UPCOMING EVENTS
AmCham Canada & SelectUSA Presents: Doing Business In Canada
- Date: Wednesday, August 11, 2021
- Online from any computer or mobile device
- FREE - for *Member and Non-members
Brought to you by the American Chamber of Commerce and the US Commercial Service, SelectUSA, the DBCAN webinar is an informative online conference dedicated to helping business owners enter the Canadian marketplace. Gain access to our panel of carefully selected Immigration and Cross-Border Lawyers, Tax Specialists, Customs Brokers, and Logistics Professionals coming together from Miller Thomson, Clark Wilson, MNP and, PCB Global Trade. Hear from The US Commercial Service, SelectUSA speaker on free resources available to help you access the Canadian market. This session will provide you with invaluable data on the best state to expand and introduce you to essential partners. Whether opening a storefront with a Canadian address or partnering with a distribution center for your eCommerce activity, our seasoned panel will present options that will help you determine your export strategy and understand your responsibilities with local and federal government agencies.
Topics Include
Subjects are presented by experts in their field. The content focuses on current trends seen in the USA/CDN cross-border market and based on the experiences of each speaker/company. Small to medium sized businesses in the export development planning stage who attend this event will walk away with the knowledge of all available resources to determine and understand:
- Optimal structure for Canadian presence
- Cost-effective logistics and distribution channels
- Responsibility for federal and provincial tax
- What is considered "working" in Canada
- Canadian import compliance
Agenda
Attend the whole session or only the topics that interest you.
10:00 - 10:05 am
Introduction
Maria Rajanayagam, Chair, AMCHAM Canada - Pacific Chapter
10:05 - 10:15 am
SelectUSA Resources To Invest In The US
Bojan Opsenica, Investment Specialist, US Department of Commerce
10:15 - 10:35 am
How To Navigate Canada's Immigration System
John Soden, Immigration Consultant, Clark Wilson LLP
10:35 - 10:55 am
How To Set Up A Canadian Company
Rick Breen, Partner, Miller Thomson LLP
10:55 -11:15 am
How To Expand Your Business To Canada The Smart Way
William Dos Santos CPA & CA, Partner, International Tax, MNP LLP
11:15 - 11:35 am
How To Import Your Goods Into Canada
Cherie Storms, CA Operations Manager, PCB Customs Brokers
11:35 - 11:55 am
How To Ship Your Goods Into Canada
Alex Haukaas, Operations Manager, PCB Freight Management
11:55 -12:30 pm
Q&A
Meet the Panel
Bojan Opsenica
Investment Specialist, US Department of Commerce
Bojan Opsenica covers the foreign investment portfolio at the US Consulate in Toronto. As the SelectUSA representative in Canada, he specializes in assisting Canadian companies expanding to the US by providing resources to potential investors. Services offered by SelectUSA include market research, connections to state and local governments, and help navigating the US regulatory system. Bojan also works with State governments to help facilitate investment in their region by organizing investment missions, counselling state representatives, and developing market-specific strategies. During his time at the US Commercial Service, Bojan has also worked to help US companies find Canadian partners in the IT, Construction and Finance sectors. Bojan has a Master’s in Economics from the University of Toronto and an Honors BA from Western University.
John Soden
Immigration Consultant, Clark Wilson LLP
John translates complex concepts and processes into clear and concise solutions that facilitate business and career opportunities. Having worked at the senior management level in several companies and industries, John has been exposed to the challenges and priorities that businesses juggle, which allows him to address immigration issues from a true corporate and human perspective. Whether it is with a bio-tech, renewable energy, pharmaceutical or manufacturing company, John views his work as two-fold: 1) helping businesses achieve their broader goals of profit and innovation by attracting appropriately skilled professionals; and 2) helping those skilled professionals emigrate to a new country and capitalize on life-changing opportunities. Canadian industries are growing fast, and it is not always possible to find the skills in Canada. As such, John uses immigration laws as a tool to bring people and business together in ways that grow and contribute to our industries and create a healthy, diverse economy.
Rick Breen
Partner, Miller Thomson LLP
Rick Breen is a highly-experienced lawyer assisting his clients with practical advice on structuring their corporate and personal matters. He has worked with owner managers to establish, grow and ultimately transition businesses for over 20 years. Additionally, Rick’s experience with personal planning allows him to ensure the personal affairs of his clients are in order. Rick provides pragmatic advice and counsel in a number of areas through Private Corporate Law by acting for owner managers and their families to address risk and planning transition of their corporate holdings. As well as, Private Client Law by acting for individuals and families to structure their personal affairs in a logical and practical manner. Rick is a frequent speaker to numerous groups on his areas of expertise. Prior to joining Miller Thomson LLP, Rick was a Partner in a Calgary based law firm. Rick is actively involved in youth sports and politics at every level of government.
