Speakers
Bailey Church
Partner, Accounting Advisory Services & Leader, Public Sector ESG and Climate Reporting Centre of Expertis, KPMG in Canada
Bailey Churchleads the National Public Sector Accounting Advisory service line and is theLeader of thePublic Sector ESG and Climate Reporting Centre of Expertiseat KPMG.Bailey is also the Leader ofKPMG’s Global International Public Sector Accounting Standards working group.He has an extensive background serving the Government of Canada, provincial governments, crown corporations
andnot-for-
profit organizations.Bailey has worked extensively with all levelsof government on environmental and climate reporting matters. Bailey has worked with more than 200municipalities on the implementation of asset retirementobligations andis advising municipalities acrossCanada on their roadmaps for ESG and natural assets reporting.Bailey is currently advising various Crown corporations on their implementation of TCFD requirements.Bailey has advised the Government of Canada on some of its largest environmental liabilities,
including atomic Energy of Canada Limited’s decommissioning obligation, and crown
Indigenous Relations andNorthern Affairs Canada’s contaminated sites liabilities.Areas of Expertise: FundingAgenciesandInternationalDevelopmentlGovernmentandPublicSectorlClimateandEnvironmentalReportinglInternational, Not-for-Profit,andNon-GovernmentOrganizationslPublic-privatepartnershiplTransactionsAccreditation:CPA, CACertified Internal Auditor, Institute of Internal AuditorsNYU SternCenter for Sustainable Business, Executive Certificate in Advancing Sustainability(March 2022)ConnectwithBailey Churchat KPMG in Canada:If you would like to keep informed of updates about climate-related financial disclosures, connect withBailey Church on LinkedInfor the latest articles andthought leadership insight.E:bchurch@kpmg.caT: 613-212-3698
andnot-for-
profit organizations.Bailey has worked extensively with all levelsof government on environmental and climate reporting matters. Bailey has worked with more than 200municipalities on the implementation of asset retirementobligations andis advising municipalities acrossCanada on their roadmaps for ESG and natural assets reporting.Bailey is currently advising various Crown corporations on their implementation of TCFD requirements.Bailey has advised the Government of Canada on some of its largest environmental liabilities,
including atomic Energy of Canada Limited’s decommissioning obligation, and crown
Indigenous Relations andNorthern Affairs Canada’s contaminated sites liabilities.Areas of Expertise: FundingAgenciesandInternationalDevelopmentlGovernmentandPublicSectorlClimateandEnvironmentalReportinglInternational, Not-for-Profit,andNon-GovernmentOrganizationslPublic-privatepartnershiplTransactionsAccreditation:CPA, CACertified Internal Auditor, Institute of Internal AuditorsNYU SternCenter for Sustainable Business, Executive Certificate in Advancing Sustainability(March 2022)ConnectwithBailey Churchat KPMG in Canada:If you would like to keep informed of updates about climate-related financial disclosures, connect withBailey Church on LinkedInfor the latest articles andthought leadership insight.E:bchurch@kpmg.caT: 613-212-3698
Candice Loring
Director of Business Development and Indigenous Community Engangement - Mitacs
Candice Loring is a proud member of the Gitwangak Band from the Gitxsan Nation. Candice is passionate about economic development in Indigenous communities, which led her to pursue a degree in Business Management with a minor in psychology from the University of British Columbia Okanagan. Candice is now attending Simon Fraser University pursuing an Executive Master of Business Administration Indigenous Business Leadership degree. She has extensive experience working in the financial industry as an Account Manager Business Banking. Drawing on her education and experience working in the financial industry, Candice now applies her business expertise as a Director of Business Development and Indigenous Community Engagement with Mitacs. In her role at Mitacs Candice is working to advance the Indigenous innovation ecosystem in Canada. Candice’s greatest accomplishment is raising her two boys, Jonah, and Caleb.
Charlotte Osborne
Cheryl Gladu
Researcher-in-Residence Postdoctoral Fellow - Thompson Rivers University
Cheryl Gladu, Ph.D., MBA, is the Researcher-in-Residence Postdoctoral fellow at TRU. Cheryl has an interdisciplinary Ph.D. in Design and Management from Concordia University. In addition to being curious about nearly everything, she studies how people co-create systems and structures for materially simpler, relationally richer lives.
