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More about Chris

 Education

• Osgoode Hall Law School (LL.B., 1993)
• University of Alberta (B.Comm., 1990)
• Year of Call: 1994 (Alberta)

 Acknowledgements

• The Best Lawyers in Canada 2012: Lawyer of the Year, Employee Benefits Law – Calgary
• The Best Lawyers in Canada 2011: Employee Benefits Law

 Memberships & Professional Affiliations

• The Law Society of Alberta
• The Calgary Bar Association
• Alberta-British Columbia Joint Expert Panel on Pension Standards
• Association of Canadian Pension Management, President and Member of the National Board of Directors, and past Member of the Alberta Council
• The Canadian Pension and Benefits Institute
• The International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans 
• The Canadian Association of Pension Supervisory Authorities Stakeholder Task Force on Common Pension Standards

 Publications

• ’Perfect Storms’ Prompted Reviews, in December 2011 Special 20th Anniversary Report edition of Benefits and Pensions Monitor magazine
• One for All – Has National Harmonization of the Pension System Struck a Discord?, Benefits Canada, October 2010.
• Getting Our Acts Together - Pension Reform in Alberta and British Columbia, Report of the Alberta-British Columbia Joint Expert Panel on Pension Standards (co-author), November 14, 2008.
• Funding Relief Available for Federally Regulated Pension Plans, Compensation & Benefits Update, November 2006 (co-authored with P. Litner and L. Van Der Bij).
• Calgary (City of) v. International Association of Firefighters (Case Commentary), Lancaster House Pensions & Benefits E-Bulletin, June 2006.

 Presentations

• Innovation and Shift in Pensions, Summit on the Mature Workforce, April 4, 2012
• The Real Story – Giving More Canadians More Retirement Options, Economic Club, February 25, 2011 (Toronto) and March 8, 2011 (Calgary).
• Recent Developments in Pension Plan Law and ACPM Advocacy Initiatives, ACPM BC Regional Council, March 9, 2011
• U.S. DC Plan Litigation – Coming to Canada?, Association of Canadian Pension Management National Conference, September 16, 2010.
• Approaches to Change – A Legal Perspective, Canadian Pension and Benefits Institute Southern Alberta Pensions Professional Development Day, May 27, 2010.
• Is the ABC Plan the Plan of the Future?, Benefits Canada Benefits and Pension Summit, April 29, 2010.
• Taking the Pension Debate Forward, Association of Canadian Pension Management British Columbia Regional Council Spring Session, April 14, 2010.
• Is Meaningful Pension Reform at Hand?, Conference Board of Canada Pension Summit, April 13, 2010.
• Overview of Canadian and International Pension Reform Initiatives, Canadian Association of University Business Officers Pension Workshop, March 25, 2010.
• Pan-Canadian Pension Law Reform Panel, Pension Litigation, Governance and Reform, Canadian Institute, January 21, 2010.
• Aftermath of the Expert Commission Reports and Managing Pension Plans in a Turbulent Economy, International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans 42^nd Annual Canadian Employee Benefits Conference, November 24-25, 2009.
• Charting a Course for Pension Reform in Canada, Financial Executives International Canada, Calgary Chapter, October 13, 2009.
• Is Harmonization of the Canadian Pension Review Initiatives Possible?, Canadian Pension & Benefits Institute Forum 2009, May 27, 2009.
• Aftermath of the Expert Commission Reports, International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans Canadian Legal & Legislative Update, May 7, 2009.
• Alberta-B.C. Joint Expert Panel on Pension Standards, B.C. Public Sector Pension Conference, April 30, 2009 (with S. Sweatman).
• Innovation - Best Hope for the Pension Industry in the Future, Canadian Institute of Actuaries Pension Seminar, April 15, 2009.
• Recommendations of Pension Expert Commissions: Common Themes, Canadian Benefits Summit, April 6, 2009.
• Highlights from the Report of the Joint Expert Panel on Pension Standards, Actuarial Club of Calgary, February 25, 2009 (with E. Noel-Bentley).
• Update on Pension Reform in Canada, Canadian Bar Association (CBA) National Pension Section Online CLE, February 9, 2009.
• Pension Issues in Mergers & Acquisitions, CBA National Pension Section conference, November 21, 2008.
• Funding Flexibility and Benefit Security:  Striking the Right Balance, Northwind Professional Institute 2008 Pension Fund Invitational Forum, November 27, 2008.
• DB Plans:  Terminal or Critical?, ACPM 2008 National Conference, September 17, 2008.
• The Alberta-British Columbia Joint Expert Panel on Pension Standards, Conference Board of Canada Pension Summit, April 29, 2008.
• Supplemental Executive Retirement Plans, Taxation of Executive Compensation & Retirement course, Federated Press, December 12, 2007.
• Current Developments and Trends in Pensions & Benefits Law, CBA Alberta - Labour & Employment Section South, November 21, 2007.
• The Future of Defined Benefit Pension Plans, moderator, Association of Canadian Pension Management, 2007 National Conference, September 12, 2007.
• Legislation and Pension Plans and Fiduciary Duties and Meeting Governance Obligations, Essential Skills for Pension Committee Members course, Federated Press, June 20, 2007.
• Effective Pensions and Benefits Due Diligence, Osgoode Professional Development, Western M&A Skills Boot Camp, June 1, 2007.
• Good Pension Governance: Competently Administering Fiduciary Responsibility, Conference Co-Chair and Presenter, Canadian Institute - 2nd Annual Western Canadian Forum on Pension Law, Litigation and Governance, May 16, 2007.
• Legal Update: Trends in Pensions and Benefits Law, Morneau Sobeco, May 9, 2007 (with M. Wolpert).
• Legal Update: Developments & Trends in Pensions & Benefits Law, Canadian Pensions and Benefits Institute - Southern Alberta Branch, Breakfast Seminar, March 27, 2007 (with M. Wolpert).
• Ongoing Issues & Special Situations, Essential Skills for Pension Committee Members course, Federated Press, December 21, 2006.
• Supplemental Executive Retirement Plans, Course Chair and Presenter, Taxation of Executive Compensation & Retirement course, Federated Press, December 19 & 20, 2006.
• The Rise of Pension & Benefits Class Actions, Canadian Bar Association (Alberta) - Pension & Employee Benefits Section (North), November 7, 2006.
• Issues & Trends in Executive Compensation, Canadian Bar Association (Alberta) - Corporate Counsel Section (South), October 19, 2006 (with H. Tilak).
• The Future of Pension Regulation, Moderator of plenary session, Association of Canadian Pension Management - 2006 National Conference, September 2006.
• Ongoing Issues & Special Situations, Essential Skills for Pension Committee Members course, Federated Press, June 20, 2006.
• The Class Action Explosion and Mergers, Acquisitions & Restructurings, Canadian Institute - Western Canadian Forum on Pension Law, Litigation and Governance, May 10 & 11, 2006.