William Dos Santos CPA & CA
Partner, International Tax , MNP LLP
William Dos Santos, CPA, CA, is a Senior Manager with MNP’s International Corporate Tax group in Vancouver. Drawing on extensive knowledge of Canadian and international tax, William works with Canadian and high net worth individuals and foreign multinationals seeking to do business in Canada, or establish a business presence in Canada. William works closely with clients to organize their personal and corporate affairs in a tax-efficient manner for today’s globally competitive market. He assists with developing Canadian investment strategies for foreign investors and implementing, restructuring and maintaining international structures. William also helps with Canadian tax reporting, tax due diligence and domestic restructuring. William majored in biology and graduated from Trinity Western University with a Bachelor of Science degree, and went on to graduate from the University of Calgary with a Master of Business Administration degree, specializing in finance. He is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA), qualifying as a Chartered Accountant (CA) in 2011, and he has completed CPA Canada’s In-depth Tax course and CPA Canada’s In-depth International Tax course.
Cherie Storms, CCS, LCB, CTCS
CA Operations Manager, PCB Customs Brokers
Cherie Storms is the Canadian Operations Manager with PCB Customs Brokers, with over 18 years in international trade operations and regulatory experience. Since joining the company in 2007, she has become an Executive Board Member for the Canadian Customs Brokers Society, BC Region, and spoke at the Women in Transportation Annual General Meeting in 2010 regarding her experience running international logistics for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. Cherie is a member of CSCB's National Commercial Operations and eManifest Committee and sits on the Canadian Society of Customs Brokers' Board of Directors. In 2020, Cherie received the Emerging Leader award in the annual Surrey Board of Trade, Surrey Women in Business Awards. In her off time, Cherie is a motorsports driver for the Shift Up Now racing team, SCCA and CACC Women on Track Leader, racing tracks in Daytona and Indianapolis. With multiple championships, Cherie is a leader in the Jr Ambassador Program, encouraging young girls to excel in motorsports. Cherie has spoken at many seminars on the importance of trade compliance. She is currently enrolled in the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) Business Management Program to become an international trade lawyer.
Alexandra Haukaas
Operations Manager, PCB Freight Management
Alex Haukaas is a logistics professional who has been in the freight forwarding, NVOCC, and brokerage industries for over seventeen years. Alex has worked in all transportation modes, including air, ocean, truck, rail, and project cargo, with a strong background in project management and business development. Her successful management style is a hands-on approach in identifying her team's strengths, which results in a positive and cohesive work environment. Alex currently holds the Canadian International Freight Forwarding Association (CIFFA) and Forum For International Trade Training (FITT) designations.
About The Organizations
SelectUSA works with the US and Foreign Commercial Service and entities across government to facilitate job-creating business investment into the United States and raise awareness of the critical role that economic development plays in the US economy.
Clark Wilson LLP is Vancouver based and globally connected. Our lawyers help Canadian companies grow their business internationally, protecting their domestic interests and ensuring that, when it is needed, they are connected with the best resources in other jurisdictions. Similarly, we regularly are called on by international companies and their foreign legal representation to assist them in successfully expanding their businesses into British Columbia and Canada. Our strong profile has earned us consistent recognition as one of Western Canada’s leading law firms.
Miller Thomson is built to provide the most comprehensive Canadian business and legal help. The scale of your project is never an issue. We help businesses of every size, entrepreneurs and individuals. We work with not-for-profit organizations as well as financial institutions and governments. Our mastery of Canadian law is available to domestic and international clients alike. We are close to 550 lawyers, deeply rooted in communities across Canada. Some would call that “mid-sized” but in truth, we are perfectly Canadian-sized, with 12 strategically placed offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Regina, London, Kitchener-Waterloo, Guelph, Toronto, Vaughan, Markham and Montréal. Our enthusiasm for Canada and Canadian law shows in everything we do.
MNP LLC is a leading national accounting, tax and business consulting, with over 80 offices across Canada. Through partner-led engagements, we provide a collaborative, cost-effective approach to doing business and personalized strategies to help organizations succeed across the country and around the world. We proudly serve clients in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors.
PCB Customs Brokers is your trusted customs expert specializing in international trade with roots dating back to 1954. The company was founded on one simple principle: serve the client well. Today, thousands of importers employ us to import their goods into Canada and the US with our services growing to include freight management, trade advisory and a comprehensive learning center. If you have complex trade problems, you can trust us to provide the solution.
PCB Freight Management has built a reputation for getting the job done over the years. Drawing on the competence of an experienced team of logistics experts, a world-wide network of freight agents and in-house licensed customs brokers, our clients get a comprehensive range of global logistics services. We do more than just shipping your cargo, we manage your freight! As a key company within the PCB Group of Companies, PCB Freight Management has become a major North American link to many trans-ocean shippers and freight forwarders. A single point of contact for international freight movements providing freight and logistic solutions to freight forwarders and shippers.
