Steve Douglas, Executive Chairman of SMATS Group, and CANZBA Member, delivered his 19th Australian Budget Review Seminar during his recent global tour. He has once again used his expertise (and humour) to dissect the Federal Budget 2023 and outline the impact to Australian residents and expats.
We invite you to watch the seminar for free and welcome you to share it with your members, community, and social audience. The link also provides a free initial consultation with our qualified tax accountants who specialize in expat, property and retirement planning.
Watch here.
SMATS Group invites CANZBA members to join them for an informative presentation, that will provide a detailed look at the 2023 Australian Federal Budget covering:
Seminar Event Details: Date: Thursday, June 22, 2023 Time: 11:30 am PDT Location: Glowbal Restaurant Vancouver, 590 West Georgia, TELUS Garden, Vancouver BC, Canada, V6E 1A3
Registrations are still open however seats are limited.
As we begin to travel more for business and pleasure, we are reminded of the challenges from the pandemic, the invasion of Ukraine, inflation and economic uncertainties that has affected so many people and businesses.
I recently travelled to Australia for the first time in 3 years. I had forgotten how long it had been since I walked through a deserted Melbourne airport in February 2020, when Australia had begun to close its borders. Meeting with people in Australia reminded me again how Australians, New Zealanders and Canadians had been similarly affected by the pandemic, and continue to face the same challenges. Although the supply chain issues appear to be resolving in North America, I was reminded that some goods are still subject to long wait times, particularly in Australia (with many popular cars with a wait time of about two years).
We also shared similar stories of the responses to the pandemic, and inspiring stories, of actions that protected and helped people and businesses; and we shared the hope for the next chapter and for reconnecting and reinvigorating business between our countries.
Thank you to all those who attended our annual Australia-Waitangi celebration in person. We look forward to seeing you at ANZAC Day and our spring events.
Tony
Tony Crossman President
In February we hosted our annual Australia Day / Waitangi Day celebration, the first time in three years. It was wonderful to be back in person.
Thanks to our event sponsors Air Canada, COBS Bread and the Australian and New Zealand Consuls for their support.
Miller Thomson LLP is a national business law firm with approximately 525 lawyers based in five Canadian provinces. We celebrate the diversity of our people. We are united by shared values. Our people are leaders and pro-active thinkers, focus on providing the highest level of client service, and who are encouraged to leverage the power of teamwork.
Our firm’s focus is on the delivery of pragmatic litigation and advisory services. Its advantage is the ability to combine local knowledge with national bench strength. It is conveniently located across Canada in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Regina, Saskatoon, London, Waterloo Region, Toronto, Vaughan and Montréal. Key Vancouver practice groups include: Business; Global Trade and Customs; Labour and Employment; Indigenous; Litigation; and Tax.
Miller Thomson’s Vancouver office was established through a merger with Swinton & Company (established in 1951). Since that time our firm has enjoyed a lengthy and illustrious history in British Columbia and Canada. Reflecting our deep community roots is our deep support for many non-profit organizations and charitable causes. The Lions Gate Hospital Foundation, the Justice Institute of BC Foundation, the University of Victoria, the Vancouver Police Foundation, and Variety BC are some examples of our commitments to community life. Our firm is also a long-standing supporter of many business, legal, and trade entities ranging from the American Chamber of Commerce in Canada to the Vancouver Board of Trade.
We have some exciting events planned for the next few months, as always check the website for the full list.
ANZAC Day Commemoration April 25
CANZBA Conversations: New Zealand’s Economic Outlook 2023: May 18
CANZBA Summer Celebration June 15
Well, it’s hard to believe we are quickly approaching the end of 2022. It’s a time to reflect on the past year and plan for 2023.
This year has had its share of ups and downs as we have moved to living and working with covid and have begun to do more of those pre pandemic things (like meet in person and travel). Although 2022 may have brought some optimism that we are emerging from the pandemic, business has continued to face challenges including continuing supply chain issues and now inflation, rising interest rates and the likelihood of a recession.