 Interviews

• “Pooled pensions pushed by Ottawa”, by Sarah Dobson, Canadian HR Reporter, January 31, 2011
• “New pension legislation expected”, Derek Sankey, Calgary Herald, May 22, 2010.
• “There’s a new firm in town”, Diane L.M. Cook, Canadian Lawyer, April 2010.
• “Western Canada boutique labour law firm promises ‘new business model’”, National Post, February 3, 2010.
• Alberta Primetime, ACCESS Television, November 4, 2009.
• "The ABC Solution", Jim Veenbaas, Alberta Venture Magazine, October 2009.
• "DB or not DB...that is the question', Kelly Harris, Canadian Lawyer, October 2009.
• "Retirement savings fall short", Mindelle Jacobs, Edmonton Sun, June 19, 2009.
• "Balancing Reward and Risk - A Survey of the Challenges Facing Defined Benefit Security in Canada", Sarah B. Hood, Beyond Risk Magazine, Spring-Summer 2009.
• "Pension plans", Glenn Kauth, Canadian Lawyer, February 2009.
• Radio interview with Chuck Regehr of CBC Radio 1, February 5, 2009.
• Dave Rutherford Show, CHQR radio Calgary and CHED radio Edmonton, January 26, 2009.
• Alberta / B.C. DC proposals get good reviews, Andrea Davis, Employee Benefit News Canada, January/February 2009.
• "Alberta/B.C. Report Calls for Supplemental Pension Plan", Jody White, Benefits Canada, November 28, 2008.
• "Viewpoint:  Two Gentlemen of the West", Don Bisch and Brooke Smith, Benefits Canada, April 2008.

 Community Involvement

• 2006 to 2010 - Volunteer youth basketball coach in the Silver Springs Basketball program, Calgary Minor Basketball Association.
• 2000 to 2001 - Volunteer board member, Silver Springs Preschool.
• 1998 to 2003 - Volunteer instructor in Business Law, Alberta Bar Admission Course.
• 1995 to Present - Pro bono legal counsel to a not-for-profit organization that provides environmental education programs to school-aged students to study river water quality and ecology in Alberta.
• 1994 to 1996 - Involved in the establishment of, and acted as a youth mentor for, the Alberta Mentor Foundation for Youth, a not-for-profit organization facilitating mentor relationships between young professionals and under-privileged youth.