In a profession built on trust, a single false claim can end a career. A candidate in British Columbia learned this the hard way after the Chartered Professional Accountants of British Columbia (CPABC) found that they had fraudulently misrepresented their credentials and used the CPA title without authorization. The result was a permanent bar from the profession and a $25,000 fine . As Going Concern put it, when it comes to credentials, reckless disregard for the truth is not a skill the profession wants. Illustrative image: credential verification is becoming a core part of professional accountability. What Happened in British Columbia According to the summary reported by Going Concern, CPABC made two central findings. The first was ...
When the Receiver General of Canada tables the annual consolidated financial statements of the federal government, Canadian financial leaders are handed the most comprehensive balance sheet in the nation. The release of the Public Accounts of Canada 2026 provides far more than a routine retrospective on budgetary revenues and departmental expenditures; it represents the ...
AI is changing the way we work with Excel.
But knowing a few prompts—or knowing where the Copilot button lives—isn't enough anymore.
As AI becomes more capable, Excel professionals need a broader set of skills.
Not just skills for using AI .
Skills for applying it to real work, supervising what it does, and knowing whether the result is right.
I see workplace AI ...
When the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat tabled the Public Accounts of Canada 2026 , it delivered far more than an annual snapshot of national revenue and expenditures; it provided a masterclass in modern Canadian Public Sector Accounting Standards (PSAS) execution on a trillion-dollar scale. For chartered professional accountants (CPAs), public sector auditors, and ...
When the President of the Treasury Board tables the annual consolidated financial statements of the federal government, it represents far more than a ceremonial routine in the House of Commons; it is the ultimate stress test of Canadian fiscal stewardship. The release of the Public Accounts of Canada 2026 delivers a definitive post-audit examination of the federal ...
A practical question about the skills we keep while AI helps us do more.
Tomorrow morning, you open your laptop. Your AI assistant is unavailable.
No help drafting that report. No explanation of the spreadsheet formula. No quick recommendation before your next meeting.
What could you still do? What would take longer? And where would you need help?
I teach AI and ...
A formula like =SUM(D2:D4) tells Excel which cells to add. But when you return to that workbook next month, you may need to check the headings to remember what those cells contain.
Excel tables give you another way to write it:
=SUM(AlohaSales[SalesAmount])
That formula gives you a useful clue: add the SalesAmount column from the AlohaSales table.
The table and ...
What Is an Excel Macro?
Ever find yourself doing the same steps in Excel every week or every month?
You open a report, make the headings bold, add a background color, and adjust the column widths. Next month, you do it all again.
That’s the kind of repetitive work a macro can help with.
A macro is a set of instructions
An Excel macro is a set of instructions that ...
Previously, I shared a useful change to Excel’s Create Table dialog: you can give your table a name while creating it.
For CPAs working through month-end reports, vendor invoices, or client schedules, a meaningful table name can make a workbook easier to follow and review.
But what if your version of Excel doesn’t show that new name field yet?
You can still name your ...
Canada’s accounting talent pipeline is undergoing a digital transformation. In an era where automated auditing, algorithmic valuation, and cloud ERP systems dominate corporate finance, the foundational education for prospective CPAs has often remained tethered to legacy curriculum models. That reality is shifting dramatically: the Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada ...
It took me years to appreciate naming Excel tables. It even took me a while to realize I could! That’s why I teach the basics.
Microsoft has introduced table naming during creation for Excel Insiders:
Click inside your data and press Ctrl+T.
Confirm the range and headers, then enter a clear name like Expenses.
Click OK. Done!
Clear names make formulas easier ...
The Canadian accounting landscape is experiencing one of its most transformative periods in decades. From high-level governance transitions to grassroots technological shifts on the firm floor, practitioners across the country are navigating unprecedented pressures. Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada (CPA Canada) underscored this evolving chapter with its recent ...
Canada's accounting and audit ecosystem is standing at the precipice of its most consequential evolution in over two decades. Facing a volatile economic climate, rapid technological disruption, and rising regulatory demands, Canadian practitioners are navigating twin currents of regulatory and legislative modernization. At the center of this transition is the Canadian Public ...
Billy WigleyNov 9, 2026