It is also time to be grateful. Thank you all for your continued support of CANZBA, whether it is as a member, participating in our events or on one of our committees.
As we plan for 2023, we ask for your feedback so that we can serve you better - what did we do well, what could we do better, what would you like to see and how would you like to participate?
Please let us know by contacting me or one of our Board members.
Thank you again and I look forward to seeing you at our November and December events
We have some exciting events planned for the next few months. Starting with a Tourism Update for Australia and New Zealand - presented by Tourism Australia’s Vice President – America’s Chris Allison and Tourism New Zealand’s General Manager – Americas & Europe Sarah Handley for a Market Brief on the state of Tourism rebound in the South Pacific.
2023 is set to be a busy year for CANZBA, check out or events page for more info!
As the global leader in implantable hearing solutions, Cochlear has provided more than 650,000 implantable devices, helping people of all ages to hear and connect with life’s opportunities. Our story started over four decades ago when Australian Professor Graeme Clark pioneered the world’s first multi-channel cochlear implant and created an entirely new treatment for hearing loss.
As an ear surgeon, Professor Clark saw firsthand the isolation and frustration that comes from living in a world of silence as his father struggled with hearing difficulties. On holiday in 1977, fiddling with a shell and a blade of grass, Professor Clark realized there was a safe way to insert electrodes into the inner ear. It was his determination to help others that realized our first implantable solution reconnecting his patient Rod Saunders to hearing ― bringing music into his life.
Read more here.
In June of this year we held our first ever Summer Social, at the Terminal City Club, thank you Damian Frith and WMC for being our inaugural sponsor. This event is an opportunity for Member Sponsorship and a great opportunity for Members and their guests to gather in an informal setting to enjoy and drink, food and conversation. We are looking for our next Sponsor, if you are interested please reach out, the Sponsorship document has more information.
CANZBA would like to welcome the following new members to the Association.
Corporate Member: Daniel Kiselbach from Miller Thomson. Miller Thomson is a full-service national law firm established in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in 1957. The firm provides business law, advocacy, and personal legal services to Canadian and international corporations, entrepreneurs, institutions, governments, and not-for-profits. Within Canada, the firm has close to 550 lawyers in twelve offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Regina, London, Kitchener-Waterloo, Guelph, Toronto, Vaughan, Markham, and Montréal. Miller Thomson is a proud member of Multi-law, a global legal network with 90 member firms in more than 100 countries, including Australia and New Zealand.
Small Business Member: Jarrad Kramer of EMM Consulting. EMM Consulting provides advisory services to private and public sector organizations in environmental assessment and approvals, planning, and environmental management and compliance. EMM has recently commenced operations in both Toronto and Vancouver.
Small Business Member: Matthew Milne of King Living. King has been at the forefront of Australian furniture design for over the past 45 years through its design and manufacturing of contemporary, award-winning furniture. King Living opened its Vancouver store in July 2019.
Small Business Member: Sophia Shin of Cochlear Canada. Have you heard about Cochlear Canada? They’re the leader in implantable hearing devices that help to restore hearing and connect people to a world of sound. (And yes… pun very much intended!)
Small Business Member: Dean Thompson of Augment Resources. Augment Resources supply interim, overflow and project resources in strategy, supply chain, procurement and defence practices. They have offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Auckland and Wellington and most recently, Vancouver.
Individual Member: Lachlan Turner of Lightship Security. Lightship provides a vast array of IT security consulting services, including validation, certification, assessment and automated testing of IT vendor's infrastructure and service platforms.
News
NewNews
NewCanada removes compulsory ArriveCan App
2022 Bledisloe cup fixtures released
Air Canada Dreamliner resumes flying to Brisbane
SAVE THE DATE Australia Day / Waitangi Day: February 9, 2023
CANZBA Summer Celebration: June 15, 2023
Kia ora ta toe ngā mihi nui, I hope this newsletter finds you well after a relaxing and productive summer period.