Ambassador Heyman: What's Next For The Canada/US Relationship?
- Date: TBA
- Online from any computer or mobile device
- FREE - for *Member and Non-members
Our two nations share strong economic bonds that include trade agreements, like-minded commercial goals, and a strong sense of rapport, and there will always be a great deal more that unites us than separates us. As we continue to weather the economic, political, and pandemic storms together there will always be challenges as our relationship ebbs and flows.
Meet The Speakers
Amb. Bruce Heyman
Former US Ambassador to Canada, Co-Chair, Wilson Center
Amb. Bruce Heyman served as the US Ambassador to Canada under President Barack Obama from 2014 until 2017. His leadership emphasized the importance of the Canada-US relationship and pushed for more collaboration and cross-border investments. Today, he continues to work on strengthening the relationship between the two countries, serving as co-chair of the Advisory Board at the Wilson Center. Drawing on his diplomatic background, Heyman shares insights into international relations and the art of diplomacy in public speaking events across Canada and the USA.
In 2020, Bruce along with his partner Vicki, championed the American Voters Abroad (AVA) initiative for the Biden-Harris campaign. AVA was a coordinated voter registration and GOTV effort between Biden for President, Ambassadors for Biden (and their partners), and Democrats Abroad, along with support from Influencers in the arts, sports, and politics. Through this effort, Biden for President undertook the most comprehensive engagement of American voters living abroad ever launched by a presidential campaign, targeted at the 6.5 million eligible American voters living outside the US. As a result, AVA doubled voter participation bringing an estimated additional 500,000 to one million voters to the 2020 election. These additional votes were the winning margin in Georgia, Arizona, and Wisconsin. In addition to his work on AVA, Bruce personally recruited over 80 US Ambassadors to sign on to the support letter from National Security Leaders for Biden.
Moderated By
Shachi Kurl
President, Angus Reid Institute
Shachi Kurl is President of the Angus Reid Institute, Canada’s non-profit foundation committed to independent research. She works with public opinion data to further public knowledge and enhance the national understanding of issues that matter to Canada and the world.
Kurl is often found offering analysis on CBC’s “Power and Politics”, in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, the Globe and Mail, and on the editorial pages of the Ottawa Citizen, among other places. In October 2020, she moderated BC’s only televised provincial election debate, presented by the British Columbia Broadcast Consortium.
She spent the first part of her career as political reporter and holds a degree in Journalism and Political Science from Carleton University.
Kurl is a recipient of the prestigious Jack Webster Award for Best TV Reporting. Along with former Australian and UK Prime Ministers Julia Gillard and Margaret Thatcher, she is an Alumnus of the US State Department’s International Visitor Leadership Program. She is a national Vice Chair of the Canadian Cancer Society.
AMCHAM & SelectUSA Virtually Presents: Doing Business in the USA
Understand Your Options, Determine Your Structure, Expand Your Sales
- Date: Friday, August 20, 2021
- 10:00 am - 12:30 pm PT
- Online from any computer or mobile device
- FREE - During COVID19 Pandemic
Brought to you by the American Chamber of Commerce in Canada (AMCHAM Canada) and the US Commercial Service, SelectUSA, the DBUSA webinar is an informative online conference dedicated to helping Canadian business owners enter the American marketplace. Gain access to our panel of carefully selected Immigration and Cross-Border Lawyers, Tax Specialists, Customs Brokers, and Logistics Professionals coming together from Cascadia Cross-Border Law, Law Offices of Gene Moses, MNP, PCB Customs Brokers, and PCB Freight Management. Hear from The US Commercial Service, SelectUSA speaker on free resources available to help you invest in the US market.
This session will provide you with invaluable data on the best state to expand and introduce you to essential partners. Whether opening a storefront with a US address or partnering with a distribution center for your eCommerce activity, our seasoned panel will present options that will help you determine your export strategy and understand your responsibilities with local and federal government agencies such as the US Customs and Border Protection, Secretary of State and US Citizen and Immigration Services.
AMCHAM Canada - Pacific Chapter members will gain an additional benefit through complimentary 30-minute consultations with each of the speakers following the event.
Topics Include
Subjects are presented by experts in their field. The content focuses on current trends seen in the USA/CDN cross-border market and based on the experiences of each speaker/company. Small to medium sized businesses in the export development planning stage who attend this event will walk away with the knowledge of all available resources and determine/understand:
- Optimal structure for US presence
- Cost-effective logistics and distribution channels
- Responsibility for federal and state tax
- What is considered "working" in the US
- US consumer purchasing behavior
- Canadian export requirements and US import compliance
- Investment opportunities
Agenda
Attend the whole session or only the topics that interest you.