Coro Strandberg
Coro Strandberg, President of Strandberg Consulting, is an influential sustainability strategist and thought leader. Coro is a Canadian trailblazer and visionary in marketplace innovation to advance social, environmental, and financial progress and has contributed to the evolving field of CSR and sustainability for more than 25 years. She works with businesses, governments, and industry associations to create strategies and pursue business models to address social and environmental risks and opportunities that propel society towards a sustainable future.
Coro has a tri-sector background in business, government and non-profit leadership working in social, environmental, and financial roles. She has 20 years of experience as a corporate director and six years of industry association experience. Coro was a director of Vancity Credit Union-three as Board Chairperson-where during the 1990s she helped position the credit union as an international leader in corporate social responsibility and values-based banking. She is a Director of BC Lotteries Corporation, a provincial crown corporation, and a faculty member for Governance Professionals of Canada and Director’s College, training corporate secretaries and directors on sustainability governance oversight.
Coro co-founded the Social PurposeInstitute at United Way, which helps businesses adopt and embed a social purpose as the reason they exist. Coro specializes in helping organizations become leaders in transformational sustainability. This includes advising on sustainability leadership and innovation strategies, social purpose business models and sustainability governance, management, implementation, and integration. She works with industry associations to help their members and sector become more sustainable. Coro supports governments to harness the power of business to advance sustainability solutions. She is an expert in integrating social purpose and sustainability in finance, human resources, risk management and procurement and developing social and inclusive sustainability strategies. She is a member of the Senior Advisory Panel of theOffice of the Auditor General of Canada. She regularly publishes blogs, articles, research, tools and guides on sustainability and social purpose leadership on her website atwww.corostrandberg.com. Coro was named the top CSR consultant in Canada by the 2015 Clean50 for her leadership and impact in sustainability consulting. Further, Coro’s green home was awarded LEED Gold status and received a Burnaby Environmental Award. Coro works with organizations that aspire to accelerate, lead, and transform into a sustainable world
Coro has a tri-sector background in business, government and non-profit leadership working in social, environmental, and financial roles. She has 20 years of experience as a corporate director and six years of industry association experience. Coro was a director of Vancity Credit Union-three as Board Chairperson-where during the 1990s she helped position the credit union as an international leader in corporate social responsibility and values-based banking. She is a Director of BC Lotteries Corporation, a provincial crown corporation, and a faculty member for Governance Professionals of Canada and Director’s College, training corporate secretaries and directors on sustainability governance oversight.
Coro co-founded the Social PurposeInstitute at United Way, which helps businesses adopt and embed a social purpose as the reason they exist. Coro specializes in helping organizations become leaders in transformational sustainability. This includes advising on sustainability leadership and innovation strategies, social purpose business models and sustainability governance, management, implementation, and integration. She works with industry associations to help their members and sector become more sustainable. Coro supports governments to harness the power of business to advance sustainability solutions. She is an expert in integrating social purpose and sustainability in finance, human resources, risk management and procurement and developing social and inclusive sustainability strategies. She is a member of the Senior Advisory Panel of theOffice of the Auditor General of Canada. She regularly publishes blogs, articles, research, tools and guides on sustainability and social purpose leadership on her website atwww.corostrandberg.com. Coro was named the top CSR consultant in Canada by the 2015 Clean50 for her leadership and impact in sustainability consulting. Further, Coro’s green home was awarded LEED Gold status and received a Burnaby Environmental Award. Coro works with organizations that aspire to accelerate, lead, and transform into a sustainable world
Dana Clarke
Dana Clarke is a long-time in-betweener living in the space between technology and service delivery across multiple sectors. Working in the local government sector, she founded an innovation program and a network to support municipal employees by sharing ideas, tools and training that are improving service delivery and outcomes across Canada.
Key talking points:
Key talking points:
- Systems that support data and digital
- Budget – how do you fund digital transformation instead of technology projects
- People – what skills do we need outside IT to support digital transformation
- Systems – (Jazz’s as model – business partners) - how do we transition from delivering software applications to delivering business outcomes
Daniel Sailland
Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) - Alberni-Clayoquiot Regional District
Originally from the farming community of Valcartier Village, Daniel’s career includes public and private sector work across Canada and internationally. Daniel has served as Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) for Town of Qualicum Beach, Village of Pemberton and as Senior Administrator for the Lil’wat Nation. His work experience includes the implementation of a wide range of initiatives, public private partnerships, capital projects, policies and programs. Daniel is currently the CAO for the Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District, working with an incredibly innovative and forward-thinking group of communities.
