Uncommon Sense

Alberta has always been a popular tourist destination, whether visitors are from neighbouring provinces or from countries halfway around the world. On this episode, CPA Education Foundation Manager Kayla Gaffney speaks with Chad Kuechle CPA, CA, a CPA working in the heart of the tourism sector. As Chief Financial Officer of Tourism Calgary, Chad spends his days supporting initiatives to advance and grow the tourism sector in Calgary and across Alberta. Chad talks about this work, the attractions and features of the province that keep tourists coming to Alberta, and the interesting career path that led him to his involvement in tourism.

If you grew up in Alberta, you've probably heard of the United Farmers of Alberta Co-operative Ltd., or UFA, but perhaps you're not familiar with what that organization is and does. Scott Bolton FCPA, FCA recently wrapped up a lengthy term as the President and CEO of the UFA, and he joined our host, Chris Pilger, in the studio to talk about the UFA and how it supports Alberta's vital and growing agricultural sector, as well as other aspects of his distinguished career as a CPA and his many substantial contributions to the community.

On the previous episode, we spoke about the self-publishing journey with Kathy Arney, a CPA who received a grant from the CPA Education Foundation's Hesje CPA Knowledge Centre to self-publish a book. On this episode, we hear from Leanne Janzen, an experienced publishing professional who has guided many authors (including Kathy) through the self-publishing process. Leanne talks about the benefits of self-publishing and how authors can bring their works to life through the process. The support to authors provided by FriesenPress, the publishing company with whom the Foundation partners to deliver its Self-Publishing Grant Program, is also discussed in this episode.

In 2025, the CPA Education Foundation's Hesje CPA Knowledge Centre introduced its Self-Publishing Grant Program, an initiative very much aligned with the interests of the Centre's namesake, the late Brian Hesje FCPA, FCA. Brian was a published author himself as well as a lifelong advocate of reading and writing. On this inaugural episode of Season 3, Foundation Manager Kayla Gaffney chats with one of the first-ever recipients of the grant, Kathy Arney CPA, CA. Kathy discusses the journey from initial idea to final steps in the process of writing and self-publishing a book, and reflects on the value of CPAs sharing their knowledge with others. It's an informative episode for anyone thinking about writing a book or embarking on the self-publishing journey.

Tiffany Chow CPA, CA, CBV is a Partner with the accounting firm of Ernst and Young in Edmonton. She's also an advocate for inclusivity in the workplace-- an interest that led to her serving on her firm's Pan-Asian Professional Network, which aims to advance inclusivity across the firm. In this encore episode of Uncommon Sense, Tiffany talks about her work with that network as well as her commitment to other volunteer roles outside of the office. This is our last Uncommon Summer encore episode for summer 2026. Uncommon Sense returns with another season of all-new episodes on September 3.