Dates and location
Pricing
Hours
Dates and location
Pricing
Hours
Description
Join us virtually for our two-day Small & Medium Practitioners conference this fall 2025. We’ve curated a powerful lineup of thought leaders, experts, and industry specialists covering a wide spectrum of essential topics. Experience this comprehensive learning and networking experience designed to keep you at the forefront of financial, tax, and risk management developments. This event brings together leading experts to discuss key industry trends, best practices, and critical updates affecting practitioners in 2025.
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Prefer to attend in person? We have an in person option: Learn More.
Agenda
| Day 1 - Small & Medium Practitioners Conference | |
|---|---|
| Time | Event |
| 8:00 a.m. – 8:45 a.m. | Networking |
| 8:45 a.m. – 8:55 a.m. | CPA Ontario's Welcome Remarks: Craig Smith, Executive Vice President, Student and Members Services at CPA Ontario |
| 8:55 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. | Host Opening Remarks: Sabreen Salman, CPA, CA, Director, ESG Reporting & Stakeholder Engagement at Export Development Canada |
| 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. |
Opening Keynote: Alex Garber, CPA, CA, MTax, Tax Advisor & Educator Topic: 2025 Corporate Tax Developments This session will review recent developments in Canadian income taxation that are relevant for tax filings for 2025 taxation years and beyond, with a particular focus on tax changes that are significant for Canadian small businesses and their owners. Key Takeaways:
|
| 10:00 a.m. – 10:10 a.m. | Short Break |
| 10:10 a.m. – 11:10 a.m. |
Adam Feldman, CAMS, CAMS-Risk Management, CSC Topic: Anti-Money Laundering Requirements Accountants and accounting firms are required to comply with federal anti-money laundering legislation, and failure to meet these obligations can result in substantial monetary penalties. During this session you will learn how to protect your practice by gaining a greater understanding of:
|
| 11:10 a.m. – 12:10 p.m. |
Santosh Prasad, CPA, CA, Director, Corporate Tax Services at Trowbridge Professional Corporation Topic: 2025 Tax Update - Cutting Through the Chaos |
| 12:10 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. | Lunch Break & Networking |
| 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. |
Nina Bombier, Partner at Lenczner Slaght Topic: Professional Liability Insurance Claims – Strategies For Protecting Against Professional Liability Risks Key Takeaways: Defending Professional Liability Claims:
|
| 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. |
Panel Discussion with Host: Panelists: Paul Tyers, Managing Director, High Net Worth Advisor at Wealth Stewards Inc., Valarie Mccarthy, Lawyer & Partner at McCarthy Hansen & Company LLP & Spencer Brooks, Emerging Leader, CPA, CA, TEP, Tax Partner at Hendry Warren LLP Topic: Dealing with Intergenerational Transfers / Succession Planning / Wealth Transfer |
| 3:00 p.m. – 3:20 p.m. | Small and Medium Practitioners Advisory Committee Introduction and Coffee Break |
| 3:20 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. |
Julie Rueben, Founder & CEO of MaxPeople | Leadership Expert Topic: Talent Attraction and Retention In today’s dynamic labour market, recruiting and retaining top-tier talent is more challenging than ever. Skill shortages, shifting hiring trends, and fierce competition requires more innovation and adaptability across the entire accounting field. Join us for the session, Talent Attraction and Retention, where you’ll gain actionable insights and strategies to position your organization as a leading destination for talent. What You’ll Learn:
This session will provide practical tools and expert insights to help you overcome hiring challenges and secure your organization’s talent pipeline for the future. |
| 4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. |
