TOD MAFFIN

presented by

CHRISTIAN SAINT CYR

Publisher, BC Labour Market Report

Recruitment & Retention Trends in BC’s Labour Market & Recreational Boating Sector

Over the past twenty years, Christian Saint Cyr has established himself as a leading British Columbia expert on job search and the province’s labour market. As publisher of the British Columbia and Ontario Labour Market Reports, Christian advises thousands of career professionals nation-wide and regularly works with representatives of business, education and government on developing proactive solutions to labour market challenges.

Drawing on his vast knowledge of BC’s broader labour market and the varied needs of local employers, Christian will drill down and provide insights specific to recreational boating; issues and trends to be aware of and how the industry can work to address them.

Each week, Christian joins CKNW’s Lynda Steele for ‘Working on the West Coast’, a weekly exploration of employment and labour market issues. This unique experience has established Christian as a well-respected public speaker and media commentator on employment and labour market related topics.

TERRY SMALL

presented by 

HEATHER BELL

Senior Immigration Consultant, Bell Alliance

Filling the Gap: Hiring Foreign Workers

A demand for qualified employees often leaves businesses looking beyond our borders for staff with the right experience – but navigating the immigration process to bring those employees to Canada is not always clear. Enter Heather Bell, senior immigration specialist with Bell Alliance, a Vancouver law firm specializing in corporate, immigration, real estate and estate planning legal services. Heather supports employers from diverse industries with their immigration needs, as well as individuals and families seeking temporary and permanent residency to Canada. Two of Heather’s key focus areas are company expansions to Canada and supporting the hire, transfer and retention of foreign skilled professionals in technical and management positions.

A seasoned keynote speaker, Heather will provide an overview of the immigration channels and processes available to Canadian businesses, and will answer any questions delegates may have specific to their business.

Heather holds a degree from University of British Columbia in Political Science, and a masters in International Human Resources from the University of Manchester. She is a member in good standing with the Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council. She has worked in the field of immigration for over 10 years, first with students and young workers, then as the principal immigration specialist with Bell Alliance, establishing and growing its immigration department.

KEN BURTON

Interim CEO, RCMSAR

RCMSAR: The Charity That Saves Lives on the Water.

Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue is a volunteer based organization that operates 33 marine rescue stations on the British Columbia Coast and Interior. From Vancouver’s busy harbour to the remote waters of the North Coast, their volunteer crews are on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, ready to respond to marine emergencies. They are an integral part of the marine search and rescue system, and work in one of the most challenging search and rescue regions in the world. RCMSAR volunteers conduct, on average, 800 marine rescues every year… approximately one third of all marine emergencies. They stand ready to leave their jobs and their families on a moment’s notice to help people in trouble on the water – no matter how foul the weather or how rough the seas.\

Learn more about the vital services of RCMSAR from interim CEO, Ken Burton who will also share a behind-the-scenes perspective of their operations and explain how the recreational boating community can get involved to collaborate and support their work in waterfront communities.

ANTOINE LEJEUNE

Commercial Leader, Dealer Relationships, Wells Fargo Commercial Distribution Finance (CDF)

2019 Economic Overview of the Recreational Boating Industry

We are extremely pleased to welcome back Antoine Lejeune, Commercial Leader, Dealer Relationships at Wells Fargo Commercial Distribution Finance who will kick off the 2019 Boating BC Conference with an economic update of the Canadian recreational boating industry. Antoine is a CPA, CMA with a Business Administration Degree from the University of Montreal Business School ( HEC), and has been with Wells Fargo (formerly GE Capital) for 18 years. His internal and external commercial team members service CDF’s network of over 3,400 dealers across Canada ensuring dealers have the necessary credit facilities in place to meet their business targets.

MARTIN PAISH

Director, Business Development, Sport Fishing Institute of BC

2019 Report: Sport Fishing + Southern Resident Killer Whales

This spring the Government of Canada announced measures to protect the Southern Resident Killer Whales (SRKW), which included new guidelines and restricted areas for recreational boaters. At the same time, the Government took steps to protect salmon stocks, and those decisions had a negative impact on several sectors within the recreational boating industry. Martin Paish has been on the front lines of advocacy efforts on behalf of the Sport Fishing Institute of BC – and has participated as a member of one of the government’s Technical Working Groups for SRKW. Martin will share a summary of what transpired during the 2019 season and what the industry can expect moving forward.