Last Monday, British Columbians paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth II in Victoria with a ceremonial procession and commemorative service. I had the honour of joining the procession led by a Royal Canadian Navy band and a 100-meeber guard of honour. It followed a route through downtown Victoria to Christ Church Cathedral, where a memorial service took place.
People throughout the world will be feeling a sense of loss at this time and Canadians, Australians and New Zealanders most certainly share that grief. The Queen was a much-respected constant through unprecedented global change. To us she was a much admired and respected monarch, whose reign of 70 years is an absolute testament to her, and her commitment to us all.
The summer has been a busy time with trade shows starting back up and more and more New Zealanders and Australians coming to visit us here in Canada both for business and pleasure. It has been great to see both Air New Zealand and Air Canada resume operations to New Zealand and Australia, with the latest flight being Air Canada connecting back to Auckland in November.
This month, I'm delighted to shine a spotlight on some of the many opportunities and NZTE events in Canada. While Canada makes a good testing ground for entry into the neighbouring US market, its wealth of prospects also makes it a fantastic standalone opportunity for New Zealand companies.
Canada is currently New Zealand's fastest growing export market, which makes it an exciting country for New Zealand and Australian companies to do business with and in. NZTE currently work with over 140 New Zealand companies in Canada across a wide range of sectors including tech, food & beverage, marine and aviation. Please check out my.nzte.govt.nz for the latest events, news and content including a detailed guide on setting up your business operations here in Canada.
Lastly, I want to mention that we have just finished Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori, a week dedicated to the celebration and promotion of Aotearoa New Zealand’s indigenous language. This year is extra special as 14 September marks the 50th anniversary of the Māori Language Petition, an event that led to much of the te reo legacy we have today in New Zealand, including Māori Language Week.
On behalf CANZBA, New Zealand Trade and Enterprise and the New Zealand High Commission, thank you for all your support and look forward to meeting in person at our next event.
Ngā mihi, kia kaha!
Matt Ritchie
Consul General and Trade Commissioner
EMM ConsultinMember Spotlight
Established in Sydney, Australia, EMM is at the forefront and a recognised leader of the Australian environmental consulting market. The team adopt a partnering approach with clients to integrate advice and technical assessments into project designs to enable successful outcomes during all phases of a project life cycle. The company’s success in establishing constructive and integrated relationships with clients has led to successfully broadening technical services as clients’ needs have evolved.
The company culture and strong team ethos is driven by over 250 people who work across Australia, and now, in Ontario and British Columbia. EMM is an agile business with people and offices established to align clients’ needs. The recent expansion into Canada represents an exciting new chapter in the company’s growth and natural evolution as a leading provider of environmental services.
The team in Canada are passionate about providing innovative solutions to clients challenges via localised support. Creating sustainable value for clients.
There is a seismic global shift in expectations of corporate behaviour around environmental, social and governance issues, which parallels the escalation of climate change concerns. This shift is evident in investor sentiment, the growth of dedicated ‘green’ funds, consumer preferences and government policy and regulation.
Finally, summer appears to have arrived in Vancouver! And with an evolving return to in person events, we have excitedly hosted a number of events. It certainly was good to see so many people up close at the CANZBA Conversation with the Hon Scott Ryan, Australia’s new High Commissioner to Canada, and at our recent Celebration of our Nations BBQ.
Thank you for your support as continuing members and welcome to our new members.
Enjoy the summer and I look forward to seeing you in the fall.
Augment Resources
Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP
Cochlear Canada Inc
EMM Consulting
Miller Thomson LLP
We hosted a Celebration of our Nations BBQ in June, the first of its kind for CANZBA. It was a wonderful evening of celebrating our wonderful Countries. We enjoyed tasty treats, had great conversations and enjoyed each others company.
