Cityof Mississauga was foundin breach of Rule 509.1,Misleading Name of Firmor Style of Practice; Rule514, Registration; Rule 515,Practice Inspection Requirements;Rule 516, ProfessionalLiability Insurance;and Rule 601, Compliance,of the Code.Mr. Zhang advertisedand provided professionalservices to the public thoughhe was not permitted to doso as he was not registeredin professional practice withthe Association. The followingpenalties were proposedand accepted by Mr.Zhang:1. A reprimand.2. Payment of a fine of$5,000.3. Payment of the sum of$5,891.51, representingthe costs of the PublicPractice Manual, CICAHandbook and professionalliability insurancethat should have beenpurchased for the years2007 and 2009.4. Suspension of membershipin the Associationfor a period of twelvemonths.5. Return of CGA Ontarioand CGA Canada membershipcertificates tothe Association.6. Publication in Statementsand a localnewspaper.24 STATEMENTS JUNE/JULY 2011

Flavian Pinto, CGA ▪ THE PUBLIC SECTORWhat’s Happening in the World of Government and Not-For-ProfitLeadership and Team BuildingTeam building in the public sector is all about trust and the greater goodne definition of leadership is the ability to motivate agroup of people toward a common goal. A critical managementskill, leadership is essential to change management— shepherding teams through changes to programs,processes or personnel.Leading personnel through change often requires teambuilding. It helps to have a cohesive unit of individuals who sharethe same values and who are willing to support one another inpursuit of a common goal. Individual ownership of common goalsis a good first step towards building cohesion.Contemporary definitions of good leadership tend to placemore emphasis on the importance of empowerment. That is, agood leader empowers team members and leverages their talents,rather than emphasizing his or her own role and authorityas a leader.That said, individuals are much less likely to engage in teambuilding when they don’t trust their leader or don’t feel their contributionwill be suitably valued or rewarded. We see this everydayin our workplaces. The leader asks her team “What do you think?”and the room goes silent.It’s much easier to go home at the end of the day with lessresponsibility and leave the leader you don’t trust (who inevitablymakes more money than you) to take the glory or the fall.The Greater GoodPeople want to be led by someone in whom they can place theirtrust. They want to know that their leader is working for the greatergood — for themselves, for their organization and for the public.They’re looking for someone they can and want to follow.This is true in the private as well as the public sector, but Iwould argue that the concept of the greater good is a more powerfulmotivator in the public sector.Sure, it’s easy to be sceptical about the motives of the publicsector when you read negative press about bureaucracies or generouspensions, but don’t tar us all with the same brush. The badpress typically applies solely to specific organizations.And if you don’t think that workers are entitled to a certainstandard in pensions and benefits, you’ll be reassured to knowthat those working for small to medium-sized health or socialservice agencies rarely share in the kinds of payouts reported bythe press.Instead, the concept of the greater good remains a powerfulmotivator for those in public service, especially for those who areinvolved in caring for the less fortunate and vulnerable among us.The question for leaders in the public sector, therefore, ishow to tap into that desire for the greater good. What will makeme a good leader in the eyes of the people I want to motivate?Five Questions for LeadersGood leaders have the ability to examine their own conduct andchange their behaviour in the interest of the greater good. Thatdoesn’t mean becoming a chameleon and changing one’s personalityto fit the mood of the moment. It means establishingyour core values, demonstrating your values through words anddeeds, and doing what it takes to earn the trust of your team.This is a process that can be broken down into five questionsall leaders should ask themselves. Think of them as five questionsthat will ultimately create trust between you and your team:1. What are my values, beliefs and ethics?2. How am I demonstrating these qualities?3. What can I do to demonstrate my faith in my team?4. What assistance does my team need in order to succeed?5. How can I ensure my team gets what it needs to achieve itsindividual and team goals?Four Stages of Team BuildingGreat teams are built upon foundations of trust. Where trust exists,teams and leaders complement one another, working together toachieve the greater good. Once you have established that trust,you can start to build your team. In simple terms, you must:1. Clarify the team’s goals.2. Identify the inhibitors that prevent individuals from reachingtheir objectives.3. Create enablers that will empower them.4. Measure and monitor their progress to ensure their goalsare achieved.Trusting teams have the ability to manage change. They havethe potential to achieve higher levels of efficiency. They have thecapabilities needed to achieve their goals.A final word. It’s easy to be lulled into a false sense of securitywhen process controls are in place and managers are solving theroutine problems that arise. But it won’t be long before complacencysets in.The pace of change in the world is getting faster. Leadershipand team building are important tools in the ongoing battle tomanage change.Flavian Pinto, CGA, is chief financial and chief information officerof Community Living Toronto. Flavian has 30 years of public sectorexperience in the health care management field.JUNE/JULY 2011 STATEMENTS 25

