TORONTO, Oct. 6, 2016 /CNW/ - Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada (CPA Canada) is a founding partner in a national effort to accelerate the measurement and valuation of the country's natural capital to support more holistic and informed decision-making.
CPA Canada has joined The Natural Step Canada in an initiative aiming to enhance the way Canadian businesses and governments account for, and make decisions about Canada's stocks of water, land and air along with renewable and non-renewable resources such as plant and animal species, forests and minerals.
"We are proud to be a core partner of this special initiative, the Natural Capital Lab," says Gord Beal, CPA Canada's vice-president of research, guidance and support. "This ambitious platform brings together many experienced and knowledgeable stakeholders united in wanting to develop ways to allow business and government leaders to become better stewards of our natural resources."
Beal adds that participation in this field is a logical extension of CPA Canada's extensive work in the area of sustainability. "Canada's professional accountants are highly competent at measuring and managing performance," he notes. "They are well positioned to support the undertaking of natural capital assessments and the ultimate use of such information in decision-making."
The Natural Capital Lab is a four-year initiative that provides a platform for ongoing innovation.
"Canada's CPAs work in all sectors of the Canadian economy and support organizational success and long-term value creation, so this is an important issue for the profession to address in terms of future prosperity," explains Beal. "Everyone benefits if tools and frameworks can be developed that can encourage conservation and restoration by our business leaders and politicians."
"Canada's vast natural assets are central to our economic prosperity and to our national identity on the world stage," says David Hughes, president and CEO of The Natural Step Canada. "That is why it is so important that informed decisions be made relating to our natural resources. The initiative is bringing together economists, accountants, statisticians, ecologists, NGOs, government, business leaders and other stakeholders to tackle the difficult challenge of assigning value to the country's natural capital."
For more information on this initiative, visit the Natural Capital Lab.
About CPA Canada
The new Canadian designation, Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA), is now used by Canada's accounting profession across the country. The profession's national body, Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada (CPA Canada), is one of the largest in the world with more than 200,000 members, both at home and abroad. The Canadian CPA was created with the unification of three legacy accounting designations (CA, CGA and CMA). CPAs are valued for their financial and tax expertise, strategic thinking, business insight, management skills and leadership. CPA Canada conducts research into current and emerging business issues and supports the setting of accounting, auditing and assurance standards for business, not-for-profit organizations and government. CPA Canada also issues guidance and thought leadership on a variety of technical matters, publishes professional literature and develops education and professional certification programs. cpacanada.ca
About the Natural Capital Lab
The Natural Capital Lab is a collaborative initiative to shape and align how we account for natural capital in Canada. Over the next four years NCL will provide a platform for ongoing experimentation and innovation leading to tangible breakthroughs that accelerate Canada's transition to a sustainable economy.
To achieve this, the Lab is bringing together a cohort of private, public and civil society sector leaders who have a stake in ensuring that Canada's businesses, governments and communities are strongly positioned for a sustainable future.
The Natural Capital Lab is convened by The Natural Step Canada and is delivered in partnership with Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada, Deloitte, TD Bank, The Co-operators, The Ontario Trillium Foundation, Sustainable Prosperity and The Municipal Natural Asset Initiative.
About The Natural Step Canada
The Natural Step Canada is a dynamic non-profit organization with over a decade of experience helping organizations and individuals understand and make meaningful progress toward sustainability. Our vision is a sustainable society—one in which individuals, communities, businesses, and institutions thrive within nature's limits. Our mission is to accelerate the transition to a sustainable society.
The Natural Step Canada is the lead convener of the Natural Capital Lab, the Energy Futures Lab and the Circular Economy Innovation Lab.
SOURCE CPA Canada
Image with caption: "Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada is a lead partner in the Natural Capital Lab initiative, a national effort to bring about greater informed decision-making regarding use of the country’s natural resources. (CNW Group/CPA Canada)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20161006_C6600_PHOTO_EN_789624.jpg
Tobin Lambie, Principal, Media, CPA Canada, Tel: 416-204-3228, Cell: 647-302-3761, Email: [email protected]; Diana Sorace, Manager, Media Relations, CPA Canada, Tel: 604-694-6700, Cell: 604-551-4487, Email: [email protected]; Nancy Cruz, Communications Coordinator,The Natural Step Canada, Tel: 613-748-3001, Cell: 613-315-2930, Email: [email protected]
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