Closing Keynote: Justin Riley, CEO of Wavelo Topic: AI For Practitioners – The Art of Implementing AI Every leader knows that AI is the next big thing. But very few know how to implement it practically in their businesses. Enter Justin Riley: captivating keynote speaker, award-winning spoken word poet, and seasoned CEO behind multi-billion-dollar AI transformations. Key Takeaways:
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| 5:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. | Host Closing Remarks: Sabreen Salman, CPA, CA, Director, ESG Reporting & Stakeholder Engagement at Export Development Canada |
| 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. | Dinner & Cocktails |
| End of Day 1 | |
| Day 2 - Small & Medium Practitioners Conference | |
|---|---|
| Time | Event |
| 8:00 a.m. – 8:45 a.m. | Networking |
| 8:45 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. | Host Opening Remarks: Sabreen Salman, CPA, CA, Director, ESG Reporting & Stakeholder Engagement at Export Development Canada |
| 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. |
Opening Keynote: Andrew Kirsch, Former Canadian Spy | Founder Kirsch Group Security Consulting | Dynamic Speaker on Cyber, Physical and National Security. Topic: Cybersecurity Best Practices |
| 10:00 a.m. – 10:10 a.m. | Short Break |
| 10:10 a.m. – 11:10 a.m. |
Sinduja Varatharasa, CRM, Vice President, Professional Services at Aon Topic: Risk Management Presentation for Practitioners |
| 11:10 a.m. – 12:10 p.m. |
Malik Datardina, CPA, CA, CISA, Governance, Risk and Compliance Strategist for Auvenir Topic: CAS 315 Revised (Technical) |
| 12:10 p.m. – 1:10 p.m. | Lunch Break & Networking |
| 1:10 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. |
Fire-Side Chat Session: Ali Spinner, FCPA, FCA, TEP, Partner at Crowe Soberman LLP | Tax & Estate Planning and Nicole Lorenz, Partner, Global Information Reporting and Partner Sponsor for DAWN Canada Topic: Canadian Tax Update: Preparing for CRA Audits and Information Reporting |
| 2:30 p.m. – 2:50 p.m. | Short Break |
| 2:50 p.m. – 3:50 p.m. |
Jane Bowen, FCPA, FCA, Associate Teaching Professor Accounting Topic: ASPE Update (Tax Vehicles) – ASPE 3856 and 3840 As CPAs serving small to medium size businesses, tax compliance and planning can result in accounting complexities! This session will discuss the interaction of ASPE Sections, 3856, Financial Instruments and 3840, Related Party Transactions, and Section 3465, Income Taxes. Key Takeaways: A review of the accounting for:
Jane will discuss how the accounting for the transactions sometimes creates unexpected consequences in financial statements and the decisions being made using the financial statements. |
| 3:50 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. |
Host Closing Remarks: Sabreen Salman, CPA, CA, Director, ESG Reporting & Stakeholder Engagement at Export Development Canada |
| 4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. | Networking |
| End of Day 2 | |
Who Will Benefit
CPAs and finance professionals interested in learning about best practices & technological advancements specifically related to Small & Medium Practitioners.
Speaker & Sponsor Forms
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Disclaimer
The views expressed in the course are non-authoritative and have not been formally endorsed by CPA Ontario and do not reflect the views of CPA Ontario. The information included in the course is for general information purposes only.
CPA Ontario, the presenters and the authors do not accept any responsibility or liability that might occur directly or indirectly as a consequence of the use or application of or reliance on this material.
How to Access the Conference
This CPA Ontario PD conference is hosted on the innovative RingCentral (formerly Hopin) platform. An email invitation with a link to join the event on the RingCentral platform will be sent closer to the date. Please check your Junk and Spam folders and ensure no-reply@events.ringcentral.com has been added to your safe addresses. We recommend you join five minutes prior to the scheduled start time.
Registration, cancellation, withdrawal and all other CPA Ontario PD policies can be found here.
