THE VANTAGE NORTH CONFERENCE AGENDA

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2013:

TIME SEMINAR

11:30 a.m. Opening Remarks (MNP) & Prayer (Chief Martselos from Salt River First Nation)

12:00 p.m. Registration & Lunch

1:30 p.m.MNP Presentation Fraud Against First Nations: What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You By Lisa Majeau Gordon and Brian Tario

2:15 p.m.Dentons PresentationLegal Structures for First Nation BusinessBy Carman McNary

3:00 p.m. Coffee Break

3:15 p.m.MNP PresentationBusiness GovernanceBy Kristina Crooks

4:00 p.m.Dentons PresentationHow First Nations Can Avoid Expensive and Lengthy Court litigationBy Colleen Verville

5:00 – 7:30 p.m. Hospitality Suite and Networking

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2013:

9:00 a.m.MNP PresentationCapacity Building Through TrainingBy Tony Colabella

9:45 a.m.Dentons PresentationTrusts: Implementation by First Nation CommunitiesBy Doris C.E. Bonora

10:30 a.m. Coffee Break

10:45 a.m.MNP PresentationHow to Thrive in an Increasingly Complex Financial Reporting EnvironmentBy Scott Walker

11:30 a.m. Closing Remarks (Dentons)

The Vantage North Conference

ABOUT OUR PRESENTERS:

Doris C.E. Bonora, LL.B., STEP Estate Planning and Litigation, Dentons LLP

Doris works in the area of Will Planning, Estate Planning, Estate Administration, Estate Litigation and trusts. She has represented individuals, multimillion dollar trusts, First Nation trusts and Métis Settlements. She has helped many people from many different cultures and many different orientations to achieve their estate planning goals. Her practice involves developing estate plans for her clients that match their families and their needs. Doris takes an active interest in developing the right estate plan for each person, including incorporating companies and reorganization of companies. Doris also practices in the area of estate litigation. She has been involved in estate litigation involving farms, support claims for spouses, support claims for dependent children; challenges to capacity to make a will and all litigation involving estate administration issues. Doris has also been involved in the litigation involving financial elder abuse and abuse under enduring powers of attorney.

Tony Colabella, CMC, CHRPConsulting Services- Training & Development, MNP LLP

Tony has more than 13 years of experience consulting to business owners and clients in a broad range of industries including retail, manufacturing, franchises, First Nations, governments, construction and professional services. He has successfully owned and operated two small businesses and has over 20 years in client focused roles. He has helped various businesses achieve success in obtaining financing, revenue generation, strategic planning, customer relationship building and in award recognition. As Alberta’s Training Lead, Tony has worked with most of Alberta’s First Nation and Métis communities performing training needs assessments, management of course design, updates, customization and facilitation of workshops.

Kristina Crooks, MDevConsulting Services, MNP LLP

Kristina Crooks is a Vancouver-based Consultant in the Aboriginal Services practice at MNP. Kristina has experience working with numerous First Nations across Canada on economic development initiatives including business governance, business planning, as well as training on various topics such as entrepreneurship and board training. Kristina has a Masters in Economic Development and a Bachelor of Commerce. Kristina has worked with indigenous people in Paraguay and her most recent work experience before joining MNP was as a Program Specialist with Alberta’s Aboriginal Business Development Services.

Lisa Majeau Gordon, CA-IFA, CFE, CFI, CICAInvestigative & Forensic Services, MNP LLP

Lisa has more than 17 years of experience in providing fraud investigation and fraud prevention services to First Nations, Governments, police agencies, and businesses across Canada and the North. Lisa is a Chartered Accountant, a Certified Fraud Examiner and holds several professional designations related to investigation, internal controls and privacy. She is a frequent lecturer on fraud prevention and detection in Canada. Lisa devotes much of her time to working with many different First Nations to assist them with wrongdoing investigations and fraud prevention.

Carman R. McNary, Q.C., LL.B., B.A. Tax and Corporate Law, Dentons LLP

Carman concentrates his practices primarily in the areas of taxation and corporate law, with emphasis on compliance and dispute resolution with government agencies, and on corporate tax strategies, structures and governance of tax risk. Assisting clients with audits, objections to the Canada Revenue Agency and appeals to Courts when required, Carman works to resolve tax related disputes at the earliest level. He has appeared before the Supreme Court of Canada and extensively before the Tax Court of Canada, the Federal Court Trial Division and Federal Court of Appeal, and all levels of court within Alberta, on matters relating to Income Tax, GST and other commodity taxes. Carman also acts for Canadian and international companies advising on tax efficient structures and effective tax management. This includes advice to First Nations and in respect of structures with First Nation enterprises, to cross-border investment into and from Canada, and to private and public transactions, structures and taxation issues, including acquisitions, divestitures & reorganizations, transfer pricing and withholding taxes.

Brian Tario, CFI Investigative & Forensic Services, MNP LLP

Brian is responsible for investigations in the area of due diligence and background inquiries, fraud, theft, secret commissions and the assessment of risk with respect to client businesses across Canada.

Brian is a former member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police where he was involved in numerous national and international investigations involving money laundering, white collar crime, gambling, drugs, smuggling and the proceeds of crime.

In recent years Brian has been responsible for numerous investigations on First Nation communities. These investigations have involved source and use of funds analysis, contract compliance, trust fund agreement analysis and examinations with respect to third party suppliers to the First Nation on a value for money bases.

Brian has an understanding of First Nations culture and customs and uses this knowledge when assisting First Nations in disputes and understanding the facts surrounding an event or events

K. Colleen Verville, LL.B., B.A.Employment and Immigration Law, Dentons LLP

Colleen practices in the areas of Aboriginal Law, Employment, Labour, Human Rights, Privacy and Business Immigration. She has more than 16 years of experience and is called to the bar in both Alberta and the Northwest Territories. She, however, has several clients who are deemed Federal Employers and therefore has practiced all across Canada. She has a tremendous amount of Court experience and has appeared on behalf of clients before the following Courts and Tribunals: The Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench, The Alberta Court of Appeal, The Supreme Court of the Northwest Territories, The Federal Court, Federal Court of Appeal, Canada Labour Code Adjudicators, Federal and Provincial Privacy Tribunals, The Alberta Human Rights Tribunal and The Canadian Human Rights Tribunal. She has acted for clients in regards to wrongful dismissal actions, judicial reviews, defamation actions, election disputes, construction disputes, privacy disputes and general commercial litigation matters.

Scott Walker, CA, CAFMAboriginal Services, MNP LLP

Scott has over 17 years of assurance experience, focused on Aboriginal and public service bodies. He provides quality assurance peer reviews for clients in B.C., Alberta and Saskatchewan, working with accountants and auditors, Aboriginal organizations and both the Alberta and Federal governments. Scott achieved his Chartered Accountant designation in 2002 and was awarded the Certified Aboriginal Financial Manager designation in 2006. He is on the faculty of the Banff Centre, where he has co-authored the Indigenous Leadership and Management Development curriculum and facilitated since 2002.