Small Practitioner Insights

October 8, 2026
8:30am – 4:30pm
Hyatt Regency, Vancouver

Big ideas for small practices.

Join fellow practitioners for a dynamic day of learning and networking. Gain valuable insights on technical updates, cybersecurity, AML, AI, and practice management, while discovering practical ideas to help your firm adapt, grow, and thrive in a changing professional landscape.

While designed specifically with the needs of small practitioners in mind, the content and insights are relevant and valuable for all practitioners.

What you’ll experience

Practical insights on the issues shaping today's practice.
Stay current on key developments affecting practitioners today.

Strategies to build a stronger, more profitable firm.
Learn how to negotiate with confidence, improve client relationships, optimize profitability, and design a practice that aligns with your goals.

Actionable tools you can apply immediately.
Gain practical guidance and best practices to help you manage risk, strengthen compliance, and improve operational effectiveness.

Expert perspectives tailored to practitioners.
Hear from experienced speakers and subject matter experts who understand the realities and challenges facing practitioners today.

Meaningful networking with your peers.
Connect with fellow practitioners, share experiences and solutions, and build valuable relationships with others facing similar challenges and opportunities in practice.

Join us at the Hyatt Regency Vancouver on October 8th and leave with timely knowledge, fresh ideas, and valuable connections to help your practice thrive.

Eligible CPD Hours: 7
Course Fee:
Members $475
Non-Members $525
PD Passport: 12 credits

AI Agents for CPA Firms: Work Smarter, Stay Secure

Presenters:
Chris Law | National Leader for Cyber Incident Response, MNP
Rem Saparco | Partner, MNP Digital

AI agents — software that takes a goal, uses your files and tools, and returns finished work for your review — may represent the most significant productivity opportunity small practitioners have ever had. Through use cases and live demonstrations, participants will learn where AI can create the greatest value in a small firm and how accessible they are to build and deploy.

Read more on AI Agents for CPA Firms...

This session will also examine cybersecurity risks associated with AI adoption and provide guidance on reducing risk through proper implementation, governance and security practices.

Key Takeaways:

How to leverage agents to lift your firm’s capacity without adding headcount:
Practical use cases for common workflows, such as client intake & document chase, bookkeeping & month-end, tax prep support, client communications, practice admin, and advisory insights
A Live demo of building a client-onboarding email agent
Best practices for adopting AI tools without exposing client data
A concrete five-step plan attendees can act on the following week

Negotiating Your Practice by Design: Fees, Deadlines, and Client Boundaries Without Burnout

Presenter:
Carrie Gallant, JD | Executive Leadership Coach, Negotiation Strategist, and Author

CPAs in public practice negotiate every day – often without realizing it. From fees and scope to deadlines and client expectations, these everyday agreements shape your workload, profitability, and stress levels. In this practical session, participants will build essential negotiation skills tailored to small firm practice.

Learn how to approach client conversations with clarity, confidence, and professionalism, even when stakes are high or clients don’t follow through. Leave with actionable tools and language you can apply immediately to strengthen client relationships, protect your time, and run a more sustainable practice.

Key takeaways:

Recognize where you are negotiating in your practice
Communicate your needs and expectations effectively
Navigate fee discussions, scope creep, and deadline pressure
Stay composed in challenging conversations
Create clear agreements that improve client follow-through

A Practical Approach to Computer Security

Presenter:
Jem Berkes, MSc. | Consultant and Technology Researcher, Galois Inc

This session highlights Cybersecurity dangers that small firms are likely to encounter, including brand new threats. The presentation demonstrates practical approaches to everyday security risks in work and travel.

This session will cover the computer security threats that small firms need to know about. With the help of examples and exercises, participants will learn best practices and routines that they can adopt. Participants will examine security-conscious approaches to common business activities such as handling e-mails, exchanging confidential documents, and traveling outside the office. The session will also delve into new social engineering scams, and AI-based threats.