David Le Page
Dennis Parker
TD Bank
Dennis Parker is responsible for managing a team of product and regional sales leaders and supports the on-going development of industry-leading services for TD’s Business Banking Group. Dennis and his team deliver a wide range of ‘value add services’ to TD’s Small Business, Commercial and TD Securities customers through various customer facing channels.
During his 35 years with TD, Dennis has held a number of progressive roles starting in commercial lending. He has spent 25 years focusing on deposits, payments and electronic banking services, and has participated in industry and bank led initiatives to make it easier for businesses across Canada to manage their money.
Don Lidstone
Donald Lidstone, Q.C., is a partner in Lidstone & Company, with offices in Vancouver and Calgary. The law firm acts only for local government in Canada, primarily in Alberta, British Columbia and Yukon Territory.
Mr. Lidstone has practiced generally in the area of municipal law for 30 years. His focus is governance, bylaws, finance, land use, liability, constitutional, administrative, aboriginal and environmental law. He has chaired the Sustainable Region Initiative (Governance and Finance), Liquid Waste Expert Review Panel, Fire Services Review Panel, Whistler Waste Blue Ribbon Panel, and the Municipal Law Section of the British Columbia Branch of the Canadian Bar Association. Mr. Lidstone has published numerous papers and manuals and consulted on the development of the British Columbia Community Charter and other municipal statutes. He was designated Queen’s Counsel in 2008, and received the LGMABC President's Award in 2009 and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee medal in 2013.
Lidstone & Company's preferred areas: local government law re elections, meetings, bylaws and resolutions, land acquisition and disposition, property interests, expropriation, planning and land use, taxation and finance, labour and employment, aboriginal law, procurement, environmental law, conflict of interest, freedom of information, protection of privacy, corporations/societies, intellectual property, human rights, grants, enabling and validating legislation, bylaw enforcement, bylaw attacks, litigation.
Mr. Lidstone has practiced generally in the area of municipal law for 30 years. His focus is governance, bylaws, finance, land use, liability, constitutional, administrative, aboriginal and environmental law. He has chaired the Sustainable Region Initiative (Governance and Finance), Liquid Waste Expert Review Panel, Fire Services Review Panel, Whistler Waste Blue Ribbon Panel, and the Municipal Law Section of the British Columbia Branch of the Canadian Bar Association. Mr. Lidstone has published numerous papers and manuals and consulted on the development of the British Columbia Community Charter and other municipal statutes. He was designated Queen’s Counsel in 2008, and received the LGMABC President's Award in 2009 and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee medal in 2013.
Lidstone & Company's preferred areas: local government law re elections, meetings, bylaws and resolutions, land acquisition and disposition, property interests, expropriation, planning and land use, taxation and finance, labour and employment, aboriginal law, procurement, environmental law, conflict of interest, freedom of information, protection of privacy, corporations/societies, intellectual property, human rights, grants, enabling and validating legislation, bylaw enforcement, bylaw attacks, litigation.
Doug Stein
Hayden Landsell
Hayden is the Assistant Deputy Minister of Digital Platforms and Data Division at Government of British Columbia
Hilary Curry
Isabel Gordon
Isabel is the Treasurer for the Municipal Natural Assets Initiative and has worked for over 30 years in municipal finance. She is currently the Director of Financial Services for the District of West Vancouver and has established an asset management accounting and funding system for the District.
Isabel has presented on municipal finance to students in university-level public administration programs, at Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) conferences both in Canada and at GFOA International, at the Municipal Officer Training Institute, and to numerous planning and engineering groups.
She is a passionate believer in the need to transform government finance through a sustainability lens.
Jamie Black
President - F.H. Black & Company Incorporated
Jamie Black is President of F.H. Black & Company Incorporated. For more than 20 years he has consulted with and trained finance officers, auditors & accountants in government, higher education, and corporations throughout Canada and the U.S. His work focuses on increasing finance department efficiency & effectiveness through the implementation of technology & best practices.
Jamie began his professional career in public practice where he was responsible for compilation, review, audit, personal & corporate tax engagements. He then transitioned his focus to leverage this experience and technology background to work with clients to improve their operations. From conducting needs analyses to the implementation of redesigned processes and new technology solutions, Jamie focused on delivering quantifiable improvements for his clients.
