Associations
FROM: NOV-DEC 2003 ISSUE
New Image
CGA Saskatchewan is revamping its image. That's the word from the affiliate president for 2003-04,Louise Usick. "One of our main goals this year is to increase the profile of CGAs in Saskatchewan. We are working on an image enhancement and new membership campaign," says Usick. "But our first line of business is to find a new executive director, as Howard Janzen will be leaving CGA Saskatchewan after 15 years of dedicated service," she adds.
Usick is the director of finance and administration with Tourism Saskatchewan in Regina. She's been in the position for two years, but has been working in the field of accounting and finance for close to 15 years.
"My adventurous spirit took me to the Northwest Territories after receiving my honours bachelor of commerce from the University of Manitoba," she says. "I worked for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) for nine years in three locations in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. I was an operations manager in Iqaluit and the manager of general accounting and budgets in Yellowknife," she continues.
Usick moved to Regina in 1998, and took a position as the director of tax credits for the Saskatchewan Film and Video Development Corporation (SaskFILM), a film tax program designed to encourage producers to make documentaries and movies in the province. She later worked as the vice-president of finance for a private film company, Independent Moving Pictures Inc., for a year before starting at Tourism Saskatchewan.
Usick and her husband, Dale Fieber, recently celebrated their first anniversary.
Born and raised in rural Manitoba, Usick grew up on a large beef and grain farm. She received her CGA designation in 1998, having completed all of the required courses while living in the NWT. She was elected to the CGA Saskatchewan board in 2000, and has served on the student appeals committee. Usick was also on CGA-Canada's National Education Committee from 2001-03.
She says she first got involved with the Association because the idea of meeting fellow CGAs and networking appealed to her. "My designation has given me a step up in my career, and this was a chance to give something back," she exclaims.
Serving with Usick on the CGA Saskatchewan executive are Tony Ducie, CGA, first vice-president;Catherine Mengel, CGA, second vice-president; and Louise Forester, CGA, past president.
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CGA-Alberta to sponsor think tank
CGA-Alberta and the University of Calgary's Haskayne School of Business are co-sponsoring a think tank session scheduled for the spring of 2004. The topic will be determined early in the New Year.
The Haskayne School's Centre for Public Interest Accounting hosted a fall think tank session to discuss the effects of pension accounting regulations. The session brought together representatives of the accounting, corporate, labour and standard-setting communities.
Speakers covered a wide range of pension accounting issues. According to Duncan Green, co-director of the Centre for Public Interest Accounting, "The way we account for pensions has created what some estimate at $26 billion in looming losses for Canadian companies. The think tank was about better understanding the consequences of how we account for pensions and exploring solutions that can serve everyone's best interests."
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Michel Guindon Honoured
CGA-Canada Past Chair Michel Guindon, MBA, PhD, FCGA, has received the Mérite du Conseil interprofessionnel du Québec, an award recognizing his achievements and contributions to the Ordre des CGA du Québec.
The award of merit is presented annually by the Quebec Interprofessional Council, comprised of the 45 professional associations in Quebec, which represent approximately 278,000 professionals. Guindon was presented with the award at the Ordre des CGA du Québec 's annual general meeting in June.
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