Key takeaways:

Clearly spelled out “best practices” for common scenarios
Tangible steps for safer e-mail use
Red flags and guidelines for spotting scams
Tips for safe computer usage during travel

Navigating BC PST in 2026

Presenter:
Katherine Reinhardt, CPA, CA | Senior Manager, Indirect Tax, Deloitte LLP

BC Provincial Sales Tax (PST) continues to evolve, creating new compliance challenges and advisory opportunities for accountants and their clients. This session provides a practical overview of PST fundamentals, recent legislative changes, and key developments affecting accounting firms, small businesses, and independent practitioners.

Participants will gain actionable insights to help identify risks, address compliance obligations, and confidently advise clients on common PST issues. They will leave with a stronger understanding of how recent PST changes impact professional services, software, and self-assessment obligations, along with practical approaches and real-world examples to help navigate these requirements in day-to-day practice.

Key takeaways:

Understand the fundamentals of BC PST and common areas of risk for businesses and advisors.
Learn about recent BC PST changes, including the application of BC PST to accounting and other professional services.
Identify software-related PST considerations and self-assessment obligations that may be overlooked.

AML Awareness for CPAs: Managing Professional, Regulatory & Reputation Risks

Presenter:
Jerome Malysh, CPA, CFF, CFE | Principal, Malysh Associates Consulting Inc

Money laundering, terrorist financing, and economic sanctions risks are no longer concerns limited to banks and large financial institutions. CPA firms increasingly encounter higher-risk situations involving trust accounts, client funds, international transactions, beneficial ownership concerns, and complex business structures. In addition, many commonplace activities for CPAs, even in small firms, can trigger FINTRAC reporting and AML compliance requirements.

This session will help practitioners understand where AML risks arise in professional practice, how the PCMLTFA intersects with the CPABC Code of Professional Conduct, and when professional judgment may require additional inquiry or disengagement. Participants will gain practical guidance to identify AML and sanctions risks, distinguish between professional obligations and legal reporting requirements, identify common actions that can trigger FINTRAC reporting requirements, and protect their firms from regulatory, reputational, and ethical exposure.

Key takeaways:

Recognize common AML and sanctions red flags encountered in tax, CAS, trust, and advisory engagements.
Understand the difference between professional responsibilities under the CPABC Code and legal obligations under the PCMLTFA.
Identify activities that may trigger FINTRAC reporting and AML compliance requirements.
Apply practical risk-management strategies for client acceptance, engagement continuance, documentation, and disengagement decisions.

Profitability By Design: Align Your Firm Around Clients You Most Want to Serve

Presenter:
Saurabh Seth, MBA | CEO & Founder, Ethical Growth Partners Inc.

Most CPA firms deliver strong client service, but far fewer are intentionally designed to maximize profitability. This session will help you move beyond reactive growth, with the tools and clarity to grow with purpose. Participants will learn how to identify the clients who drive the greatest impact and explore six levers that can improve profitability, without working more hours.

Read more Profitability By Design...

Walk away with a practical framework to improve performance, focus your efforts and help build a firm that works better for you.

Key takeaways:

Understand how to define your ideal client profile and build your firm around it
Apply six proven levers to grow profitability
Identify and track the right metrics to inform smarter decisions
Shift from reactive growth to intentional business design

JEM BERKES, MSc, is a Vancouver-based consultant and technology researcher. He focuses on cybersecurity, formal verification, and network technology. Jem has a background in Electrical and Computer Engineering (University of Waterloo) and has 25 years of experience in computer systems.

Learn more about Jem Berkes...

As a Research Lead at Galois Inc, Jem led a team that designed cutting-edge security technology to protect national infrastructure. While at Galois, he designed technology and provided advice to major tech companies and the US Government. Prior to that, Jem ran a start-up company which provided anti-spam and malware defense services to millions of customers worldwide. He has spoken at government conferences, BSidesPDX, M3AAWG, and IEEE events. Jem presents guest lectures at the University of Manitoba, in Engineering.