Jamie is CAGFO board member and a regular speaker & trainer on process automation, internal controls, data analytics & communication best practices for numerous organizations including:
• Canadian Association of Government Finance Officers,
• Government Finance Officers Association of British Columbia,
• Municipal Finance Officers' Association of Ontario,
• Canadian Association of University Business Officers,
• Municipal Internal Auditors Association. SHORT BIO Jamie Black is President of F.H. Black & Company Incorporated. For the last 25 years, he has consulted and trained finance officers, auditors & accountants in government, higher education, and corporations throughout Canada and the U.S. His work focuses on increasing finance department efficiency & effectiveness through the implementation of technology & best practices.
Jazz Pabla
Jazz is born and raised in Kelowna and is now the Director of Information Services for the City of Kelowna. He spent over 6 years in Saskatoon working in the private sector, City of Saskatoon and the University of Saskatchewan.
Jean Goguen
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Jeff Muir
Regional Manager - PSD Citywide
Jeff is a Regional Manager at PSD Citywide. As Regional Manager, Jeff leverages his 13+ years of experience in asset management software and consulting to help clients bridge business challenges by using technology to deliver real lasting results. Jeff’s focus is on working with clients to evaluate their unique needs and consulting on how they can make practical and meaningful advancements in their practices related to asset management, maintenance management, permitting, and budgeting.
Jesse Patenaude
Jesse is the manager of Business Development, Southern Alberta, and Atlantic Canada at Canoe Procurement.
Jesse Wente
Jesse Wente is a First Nations Canadian arts journalist and chairperson of the Canada Council for the Arts. He is an Ojibwe member of Serpent River First Nation.
Jessica Nordell
Jessica Nordell is an award-winning author, science writer, and speaker known for blending rigorous science with compassionate humanity. She was a 2022 keynote speaker at SXSW. Her first book, The End of Bias: A Beginning, shortlisted for the 2022 Columbia Journalism/Lukas Prize for Excellence in Nonfiction, the 2022 NYPL Bernstein Book Award for Excellence in Journalism, and the 2021 Royal Society Science Book Prize, is the culmination of fifteen years of reporting and writing on the subject of bias and discrimination and how to solve it, for publications including the New York Times, the Atlantic, and the New Republic. The End of Bias was named a Best Book of the Year by the World Economic Forum, Greater Good, AARP, and Inc and is currently being used by organizations from newsrooms and startups to universities, healthcare organizations, and faith communities to solve their biggest cultural challenges.
Deeply engaged with connecting across differences to expand and heal the human experience, Jessica's own early-career experience with workplace bias inspired her passion for tackling discrimination and for seeing others in their full complexity and humanity. With degrees in physics from Harvard and poetry from the University of Wisconsin, Jessica undertakes pioneering collaborations across disciplines; her work with computer scientists to simulate the real-world impact of workplace bias became a 2021 viral NYT story. She is the recipient of a Gracie Award from American Women in Radio and Television and was named a Best New Poet by Tracy K. Smith. Jessica is a direct descendent of the last woman to be tried for witchcraft in the state of Massachusetts, and is an amateur rock drummer.
Deeply engaged with connecting across differences to expand and heal the human experience, Jessica's own early-career experience with workplace bias inspired her passion for tackling discrimination and for seeing others in their full complexity and humanity. With degrees in physics from Harvard and poetry from the University of Wisconsin, Jessica undertakes pioneering collaborations across disciplines; her work with computer scientists to simulate the real-world impact of workplace bias became a 2021 viral NYT story. She is the recipient of a Gracie Award from American Women in Radio and Television and was named a Best New Poet by Tracy K. Smith. Jessica is a direct descendent of the last woman to be tried for witchcraft in the state of Massachusetts, and is an amateur rock drummer.
Joe Scafe
Young Anderson
Joe maintains a general municipal solicitor's practice with a focus on property, commercial and procurement law.
Joe grew up in Terrace, BC, completed his Bachelor of Arts in History at UNBC in Prince George and graduated from UBC Law in 2012. Joe now guest lectures on municipal law at UBC and is the former co-chair of the municipal law subsection of the Canadian Bar Association – BC Branch.
Joe spends his spare time hiking, biking and spending time with his sons and mediating disputes arising between them.
