CPA - English | Pandemic Planning: How Prepared is Your Organization?

This seminar will be provided free for members—a benefit of membership—as the threat of the influenza A (H1N1) pandemic is immediate and very real, and the CPA strongly believes that effective pandemic preparedness across the country is essential to mitigate the potential effects.

If the influenza A (H1N1) pandemic were to occur today, we could expect the virus to spread rapidly due to the interconnected nature of the world and the high level of global travel. The pandemic would significantly impact an organization’s mission-critical functions unless risk assessments have been undertaken and business continuity plans are in place.

Many millions of dollars were spent planning for the potential disaster of Y2K and many millions more were spent in the wake of 9/11. Still, many organizations choose not to develop continuity plans, their rationale being that pandemics, natural disasters and emergencies are few and far between, and that it will never happen to them. Business continuity and disaster planning is seen as an extravagance, not a necessity.

However, without a plan in place, organizations could face significant financial losses, bankruptcy and loss of good will. Insurance alone is not adequate, as it cannot compensate for a loss in reputation or the loss of a business. Without a plan, organizations could also face significant legal liability that forces them to close their doors. While no one is certain how hard hit businesses will be by the second wave of the influenza A (H1N1) virus, organizations need to be prepared.

An important part of business continuity planning involves payroll, a mission-critical function of every organization. As the CPA represents employers’ payroll interests, it is incumbent upon the Association to provide members with guidance on creating continuity plans to respond to potential full and partial business interruptions and ensure there is no interruption to an organization’s payroll.

This web seminar will explore the importance and necessity of a pandemic/business continuity planning and why it should elevate to the top of your “To do” list. Focus will be on the objectives and benefits of having a plan in place, along with key considerations and a step-by-step building process review.

Participate in this informative web seminar facilitated by a panel of payroll industry experts to ensure you have the tools to prepare your organization for the potential implications of a pandemic. The session will take a closer look at the following:

This informative two-hour session will include a 60-minute presentation, responses to pre-submitted questions, and an open forum to ask your questions to our panel.

Participants are invited to submit their questions in advance to Steven Van Alstine by emailing steven@payroll.ca before November 7, 2009.

Panel chair: Steven Van Alstine, CPM, CAE, Vice-President of Compliance Programs and Services, Canadian Payroll Association

Panel participants: Caroline Bernard, CHRP, Human Resources Manager, Wolverine; Sheila Erickson, CMA, CAE, Finance Manager, Canadian Payroll Association; Dianne Winsor, CPM, Payroll Manager, Bell Aliant; and Ann Wyganowski, CBCP, Vice-President, HZX Business Continuity Planning.

Pandemic Planning Panel Members

Ann is Vice-President of HZX Business Continuity Planning (BCP) (http://www.bcphelp.com/index.htm), her own company, and is a member of Centennial College’s Emergency Management Certificate Program Faculty. Her consulting background includes over 20 years of managing large projects and systems implementations across various industries ranging from banking to education, research & development, manufacturing, property development & management, publishing, human resources, not-for-profits and telecommunications. Her global BCP experience with people, culture, environments and risks includes numerous countries across Europe and Asia, Canada, the U.S., Australia, Mexico, and Brazil.

Ann is also President of the Toronto Disaster Recovery Information Exchange. Her focus on BCP began in the 1990s, when she developed a disaster recovery and business continuity methodology for Xerox USA, and managed Nortel’s Global Finance Y2K & BCP Programs through the century rollover. Following that, she developed global BCP for Price Waterhouse Coopers' managed services teams before returning to Nortel to revitalize their Global BCP.

Ann is a Certified Business Continuity Professional (CBCP), which is an internationally recognized designation of the DRI International; a Certified Business Resilience Manager (CBRM), an internationally recognized designation of the Business Resilience Certification Consortium; and works as a consultant in the field. She speaks regularly at conferences on BCP, pandemic planning, emergency response, and security to both businesses and governments.

Dianne Winsor, CPM, is a payroll professional with over 20 years of experience in the payroll departments of several large Atlantic Canada companies. She is currently Payroll Manager at Bell Aliant, a telecommunications company, and has been heavily involved in their pandemic planning for the past three years.

Dianne has been involved with the CPA for many years: as volunteer at the branch level, facilitator for professional development sessions, member of the CPA Task Force on Business Continuity, and director on the Board of Directors. She is currently CPA Treasurer. In addition to Certified Payroll Manager (CPM) certification, Dianne holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) degree from Memorial University of Newfoundland.

Caroline has been in the Human Resources field for 15 years, primarily in the services and manufacturing sectors. Her experience ranges from HR best practices and consulting to leadership development. As Human Resources Manager at Wolverine World Wide, she is leading the HR function for the company's Canadian operations.

Caroline has a Bachelor of Business Administration from the Université du Québec à Montréal, including certifications in Human Resources Management and Business Administration. She is a member of L'Ordre des conseillers en ressources humaines agréés and holds the designation of Certified Human Resources Professional (CHRP).

Steven is Vice-President of Compliance Programs and Services at the CPA and has been a member of the staff in varying capacities since 1997. One of Canada's foremost subject matter experts in payroll legislation, research and training, he has developed a solid track record as a practitioner and speaker in during his 17 years in payroll.

Currently under his leadership, one of the CPA’s most valued services Payroll InfoLine fields close to 30,000 inquiries a year including issues ranging from taxation to employment standards to workers’ compensation. In addition, over 11,000 people register in training programs and web seminars on compliance annually. Steven and his team ensure the development, delivery, integrity and accuracy of all of the CPA's professional development programming.

Steven also works to represent employers’ views as part of the CPA's Federal Government Relations Advisory Council (FGRAC). He works with government partners at the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), Human Resources and Social Development Canada (HRSDC), Service Canada and Statistics Canada to represent employer payroll interests for effective and efficient legislation related to payroll. This effort extends to the provincial level through the Provincial Government Relations Advisory Council (PGRAC) where Steven is an active advocate for CPA members with various provincial ministries of finance, employment and labour standards bodies, and workers’ compensation boards.

Steven holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree in Political Science and History from Wilfrid Laurier University, Certified Payroll Manager (CPM) certification form the CPA, and Certified Association Executive (CAE) from the Canadian Society of Association Executives (CSAE).

Sheila is Manager of Finance at the CPA and has over 15 years' experience in the finance area. She was most recently involved in the CPA's pandemic planning process and brings her knowledge in this area to the web seminar. In addition to her CMA and CAE designations, Sheila holds a Bachelor of Arts (Economics) degree from McMaster University.

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CPA Member: Free, provided as a benefit of membership
Non-member: $99.00 plus applicable taxes

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Pandemic Planning: How Prepared is your Organization?

Pandemic Planning Panel Members