Standards of Accountability: Distinguished Advice Poised for a New Economy

At the Opening Reception of the 2026 Acuity Conference for Distinguished Advisors (DAC), November 22-24, Knowledge Bureau President Evelyn Jacks will be joined by Carol Bellringer, FCPA, ICD.D.,  former Auditor General for the provinces of Manitoba and British Columbia, for a powerful keynote discussion on Standards of Accountability, sponsored by Johnston Group.

The discussion is centred on Trust. It’s a big issue today, especially if clients perceive financial transactions or tax law to be biased in favor of profitability of financial institutions or the tax system itself, over their own needs.

Bellringer brings extensive governance and oversight experience to the discussion. She currently serves as British Columbia Ferries Deputy Commissioner and holds roles with the Winnipeg Airports Authority, Neechewam and the University of Victoria Foundation, as well as serving as an Audit Committee member for the Manitoba Legislature and as a hearing officer.

Standards of Accountability: The keynote will be featured during the Distinguished Advisor Awards Dinner on November 22, an evening recognizing leadership and achievement across the tax, accounting and financial services community. The evening will also recognize new DMA™, RWM™ and MFA-P™ Designates, the Top Student and Favorite Instructor of the Year, followed by the Distinguished Advisor Awards.

The discussion sets the stage for an important question for Distinguished Advisors:

• what does accountability look like when professionals are being called upon to demonstrate greater value, judgement and leadership to their clients, teams and communities?
• What does it take for advisors to truly create trustworthy practices that lead clients out of the financial woods towards financial peace of mind? 

Knowledge Bureau is pleased to recognize and thank Johnston Group as Gold Sponsor of the Standards of Accountability keynote at the 2026 Acuity Conference for Distinguished Advisors. The Theme of the conference is the North Star:  Strategic Direction and Value Reflection and this first session will set the stage for a powerful and preeminent educational event.

About Johnston Group.  Johnston Group provides employee benefit solutions to over 30,000 Canadian businesses, ranging from one employee to 10,000 or more. A simple mission guides us: to put people first so that, together, we can work and live in thriving communities. Supporting Canadian companies and their people is a responsibility and privilege that we take very seriously. Our service philosophy starts with a culture where we try to take care of each other while having a little fun along the way because when we do that well, it's pretty easy to go above and beyond to support our clients and partners. We call Winnipeg home, and we believe strongly in giving back to the community. We are an organization made up of almost 300 people– we have our shortcomings and make mistakes like all people, so we will forever be improving and innovating in pursuit of becoming the company we dream of being. We're incredibly proud of the work we've done over the last 35+ years, and we're up for the challenge of the next 35+ years.

Register by September 30 for Early Bird Rates to Join Us in Victoria: The 2026 Acuity Conference for Distinguished Advisors takes place November 22–24 in Victoria, B.C., at the beautiful Delta Victoria Oceane Pointe Resort and Spa. 

Knowledge Bureau is proud to produce Canada’s only multi-advisory educational conference bringing together thought leaders and advisors from across Canada and across the tax accounting and wealth advisory services, for sessions spanning tax-efficient retirement and estate planning, economics, wealth management, portfolio management, succession and practice management. Delegates can earn up to 20 CE/CPD credits.

Other guest speakers on Day 1:

• Evelyn Jacks: The North Star - Navigating Fundamental Transformation
• David Wahl: The Global Picture -  Critical Anchors for Strategic Resilience
• Brayden Dueck: In Canada - Principled, Turmoil Busting Portfolios
• Mark Taucar & Nicolas Johnson: Alternatives -  Investing for the Crisis to Come
• Christina Fazio: RAPID FIRE PD - Strategic Networking Bingo Brunch & Mimosa Brunch
• April-Lynn Levitt: Prospecting: New Clients, New Teams
• Panel Moderated by Christine Logan - Featuring guest panelists Ester Sande and Tony Mahibir: The AI Hybrid – Who will KYC?
• Daniel Dessureault and Melanie Zimmerman: Insurance Planning - New Risks, New Wants, New Directions
• Kevin Press: Revocable Trust - Our Place in a Cynical World
• Alexandra McQueen - Education for New Futures
• Kim GC Moody & Curtis Scoville - Legacy Planning: Construct, Distribute, Reconstruct

Day 2:

• Dan Kelly: The Entrepreneurial Drought Meets the Succession Cliff
• Larry Frostiak: Year-End Planning for Individuals
• Dr. Dean Smith: Cross-Border Tax Planning for Owner-Managers
• Erin Roy, Jack Groucott & Liz da Mata - Caregiving Complexity & The Advisor's Role
• Christina Fazio: RAPID FIRE PD & Mimosa Lunch
• Chantal Thomas: Strategic Philanthropy: Correcting the Giving Deficit
• Michael Van Lierop: Leadership - Guiding in a New Direction

Visit the Official Conference site to check out the detailed agenda and register by the September 30 early-bird deadline!