Joel Shaw
Born and raised in Saskatoon, I am an alumnus of the University of Saskatchewan where I earned MSc and BSc degrees in Civil Engineering. My professional career spans 25-years and has focused on planning, design and delivery of municipal infrastructure. I have worked with the City of Kelowna for close to 20-years in a number of different capacities and for the last 10-years have been responsible for infrastructure planning and financing including managing the annual and 10-Year Capital Plans, Asset Management and Development Cost Charge programs.
Jonathan Schuldenfrei
Partner in the Financial Advisory Practice - Deloitte L.L.P
Jonathan is a Partner in the Financial Advisory practice of Deloitte LLP. He advises clients in a broad range of industries on capital efficiency, finance transformation, organic and inorganic growth strategies, and corporate governance. Jonathan provides strategy, vision, and roadmaps for organizations seeking to maximize stakeholder and capital investment value. He has significant depth and experience in the areas of operating models, finance strategy, linking key value drivers to strategy, developing key performance indicators, and quantifying impacts of risk factors. Jonathan has experience with all levels of government across North America and has leveraged his extensive experience to implement effective modelling techniques to better achieve measurable desired outcomes, curtailed to the specific challenges of each organization
Joshua Craig
Acting Director of the Local Government Finance Work - Ministry of Municipal Affairs
Joshua Craig, CPA is the acting director of the Local Government Finance work unit in the Ministry of Municipal Affairs. He has been working with local government financial issues for sixteen years.
Kally Khaira
Karen Kerr
Kathleen Spalek
Kathleen Spalek, CPA, CGA is an accomplished senior finance professional with over 25 years of experience working in industry and government including federal, provincial, education and local government. She currently holds the position of Chief Financial Officer for the Union of BC Municipalities and has oversight for the financial and administrative activities of the organization including Group Benefits.
Kathy Humphrey
Ken Porter
As a graduate of a Masters of Science in Geography with a specialization in urban climatology, I have always been passionate about weather and climate. In the fall of 2009, I successfully defended my dissertation titled “Multiscale Assessment of Urban Emissivity” which examined the spatial variations and climatological impacts of emissivity in the urban environment. The key deliverables of this thesis have been incorporated into multiple conference presentations. In 2011, I started working at the Climate Action Secretariat where I continually work on bridging the gap between science and policy to aide decision makers in making sound decisions.
Specialties: Urban Climate, Analytical Research, Project Management, Environmental Monitoring, Numerical Modeling, Remote Sensing, Spatial Analysis, Climate Change
Specialties: Urban Climate, Analytical Research, Project Management, Environmental Monitoring, Numerical Modeling, Remote Sensing, Spatial Analysis, Climate Change
Lara Gaede
As Co-lead, ESG Reporting Advisory, Lara helps clients navigate the evolving reporting landscape, articulate their climate change story, and incorporate this into their ongoing public reporting, including any impact on their financial statements.
Lara spent two decades at the Alberta Securities Commission, starting in corporate finance, then as a member of the executive team as Chief Accountant and CFO. She was also a member of the Canadian Accounting Standards Board for six years. She combines her regulatory experience with an in-depth understanding of how businesses can integrate their climate and sustainability measures and goals into mainstream financial reporting to communicate this information to key stakeholders more effectively.
As an active member of the CPA Sustainability Reporting Advisory Group and the Canadian Public Reporting Board, Lara remains at the forefront of the evolving regulatory environment as well as current trends and best practices for ESG disclosure. She provides actionable advice to boards and company leadership, and engages investors and other key stakeholders on a wide range of ESG-related issues.
Lara spent two decades at the Alberta Securities Commission, starting in corporate finance, then as a member of the executive team as Chief Accountant and CFO. She was also a member of the Canadian Accounting Standards Board for six years. She combines her regulatory experience with an in-depth understanding of how businesses can integrate their climate and sustainability measures and goals into mainstream financial reporting to communicate this information to key stakeholders more effectively.
As an active member of the CPA Sustainability Reporting Advisory Group and the Canadian Public Reporting Board, Lara remains at the forefront of the evolving regulatory environment as well as current trends and best practices for ESG disclosure. She provides actionable advice to boards and company leadership, and engages investors and other key stakeholders on a wide range of ESG-related issues.
Lauren Pennycook
@ PSAB Canada
Luke Wilson
Lyle Smith
Director of Finance - Regional District of Central (RDCO)
Currently the Director of Finance for RDCO. A committed and accomplished financial management professional with over 12 years of progressive experience in accounting, strategic financial planning, and budgeting.
Focused on risk management as well as asset management. Keen interest in priority-based budgeting as well as participatory budgeting and the efficient stewardship of tax dollars.