Notes to StatementsN E W S & N E W S M A K E R SCGA WINS SOO SEATBryan Hayes, CGA, waselected on May 2nd as theProgressive ConservativeMember of Parliament forthe riding of Sault Ste. Marie.A former city councillor,Bryan defeated New Democratincumbent Tony Martinby a margin of approximatelyfour per cent of the overallvote. In an interview withCBC Radio following his election,Bryan attributed hisvictory in part to his professionalstanding: “I’m a CGA,”he told the CBC, “and have30 years of business experience.”He is looking forwardto representing his constituentson Parliament Hill.CGA LITERATIDaniel Zeghal, FCGA, hasbeen awarded an OutstandingPaper Award byEmerald Group Publishing,“a leading independent publisherof global research withimpact in business, society,public policy and education,”for “Analysing value addedas an indicator of intellectualcapital and its consequenceson company performance,”published in Volume 11,issue one, of the Journal ofIntellectual Capital. A professorat the Telfer School ofManagement at the Universityof Ottawa, Daniel is alsothe director of the CGA AccountingResearch Centre.CGA SISTER ACTSusan Godin, CGA, andsister Linda Longman, haveraised $100,000 for breastcancer research. Followingthe cancer diagnosis of threefamily members in 2004,Susan and Linda formedSister Act, which holds asilent auction each year inLondon, Ontario. Susan isthe manager of social andcommunity supports for theCity of London. Visit sisteract.ca for more information.FCGA OUTSTANDINGLiang Chen,FCGA, is therecipient ofthe OutstandingProfile Award(ProfessionalsSector), as presented lastApril at the 2011 MandarinProfile Awards. The associatedean of registrarial and studentservices at the Universityof Toronto Scarborough,Liang was recognized for heracademic, professional andvolunteer work, includingas a board member of CGAOntario. Liang is also the progressiveconservative nomineefor the provincial ridingof Scarborough-Agincourt.PEACOCK POWERFULKerry Peacock, CGA, is oneof Canada’s Most PowerfulWomen. The executive vicepresidentof branch bankingat TD Canada Trust, shehas been recognized by theWomen’s Executive Network’sTop 100 Awards forthe second year in a row.Kerry is responsible for theperformance of more than1,100 branches of CanadaTrust. She is a currentmember of the board of boththe First Nations Bank andthe Ombudsman for BankingServices and Investments.NEW POSITIONSPeter Anderson, CGA, hasaccepted the position of chieffinancial officer of InspirationMining Corporation.Mark Donovan, CGA, has acceptedthe position of chief financialofficer of Wireless AgeCommunications, Inc.Jeff Lowe, CGA, has acceptedthe position of chief financialofficer at Royal Coal Corporation,a coal exploration andproduction company, headquarteredin Toronto, Ontario.David McIsaac, CGA, has acceptedthe position of chieffinancial officer at NorthernTrust Canada.Grant Rowson, CGA, has acceptedthe position of administrativedirector of financial services& information technology(CFO/CIO) for the Dryden RegionalHealth Centre, a 41-bedacute care hospital.WELCOME TO CGAONTARIOMichael Adedeji, CGACGA InternationalReynaldo Ching, CGACGA British ColumbiaNga Thuy Dam, CGACGA British ColumbiaMarian Ebanks, CGACGA AlbertaArlene Foster, CGACGA InternationalJoyce Kiberu, CGACGA InternationalAnne Giroux, CGACGA QuebecLingzhi Huang, CGACGA InternationalLinda Ikle, CGACGA AlbertaBalbir Kaur, CGACGA QuebecJohanne Lacharite, CGACGA QuebecStephen Letwin, CGACGA AlbertaYiming Lang, CGACGA InternationalAli Hussain Maknojia, CGACGA InternationalPaul Bukenya Muwonge, CGACGA InternationalCarole Plante, CGACGA QuebecGanesh Singh, CGACGA InternationalSusan Stanley, CGACGA British ColumbiaIN MEMORIAMStan Corbett, CGAStephen Fernandes, CGACarl Panagapka, CGAAndrew Wilson, CGAGeorge Zralski, CGARobert (Bob)Armstrong,CGA, was an entertainer.Withhis trademarkblack bowlerperched high atop a manicmop of ginger curls, Armstrongmade his living asa modern song-and-danceman, entertaining thousandsof people during his careeras a magician, musician andseminar speaker specializingin presentation skills andmotivation.A writer once began a26 STATEMENTS JUNE/JULY 2011

profile of Armstrong by assertingthat a “funny accountantis an oxymoron akin to‘jumbo shrimp.’” Armstrongwould have chuckled at theline but disagreed with thesentiment. “Many peoplethink you’re either born with[humour] or not,” he said,“but people can develop asense of humour.” Indeed,through his work with theGarden City Toastmasters,International Brotherhood ofMagicians, and the St. CatharinesOld Time Fiddlers,Armstrong constantly honedhis craft, donating his talentsto a number of volunteercauses as well as professionalpursuits.A CGA for more than25 years, he began his accountingcareer at a publicaccounting firm, beforejoining the City of St. Catharinesas an internal auditor.In 1988 he started ArmstrongEntertainment, andsoon proved a popular presenterat the professional developmentevents of variousprofessional associations.In 2010, Armstrongwrote two articles for Statementson presentation skills:“Vocal Variety” and “IrresistibleYou: Eight Winning Waysto Make a Lasting Impression.”Witty as well as informative,they prompted acall