Speaker(s)
| HOST | |
|---|---|
|
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Sabreen Salman is a sustainability leader and CPA, CA with over 10 years of experience across financial reporting, audit & assurance and sustainability. She is currently the Director of ESG Reporting & Stakeholder Engagement at Export Development Canada, Canada's export credit agency. Sabreen completed her Bachelor of Business Administration from the Schulich School of Business at York University, specializing in Accounting and Responsible Business. Sabreen has been recognized as one of Canada’s Top 30 under 30 Sustainability Leaders of 2022 by Corporate Knights, along with receiving the 2022 Emerging Leader Award by CPA Ontario. |
| OPENING KEYNOTE - DAY 1 | |
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Alex Garber, CPA, CA, MTax has been working in public practice since 2004, focusing primarily on income taxation for Canadian owner-managed businesses and their shareholders. Alex started his career at Deloitte & Touche LLP in Toronto. He is currently an independent tax advisor, assisting various clients, sole-practitioners and small CPA firms in Ontario. |
| OPENING KEYNOTE - DAY 2 | |
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Andrew Kirsch served as an intelligence officer with the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) for just under a decade. He held roles as a policy analyst and a field investigator, ultimately leading teams on clandestine warranted special operations. His memoir, I Was Never Here: My True Canadian Spy Story of Coffee’s, Code Names and Covert Operations in the Age of Terrorism was an instant national bestseller charting on the Toronto Star and Globe and Mail Nonfiction lists. Since leaving CSIS Andrew founded Kirsch Group (KG), a boutique Risk Consultancy serving government, corporate and private clients. He is also a trainer and public speaker on issues of national and cyber security. |
| CLOSING KEYNOTES - DAY 1 | |
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Justin Reilly is an entrepreneur passionate about the intersection of infrastructure and software. He is currently the CEO of Wavelo, building AI-first platforms to tackle 40 years of telecom inefficiency. Prior to Wavelo, Justin was Chief Product Officer at Tucows and Head of Product at Verizon, where he led a multi-billion dollar digital transformation initiative centered on machine learning. Over the years, he has founded a number of companies in healthcare, SaaS, and consumer products. He also has held leadership positions at key hyper-growth startups, including ASAPP, Macquarium, and Arke Systems. Justin is a frequent speaker on practical approaches of AI in today’s world and his keynote Becoming AI First has reached across five continents over the last decade. He is deeply committed to building systems that support the next generation of consumers. |
| CLOSING KEYNOTES - DAY 2 | |
|
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Jane Bowen, FCPA, FCA, has dedicated her career to the professional development and education of Chartered Professional Accountants (CPA’s) across Canada, and internationally. Jane understands and can communicate complex technical matters in plain language. This ability was developed through a strong technical background in serving small business clients, and her contributions to publications on the development of application guidance for CPAs as new standards are developed. Jane has spent many years teaching in Ontario Universities and recently retired from her most recent position as an Associate Teaching Professor at Ontario Tech University in Oshawa, Ontario. Most recently, Jane has been working to facilitate a new professional certification program for the CPA profession. |
| FEATURED SPEAKERS | |
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Adam Feldman is the AML Shop’s Risk Management and Technology Principal with a background in process engineering and compliance audits, Adam assists clients in taking their AML compliance program to the next level, by building and optimizing compliance programs, and advising clients on navigating the regulatory landscape. Working with accounting firms, real estate brokerages, mortgage lenders, and financial institutions, Adam has developed and implemented compliance programs and remedial action plans across a wide range of reporting entities. Adam’s background in engineering coupled with his advanced expertise in data analysis, risk analysis, mitigation, and process improvement makes him an asset to The AML Shop's clients. |
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Valarie Matthew provides strategic and practical advice to her clients to help them achieve their family law goals. Valarie has acted as lead counsel and co-counsel on complex financial matters involving high net worth individuals with issues involving valuation of family trusts and businesses and income determinations for support purposes. She regularly works with experts to obtain business and income valuations for self-employed and high net worth individuals. |
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Julie Ruben Rodney is the Founder and CEO of MaxPeople, where she supports organizations in enhancing their talent strategy by improving how they recruit, develop, and engage their people. She uses tools such as McQuaig to improve hiring outcomes, and DiSC and MBTI to strengthen team dynamics and foster better communication. Julie works across all levels of an organization—from frontline teams to senior management—to elevate performance, build alignment, and shape strong workplace cultures. Through her work at MaxPeople, she delivers tailored, results-oriented approaches that help businesses build the right teams and achieve lasting growth. More at: https://maxpeoplehr.com/ |
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Malik Datardina, CPA, CA, CISA, is a Senior AI Product Manager at Auvenir. With two decades of experience in audit innovation, data analytics, and governance, he focuses on integrating GenAI and other exponential technologies into the audit platform of the future. He has led several GenAI workshops across Canada and delivers professional development on blockchain, disruption, and AI ethics. He also lectures at the University of Waterloo. |
| Spencer Brooks, CPA, CA, TEP, leads the firm’s trust and estate practice, specializing in complex tax, estate, and succession planning. He advises clients, trustees, and executors with tailored strategies. A sought-after speaker and educator, Spencer was recognized as a 2024 Emerging Leader by CPA Ontario and actively contributes to the professional community.” More at: Spencer Brooks - HWLLP | |