Very interested in portfolio and project prioritization methods such as the Analytic Hierarchy Process and Pairwise analysis, performance measurement, and public policy.
Matt Ambrose
Matthew Hartney
General Manager of Financial Consulting Services - PSD Citywide
Matthew Hartney is the General Manager of Financial Consulting Services for PSD Citywide. In this role, he oversees the services provided to the finance function of government & public sector (GPS), which includes working with councils/boards, CFOs/Directors and their respective finance departments. Matthew provides unique professional accounting expertise to support the three pillars of public sector finance: planning, operations and reporting.
Matthew is a CPA, CMA and a Master in Business Administration, and he has served various public sector clients across Canada as an external advisor. He has also worked in local government as a Director. An expert in GPS corporate finance and accounting, Matthew began focusing on the public sector at Ernst & Young under the tutelage of the PSAS Board Chair (and former Comptroller General), Mr. Charles-Antoine St-Jean. He is adept at explaining financial analysis and areas for improvement in a way that is easy to understand and implement.
Michael Puskaric
@ PSAB
Michael is the Director, Public Sector Accounting Standards for the Public Sector Accounting Board. His role is to be the champion for improving public sector accounting practices across Canada by sharing knowledge, encouraging collaboration and leading the development of standards. Michael has a broad base of experience based on 20 years working in public, private and not-for-profit sector organizations.
His is a member of the special advisory committee to the Auditor General of Canada that provides advise and consultation on financial accounting and auditing matters. Michael is a Chartered Professional Accountant holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the Schulich School of Business at York University in Toronto Canada.
Michael Spatharakis
Manager of Local Government Relations - BC Assessment
BC Assessment’s Manager of Local Government Relations, Michael is focused on continually improving the Crown’s assessment and property information products and services, communications, and collaboration with Local Governments. He has worked as an accredited appraiser and assessor (Appraisal Institute of Canada) for 17 years, and holds a Bachelors of Arts (VIU), a Certificate in Real Property Valuation (UBC), a Certificate in Local Government Administration (CapU), and a Master in Public Administration (UVic).
Michelle Mason
CPA, CGA, Chief Financial Officer/Deputy Chief Administrative - Village of Cumberland
Michelle Mason is a CPA who has been the Chief Financial Officer for the Village of Cumberland since 2011 and Deputy CAO since 2017. She started her career as a Financial Officer for Qualicum First Nation and moved into Credit Unions before working in local government. The Village of Cumberland is a dynamic growing community with a progressive Council. Michelle has worked tirelessly to support the initiatives of Council while improving and ensuring sustainability for the Village. Since taking over the role as Chief Financial Officer she has had the unique opportunity to work with a team to overcome the many challenges that a growing and aging community faces. In 2015, she focused her energies on social procurement. With the approval of its Social Procurement Framework in 2015, Cumberland became the first municipality in British Columbia to proactively leverage existing spending to improve social outcomes in the community.
Mike Greschner
George & Bell
Experience
Mike has worked in the health benefits field for over 19 years. He advises a diverse group of clients including public and private sector organizations and multi-employer trusteed plans varying in size from small upstarts to large public entities and international corporations.
With experience in the design, marketing, implementation and communication of comprehensive group insurance programs, Mike is skilled with both traditional and flexible benefit plan designs, including pricing complex arrangements and negotiating plan terms and costs with insurers.
In addition, Mike has extensive experience in the valuation of liabilities associated with non-pension post-retirement benefits and post-employment benefits, including long term disability programs, waiver of premium provisions, sick leave, and severance benefits. He also assists clients with issues relating to funding and accounting for these plans.
To set a strategic framework for trustees and plan managers related to ongoing plan operations, Mike assists clients in creating governance and funding policies. He has conducted many long-term forecasts for clients to stress test their policies and practices relative to current contribution rates and/or plan assets.
Previously, Mike held the role of Chief Actuary at a large international human resource consulting firm, overseeing the strategic direction of the actuarial services for the health business. Prior to that, he worked in positions of increasing responsibility which included managing teams of analysts and consultants and ensuring first rate service to clients.
Qualifications & Education
A Fellow of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries and the Society of Actuaries, Mike also holds insurance licenses in British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan.
