Financial Planners Standards Council (FPSC) is calling for nominations for the 2007 Donald J. Johnston Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Profession of Financial Planning in Canada.

The Don Johnston Award, inaugurated at FPSC’s 10th Anniversary celebration last January, honours the spirit, imagination, dedication and contribution to the profession of financial planning in Canada, as exemplified by FPSC founding retired president and first recipient of the award, Don Johnston.

“By publicly recognizing and celebrating the contribution of others, FPSC hopes to further inspire ongoing outstanding contribution as well as constructive and cooperative efforts among those working to ensure we have a financial planning profession in Canada of which we can be proud, and in which Canadians can place their trust,” said the chairman of the 2006/07 FPSC board of directors, Peter Volpé.

“It takes a multi-pronged approach to advance a profession. It’s important to encourage, through recognition, the tremendous and varied contributions of many organizations and individuals that, directly or indirectly, benefit the financial planning profession and the public it serves,” added Volpé.

Nominees for award will be considered for their work and accomplishments in the following areas: Servicing or advancing the financial planning profession’s ability to benefit and protect Canadians seeking qualified financial planning; and/or their work and accomplishments toward garnering greater respect and recognition for financial planning as a profession by regulators, legislators, industry, other professions and/or the marketplace. However, it is recognized that these benefits are not mutually exclusive, and it is expected that they will be broadly and diversely interpreted by the Award Committee.

In addition to receiving public recognition for outstanding contribution, each year’s recipient of the award will choose a charity to receive a $10,000 donation made in the recipient’s honour.

Submissions made in writing and submitted to FPSC postmarked on or before December 20 will be reviewed by the 2007 Award Committee. The committee will select the nominees for the consideration of the FPSC board of directors. The board will make its final decision on the 2007 recipient at its spring meeting and will announce the winner in June 2007 at its annual board appreciation reception. The time and place of the reception have yet to be determined.

FPSC has selected a distinguished group of individuals to constitute the 2007 award committee:

  • Paul Bates, Dean and Industry Professor in Financial Management Services at the DeGroote School of Business at McMaster University and Chair of the Investor Education Fund;
  • John DeGoey, financial planner, industry critic and author of The Professional Financial Advisor II;
  • Jocelyne Houle-Lesarge, executive director, Institut québécois de planification financière;
  • Joan Huzar, past president, The Consumers Council of Canada;

  • Don Johnston, founder and retired president of FPSC;
  • Donna MacCandlish, vp, CIBC, former CIBC Ombusdman;and
  • Dave Wild, chairman, Saskatchewan Financial Services Commission and past chairman and current member of the Joint Forum of Financial Market Regulators.