Stay tuned for an exciting lineup of CANZBA Conversations to be announced soon.
Following the election on 21 May, Australia’s new government, led by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, was sworn in on 31 May 2022. The new ministry has a record number of women (10), its first Muslim ministers (Ed Husic as Industry and Science Minister and Anne Aly as the Early Childhood Education and Youth Minister) and its first Indigenous woman as Minister for Indigenous Australians, Linda Burney.
As we celebrate our first in person Pride since 2019 next month, I want to let you know that Sydney will be hosting WorldPride2023 (17 February-5 March). This is the largest LGBTQ Pride event and organisers are expecting a large contingent of Canadians. Toronto hosted WorldPride in 2014.
Air Canada re-starts its Vancouver-Brisbane daily flight as of 1 July. Coupled with its 10 weekly flights to Sydney and Qantas’s 4x/week Sydney service, it means it is getting easier to travel between Australia and Canada. We are seeing a big uptick in Australians visiting BC this summer with the Alaskan cruises and the Rocky Mountains popular draws.
Passport processing delays have made the news here but they are also an issue in Australia as Passports Australia estimates as many as 2 million Australians will require passports this year. Passport applications are a major service of the Consulate. We are currently fully booked for appointments until August. It is also taking as long as six weeks to receive passports from Australia. So, for anyone with travel plans needing to renew their passport, do it now. There are some potential changes in the Fall which should help with the delays.
As in previous reports, I would like to highlight some Aussie companies in the market. Sydney-based Newcrest Mining acquired Pretium late last year for $CAD3.5B. Coupled with its purchase of a 70% stake in Red Chris Mine in 2019, Newcrest is now a major gold player in BC and has established its Americas Regional headquarters in Vancouver. Vital Metals, a Sydney-based mining company, recently opened Canada’s first (and North America’s 2nd) rare earth mine in the NWT and will be opening a processing facility in Saskatchewan in September. Augment Resources, a new CANZBA member, has just established a presence in Vancouver. Finally, here are some Aussie owned businesses in Vancouver worth checking out – Peaked Pies, Punk Rock Pastries and Ruex Café & Bar.
In closing, I want to thank the members who turned out for our first in-person CANZBA Conversation with the Hon Scott Ryan, Australia’s new High Commissioner to Canada on 2 June. It was a great turnout and a wonderful opportunity to re-connect. Thanks to Tony Crossman at Blakes for hosting.
Enjoy the summer!
Cheers, Kevin
Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP is a Canadian law firm focused on serving the transaction, advocacy, and advisory needs of Canada’s most dynamic business sectors. The firm has a proven track record of over 130 years of providing top legal services.
The firm has a strong reputation and takes great pride in assisting Australian businesses with their expansion plans in Canada. Cassels’ Australian clients work in a variety of sectors including mining, energy, corporate/commercial, mergers and acquisitions, intellectual property, and franchising. Cassels is dedicated to serving various business sectors for diverse clients that range from start-ups to multi-national organizations. Cassels serves organizations all around the world and Cassels is cited as a market leader by such authorities as Chambers, Lexpert, and Best Lawyers.
Additionally, outside of being recognized leaders in their fields, our lawyers are proud to serve leadership roles in business, civic, charitable, and cultural organizations in community, national, and international organizations. The firm is committed to initiatives in the realms of leadership, social responsibility, and inclusion and diversity.
New Zealand's borders for migrant worker due to open 2 months earlier than originally reported, on July 31. There will also be changes to the minimum wage structure.
Australia has lost two great cricketers. Rod Marsh and Shane Warne, both gone too soon.
Our thoughts are with their families during this difficult time.
Kangaroo saved by life guard
Read it here
CANZBA Member Helen Avis has been recognized in this year’s MPA Top 100 list, as one of the Top Mortgage brokers writing the highest value of loans in FY21; further adding to a long history of achievements and awards in the Australian finance industry.
Congratulations Helen
Read more.
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