Mike Kennedy
Mike Quattrocchi
Past Chair of the Municipal Law Section - Canadian Bar Association BC Branch
Mike joined Young, Anderson in 1998 after practicing as an associate at a large Vancouver law firm. Mike holds a B.A. in Economics from Queen's University, a Masters in Economics from the University of Toronto, and a law degree from UBC. He was called to the bar in 1997.Mike advises local government clients on a wide range of matters, with particular focus on corporate and commercial transactions, land use regulation, real estate development, project tendering and construction and environmental issues. He has assisted with all aspects of large land acquisition and construction projects, including in relation to parks, courthouses, fire halls, recreation facilities, seniors' facilities and government offices. Mike's practice also includes advising with respect to bylaw preparation, land expropriation, elections and public approval processes, the establishment of local government corporations and general local government issues.
Mike is past Chair of the Municipal Law Section of the Canadian Bar Association BC Branch.
Mike has triplet sons, Justin, Samuel and Andrew. Needless to say, Mike no longer has any hobbies.
Nelson Chan
Chan is the chief financial officer for the Capital Regional District, Capital Regional Hospital District and Capital Region Housing Corporation. He has more than 20 years of experience in executive leadership and strategy, business transformation and tactical implementation in both the public and private sectors.
Nick Falzon
Associate - Young Anderson
Nick Falzon
Nick Falzon joined Young Anderson as an associate in May of 2019, after completing both summer and full articles with the firm.
Originally from Victoria, he completed undergraduate studies at the University of Victoria, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts with Honours and Distinction in Greek and Roman Studies. In 2018, Nick graduated from the Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University.
Nick maintains a general municipal practice, with a focus on public law litigation, including judicial review of municipal planning decisions. He has appeared before the BC Supreme Court and Court of Appeal.
In his spare time, Nick can be found on a soccer pitch, squash court, or in one of Vancouver’s many breweries.
Nicole Gervais
Manager - Municipal Finance Authority of BC
Nicole Gervais is the Manager, Client Services with the Municipal Finance Authority of BC (MFA). She isresponsible for managing the Client Service functions of the organization and supports a wide array of activities relating to borrowing, investing, and education. Nicole has an extensive background in the financial services industry, having served over 18 years in various roles in commercial and retail banking, and currently sits on the Board of Directors for the Victoria Cool Aid Society.
Nicole Purves
Nicole has worked in the insurance industry for almost 25 years, largely involved in claims handling, specializing in casualty claims. Prior to joining the MIABC, Nicole was a claims examiner with a major property and casualty insurer. She has been with the MIABC since December 2008. Since joining the MIABC, Nicole has handled over 1500 claims, gaining a wealth of experience with respect to the issues facing local governments. Nicole joined the Insurance Department in 2018 as the Deputy Director of Insurance and enjoys serving the membership in a new capacity.
Nicole holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of British Columbia as well as the Chartered Insurance Professional designation and a Level 1 General Insurance Salesperson Broker’s License.
“I work with a terrific group of people who really understand the MIABC’s mission. What makes my work really rewarding is being able to support our members so they can go about serving their communities”
Peter Kristensen
Peter Kristensen is Director, Customized Solutions within Global Business Payments at Scotiabank. Peter has many years of experience in all aspects of payments and cash management. He acts as a representative for Scotiabank in industry forums relating to Payments Modernization – with specialization on Real Time payments and ISO 20022 messaging standards development. Peter has a Bachelor of Mathematics with major in Computer Science from University of Waterloo.
Peter Paine
Senior Manager of Financial Advisory Services - PSD Citywide
Peter is the Senior Manager of Financial Advisory Services at PSD Citywide. He is an established accounting professional with over 12 years of experience in corporate accounting, budgeting, forecasting, and financial analysis. Peter leads PSD Citywide’s Financial Consulting division supporting public sector finance departments across North America. His team provides support to local governments with long-term financial plans, asset management plans, financial statement preparation, policy and process review, as well as other Financial Officer support.
Peter Urbanc
Rick Danyluk
Deputy General Manager of Finance - District of North Vancouver
Rick is the Deputy General Manager Of Finance at District of North Vancouver and he loves GFOABC!
Ron Mattiussi
Ron ’s Professional planning career began with The Sault North Planning Board in Northern Ontario, he moved to Alberta as a consultant with A.E. LePage ’s Research and Planning Division in Edmonton.