CARRIE GALLANT, JD is an executive leadership coach, negotiation strategist and coauthor of “Conversation Secrets for Tomorrow's Leaders: 21 Obvious Secrets Leaders Do Not Use Enough". As a former lawyer and executive, she truly understands the challenges many leaders navigate.

Learn more about Carrie Gallant...

Carrie combines strategic acumen with Human Design insights to help her clients transform impostor syndrome, negotiate powerfully, and lead authentically. She is an Impostor Syndrome Informed Coach™, a certified Human Design Coach™, and certified in Conversational Intelligence® and Authentic Leadership for Teams®. Carrie and her work have been featured in Cosmo Magazine, goop.com, women.com, vice.com, The Globe and Mail, The Financial Post, and on Global News, News1130/680News and CBC Radio.

CHRIS LAW, B.Sc., is the National Leader for Cyber Incident Response at MNP. Chris has led high-profile incident-response investigations for higher education, municipalities, banks, and critical infrastructure organizations over the last ten years.

Learn more about Chris Law...

Before joining MNP, Chris was a Partner at a Big 4 firm, serving as its Western Canadian Incident Response Leader. This was made possible by the Big 4 firm’s acquisition of the 55-person cybersecurity firm that Chris co-founded in 2001.

With an extensive technical background and over 25 years of IT, entrepreneurial, and cybersecurity experience, Chris brings a keen understanding of cybersecurity trends and critical IT infrastructure, balanced with an awareness of business risk, priorities, and effective stakeholder communication.

JEROME MALYSH, CPA, CFF, CFE, has been providing consulting services to businesses that are required to maintain an Anti-Money Laundering (AML) compliance regime since 2005. Jerome’s experience includes assisting businesses design and implement AML compliance regimes in the USA, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada.

Learn more about Jerome Malysh...

Jerome is a subject matter expert in money laundering (ML) gained through his police service in the RCMP where he successfully prosecuted international ML organizations. In 2018, Jerome provided forensic accounting services to Dr. Peter German in his investigation of ML in Lower Mainland casinos leading up to his Dirty Money Report for the BC Attorney General. Jerome also served on the AICPA AML Task Force developing AML compliance policy for AICPA-CFF members.

KATHERINE REINHARDT, CPA, CA is a Senior Manager with Deloitte LLP in Vancouver, where she specializes in indirect tax advisory services. She works with clients across a range of industries, helping them navigate complex GST/HST, PST, and other indirect tax matters, including transactional planning, compliance, and risk management.

Learn more about Katherine Reinhardt...

She is passionate about helping finance and accounting professionals understand emerging tax issues and their real-world implications. Katherine is pleased to share her insights and experience with CPABC conference attendees.

REM SAPARCO is a Partner at MNP Digital specializing in Agentic AI, Copilot, and enterprise automation. He leads the design and delivery of AI-driven operating models that help organizations scale innovation, improve delivery speed, and realize measurable business value. Rem is known for bridging strategy and execution—building practical frameworks, governance models, and client-ready solutions across Power Platform, Copilot Studio, and AI-driven development.

Learn more about Rem Saparco...

He has led large-scale transformations for major enterprises, enabling teams to adopt AI securely and effectively while unlocking ROI through automation and intelligent workflows. A recognized thought leader, Rem focuses on turning emerging AI capabilities into scalable, production-ready solutions.

SAURABH SETH is the Founder and CEO of Ethical Growth Partners, a Focal Point certified business coaching and growth advisory firm based in Langley, BC. He holds an MBA along with PMP, Advanced CAMS, and CGSS designations, and brings 21 years of corporate experience across EY Global, BDO Canada, and JPMorgan.

Learn more about Saurabh Seth...

Saurabh works with founder led professional services firms, helping owners build practices, and themselves as leaders, that can run well even when the founder steps back. His coaching blends business strategy with executive leadership development, using behavioural assessments to strengthen how leaders think, decide, and lead. He also conducts workshops on Time, Team, Money, Exit, and Stress.

PD Nexus: Small Practitioner Insights