10:00 - 10:05 am
Introduction
Maria Rajanayagam, Chair, AMCHAM Canada - Pacific Chapter
10:05 - 10:15 am
SelectUSA Resources to Invest in the US
Bojan Opsenica, Investment Specialist, US Department of Commerce
10:15 - 10:35 am
How to Access Immigration in the US
Halley Fisher, Attorney at Law, Cascadia Cross-Border Law
10:35 - 10:55 am
How to Form Legal Entities: Structure, Formation and Compliance
Gene Moses, Founder and Principal, The Law Offices of Gene Moses P.S.
10:55 -11:15 am
How to Expand to the US the Smart Way
Sid Rao, Partner, US Tax Services, MNP LLP
11:15 - 11:35 am
How to Import Your Goods into the US
Breanna Leininger, US Operations Manager, Pacific Customs Brokers
11:35 - 11:55 am
How To Optimize Logistics Efforts
Alex Haukaas, Operations Manager, PCB Freight Management
11:55 -12:30 pm
Q&A
Meet the Panel
Bojan Opsenica
Investment Specialist, US Department of Commerce
Bojan Opsenica covers the foreign investment portfolio at the US Consulate in Toronto. As the SelectUSA representative in Canada, he specializes in assisting Canadian companies expanding to the US by providing resources to potential investors. Services offered by SelectUSA include market research, connections to state and local governments, and help navigating the US regulatory system. Bojan also works with State governments to help facilitate investment in their region by organizing investment missions, counselling state representatives, and developing market-specific strategies. During his time at the US Commercial Service, Bojan has also worked to help US companies find Canadian partners in the IT, Construction and Finance sectors. Bojan has a Master’s in Economics from the University of Toronto and an Honors BA from Western University.
Halley Fisher
Attorney at Law, Cascadia Cross-Border Law
Halley Fisher joined Cascadia Cross-Border law full-time after receiving her Juris Doctor degree from Northeastern University School of Law in May 2019, graduating with honors. Halley is a member of the Washington State Bar Association and her practice focuses on citizenship and immigration matters.
During law school, Halley completed a year-long project creating an asylum manual for pro-bono attorneys practicing in the Sixth circuit. This experience led her to intern with Alaska Institute for Justice, an immigration and environmental law nonprofit that represents survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking in immigration matters. Halley also served as a judicial intern to Magistrate Judge John M. Conroy at the U.S. District Court for the District of Vermont, and in the Human Trafficking Division of the Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General in its Summer Legal Internship Program.
Gene Moses
Founder and Principal, The Law Offices of Gene Moses P.S.
Gene R. Moses is the founder and principal of the Law Office of Gene R. Moses P.S. located in Bellingham, Washington. Mr. Moses specializes in the formation and compliance of cross border business entities. The Law Office of Gene R. Moses P.S. has represented business entities throughout the world for 44 years.
Sidhartha (Sid) Rao, JD, LL.M.
Partner, US Tax Services, MNP LLP
As a partner with MNP’s International Tax Services group, Sid specializes in helping high-net-worth individuals and Canadian businesses with US activities navigate the complexities of cross-border tax so they can concentrate on the things that make them successful. He draws on his legal background and exposure to accounting to deliver cross-border tax solutions tailored to clients’ unique situations. Sid’s services include evaluating exposure to US state and local taxes, US individual and business compliance, structuring investment into the US, and consulting US persons on expatriation. His experience includes working with Canadian retailers and wholesalers expanding to the US as well as Canadians investing in US real estate.
Breanna Leininger, CCS, LCB
US Operations Manager, PCB Customs Brokers
With almost two decades in the industry, Breanna has been at the forefront of customs clearances and compliance concerns for a full spectrum of commodities at all ports of entry and all modes of transportation. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications, Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and Government, is a Licensed Customs Broker as well as Certified Customs Specialist. As an NCBFAA Government Affairs Conference Emerging Leaders and Mentors nominee, Breanna has a deep passion for politics, global affairs, and how communication shapes policy and international business relationships. She feels very fortunate to work in an industry that allows her to take part in how policy impacts the global economy and domestic businesses of all shapes and sizes.
Alexandra Haukaas
Operations Manager, PCB Freight Management
Alex Haukaas is a logistics professional who has been in the freight forwarding, NVOCC, and brokerage industries for over seventeen years. Alex has worked in all transportation modes, including air, ocean, truck, rail, and project cargo, with a strong background in project management and business development. Her successful management style is a hands-on approach in identifying her team's strengths, which results in a positive and cohesive work environment. Alex currently holds the Canadian International Freight Forwarding Association (CIFFA) and Forum For International Trade Training (FITT) designations.
About The Organizations
Browse our listing of past events or visit us on Instagram to see photographs.