In 1980, Ron became a Planner with the Edmonton Metropolitan Regional Planning Commission, eventually becoming the Executive Director (CAO) of the Commission in 1990. Ron was appointed Director of the Planning and Development Services Department of the City of Kelowna on March 1, 1995. On June 1, 2006, Ron became the City of Kelowna's City Manager. During his time in Kelowna, he served as Director in the CORD EOC for 10 emergency incidents including the 2003 Firestorm and the major flooding of 2018.
After 22 years of service, including 11 as City Manager, Ron retired from the City of Kelowna on June 1, 2018. He is currently a consultant working with local governments on council/staff relationships, organizational reviews, and emergency management.
After completing Interim CAO assignments in and around the province, Ron was asked by the Province of BC to help lead the Village of Lytton rebuild after the devastation wildfire. Ron is also a recipient of the Distinguished Member Award in 2016 and the President ’s Award in 2018 from the Local Government Management Association.
In 1980, Ron became a Planner with the Edmonton Metropolitan Regional Planning Commission, eventually becoming the Executive Director (CAO) of the Commission in 1990. Ron was appointed Director of the Planning and Development Services Department of the City of Kelowna on March 1, 1995. On June 1, 2006, Ron became the City of Kelowna's City Manager. During his time in Kelowna, he served as Director in the CORD EOC for 10 emergency incidents including the 2003 Firestorm and the major flooding of 2018.
After 22 years of service, including 11 as City Manager, Ron retired from the City of Kelowna on June 1, 2018. He is currently a consultant working with local governments on council/staff relationships, organizational reviews, and emergency management.
After completing Interim CAO assignments in and around the province, Ron was asked by the Province of BC to help lead the Village of Lytton rebuild after the devastation wildfire. Ron is also a recipient of the Distinguished Member Award in 2016 and the President ’s Award in 2018 from the Local Government Management Association.
Sam Ketley
Head of Enterprise Risk Solutions - Aon New Zealand
Sam Ketley is Head of Enterprise Risk Solutions for Aon New Zealand. In his role, Sam works with colleagues from across Aon to support Local and Central Governments, as well as corporate and commercial clients. Sam believes that through better understanding and quantification of risk; better solutions and strategies can be developed that enable clients to tolerate, treat and transfer risks more effectively. Sam has led the development and delivery of the risk transfer solution for 3-water and river management infrastructure assets that is now used by 85% of Local Government in NZ.
Shannon Miedema
Shannon leads the Environment & Climate Change team for the Halifax Regional Municipality
Shelley Hahn
Soheil Mahmoodzadeh
Chief Econometrician - Canadian Western Bank (CWB) Risk Group
Soheil obtained his PhD in Economics from Simon Fraser University in 2015. Upon receiving a research position offer, he decided to join the Economic Department at University of Cambridge in UK.
In 2017, he joined the Canadian Western Bank (CWB) Risk Group and currently works as the Chief Econometrician.
Stephen Godwin
Environment Manager in Engineering - City of Surrey
Stephen Godwin grew up on a farm in Surrey, BC.
Stephen has a BSc. in Ecology from Simon Fraser University and is a Registered Professional Biologist (R.P.Bio). Stephen has been employed with the City of Surrey since 2002 and is the Environment Manager in Engineering. His duties include environmental review of development applications, capital infrastructure projects, land-use planning and wildlife and fisheries related management issues. Stephen was also the Project Manager in the development of Surrey’s Biodiversity Conservation Strategy. Prior to working with Surrey, Stephen was a Wildlife Biologist for the B.C. Ministry of Environment working with forestry related Identified Wildlife, including Grizzly Bear, Marbled Murrelet and the Northern Spotted Owl.
In times away from the workplace, Stephen enjoys spending fun times with his family and sports that include handlebars and motors.
Susan Todd
Tina Perreault
Todd Pugh
Executive Director - Civic Info BC
Executive Director, CivicInfo BC. Instructor, School of Public Administration, Capilano Univeristy. Two degrees. Two kids. One spouse. Less hair than pictured. Nerd alert: long-time collector of municipal souvenir coins.
Will Garett-Petts
Will Kluska
Manager in the Audit & Assurance Practice - Deloitte L.L.P
William is a Manager in the Audit & Assurance practice of Deloitte LLP and has extensive experience in serving most levels of the government and public sector (GPS) across Canada. William serves governments by supporting improvements to budgeting and planning, public policy analysis, process automation, financial system implementation, and financial reporting. He is dedicated to supporting the finance leaders across Canada to help them see success for their organizations.