How one CGA returned to his home,

the Squamish Nation, to make the most

of his profession and experience

On the walls of Harold Calla's office hang maps and development plans for residential, commercial and retail sites. A routine sight in a land developer's office maybe, but this CGA is Director of Finance for the Squamish Nation, and the plans represent an example of the vision for the future of Squamish people, some 2,800 members whose reserves are scattered along the North Shore of Vancouver, the Sunshine Coast, and the area between Squamish and Whistler, B.C.., on 28.5 square kilometres or 0.42% of their tradi-tional territory.

Calla, who received his CGA designation in 1977, didn't begin to work immediately with his band. Instead, he worked as an accoun-tant in the trucking industry, the family ce-ment business, and then for an international manufacturer and distributor of swimming accessories. "The GA designation has provided me with opportunities that I would never otherwise have had. I've worked in many different industries - domestically and internationally - and it has given me the skill set that I've needed to do many things other than accounting," says Calla.

In 1987, Calla returned to the Squamish Nation to work, at the encouragement of his family. As the first member of the band to earn a professional designation in accounting, Calla quickly took over the management of the organization's fi-nances and developed budgeting systems. To-gether with Deloitte & Tou-che and essential Software Solutions, Calla set up an encumbrance accounting system that he says has been so successful that it has become a model for others.

Managing the finances for this band is a significant job. "Squamish is a $32 million a year operation," says Calla. "We manage 100 different programs, most of them com-munity based, and only 25 cents out of every dollar we spend comes from the federal government. The rest we generate our-selves, either through businesses or land leases."

But Calla is involved in a lot more than just finance. One of the most important areas of his work is economic development. "This organization has a capacity, if not in-house, then through strategic alliances, to under-take anything. We have recently partnered with SNC-Lavalin and Canron steel to develop a proposal to replace the Lions Gate Bridge. We partnered with SNC-Fenco to develop independent power production in the Squamish Valley. And we've just signed a joint venture with a company to develop a 115,000 square foot Real Canadian Superstore on the reserve.

Calla has also been involved in implementing property tax on Squamish reserve lands. In 1987, legislation was passed that no longer allowed municipalities to apply property taxes to businesses and individuals residing on reserve land. This meant that the Squamish Nation could now collect taxes from commercial enterprises such as Park Royal Mall, the largest shopping centre on Vancouver's North Shore. To do this, the band has had to enter into agreements with the municipality over payment for the ser-vices that the municipality provides. "In many cases over the years, the ability to have economic development on reserves was influenced by the ability to have service arrangements with municipalities," notes Calla. "Now we discuss what those services will be and how much we will pay for them"

Over the past 10 years, Calla has made a significant contribu-tion to the Squamish Nation and its relation-ships with various levels of govern-ment and the private sector. And he wants to see those relationships continue to grow. "What I see myself doing in 10 years' time is to have those who will take over from me when I retire in place, so I'll be able to provide them with the benefit of my knowl-edge and experience. If we can make the same progress in the next 10 years that I have witnesses in the last 10 , then I will be able to leave here happy with what my contribution has been."

Calla has also tried hard to encourage younger members of the band to pursue a profession - in particular, as CGAs. "Many of our young people have to understand that there is opportunity here and that they need to go out and get an education, a profes-sional designation and experience outside of this community. Then they can come back and make a valuable contribution. We have a wealth of human resources. What they need is exposure and opportunity. It's gratifying to have two other people in our organization pursuing their CGAs."