from Industry Canada,which invited him to speakto their finance and administrativedepartment. Hisperformance drew a ravereview from the agency’sdirector and staff. Less thansix months later he passedaway. Raised in the Maritimes,his remains werereturned to New Brunswick,where his funeral was held.Always a gentleman, Armstrongonce wrote that, “asaccounting professionals, wesometimes forget that peopleskills matter just as much astechnical skills.” With his inherentkindness, generosityand, of course, good humour,Bob Armstrong, CGA, struckjust the right balance.Joseph Lloyd-Jones, FCGA,was highlydedicated toacademic andprofessional education, accordingto fellow Universityof Ottawa professor, DanielZeghal, FCGA. “Joseph wasa very kind and supportivecolleague, a great leaderand a tireless volunteer,”says Zeghal. “He was alwaysready to help.”Lloyd-Jones served for15 years as an adjunct professorof management andassistant vice-president ofthe University of Ottawa,where he was responsiblefor university-wide planning,policy, resource allocationand strategic issues. In additionto serving CGA Ontarioand CGA Canada, he servedas a governing member ofsuch notable organizationsas the College of Physiciansand Surgeons of Ontario, theReal Estate Council of Ontario,the Dental AssistantsExamination Board, and theCollege of Homeopaths.Named in 2008 by CGACanada as one of “100 CGAswho have made a difference,”Lloyd-Jones’ reputationas a gracious and altruisticindividual was evidentin the condolences of formerstudents and colleagues,who praised the boundlesszest and kindness of hismentorship, the loss of whichmade his passing particularlypoignant. “Joseph will bemissed for his outstandingprofessional and humanqualities,” said DanielZeghal; he will be rememberedfondly by his extendedfamily of CGAs.RAYMOND (RAY) WALTER, CGARay Walter, CGA, died tragically in a fire on March 17, 2011, in thetown of Listowel, Ontario. Walter had followed in his father’s footstepsand joined the North Perth Fire Department as a volunteerfirefighter in 2008. According to Dave Legault, CGA, a colleagueat the accounting firm of Ward & Uptigrove, on the day of the fire,“Ray’s pager went off and he dropped everything at the officeand ran to the fire station three blocks away as fast as he could.”Walter was extensively involved both personally and professionallyin his community. A graduate of Conestoga College, hejoined Ward & Uptigrove in 2005 and became a CGA in 2007. Hewas an avid golfer, curler and baseball player, served as the vicepresidentof the Listowel Kinsmen and co-organized the town’sannual Kinsmen Paddyfest.“Ray never seemed to have a bad day and always had a smileon his face,” says Dave Legault. “The entire North Perth Communityappreciated his extensive involvement in the community.”Four fire stations responded to the Listowel fire, which occurredin a retail store, on March 17th. While some of the firefighterswere setting up water lines, others were completing a primarysearch of the building when its roof collapsed. Two firefighterswere trapped inside the building: Ray Walter and Kenneth (Ken)Rea, 55, of Atwood, Ontario.Premier Dalton McGuinty expressed condolences to the family,friends and colleagues of the two men. “They put their own livesat risk in order to protect their communities, just as firefighters doevery day across Ontario. Our volunteer firefighters take time awayfrom their families to keep us safe. We rely on their selflessness,and today’s tragedy is a solemn reminder that we must never taketheir sacrifices for granted.”Walter had just turned 30 and was newly wed. His funeral wasattended by Frank Mensink, FCGA, chair of the board of directorsof CGA Ontario. The executive dean of the School of Business andHospitality at Conestoga College, Mensink remembered Walterfrom his days as a student at the college, where Walter distinguishedhimself academically.The number of people who reported his passing to the Associationwas a measure of the admiration felt by CGAs everywherefor their fallen colleague. In the words of one who knew him best,“Ray’s self-sacrifice,” wrote Dave Legault, “made our communitya better and safer place to live.”JUNE/JULY 2011 STATEMENTS 27

CGA ONTARIO PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENTCERTIFICATE PROGRAMSThis summer, CGA Ontario is offering four certificate programsof professional development to CGAs and members of the public.Visit the professional development section of cga-ontario.orgfor more information and to register today.CGA Ontario/DeGroote Certificate inCreative Problem Solving and Innovative ThinkingAugust 18-19, 2011 McMaster University8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. DeGroote School of BusinessRon Joyce Centre, Executive Education4350 South Service Road,Burlington, OntarioCGA Ontario/HRPA Financial ManagementCertificate for HR ProfessionalsAugust 23-24, 2011 HRPA Education Centre8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. 150 Bloor West, Suite 200Toronto, Ontario M5S 2X9CGA Ontario/HRPA Human Resources Certificate for CGAsAugust 16-17, 2011 HRPA Education Centre8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. 150 Bloor West, Suite 200Toronto, Ontario M5S 2X9CGA OntarioProfessionalDevelopment.More Skills.More Knowledge.More Success.CGA Ontario/Ivey Strategic Leadership ProgramAugust 22-24, 2011 Ivey-ING Direct Leadership Centre8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. 130 King Street WestToronto, Ontario M5X 1A9