窪蹋勛圖厙

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Yellowknife resident earns top grade

When John Warks bosses called him to meet for coffee a few weeks ago, the senior staff accountant at Crowe Mackay had an inkling they wanted to talk about something big.

Yellowknife resident John Wark earned the highest standing in Canada out of 5,578 students who passed an exam this September to become chartered professional accountants. Wark is being honoured with the Governor General's Gold Medal Award for his achievement and a gold medal for the highest standing in Western Canada. Kirsten Fenn/窪蹋勛圖厙 photo

For the rest of the day I was so nervous, said Wark, who was awaiting the results of the exams he wrote to become a chartered professional accountant. I was like, Whats this about? but I didnt want to get my hopes up.

What he didnt expect was to hear hed scored the highest standing in Canada on whats known as the common final examination.

A total of 5,578 students from across the country passed the test this September eight from the NWT and Nunavut region, according to a news release.

It was complete shock and relief, said Wark, who has earned the Governor Generals Gold Medal award for the highest standing in Canada, as well as a second gold medal for the highest standing in Western Canada.

And hes still coming off a big weekend of celebration.

Friday in the morning we got our results and then a limo came to get us with champagne, said Wark. They drove us around and then to the Explorer Hotel.

The afternoon was filled with food, drinks, games and speeches, as well as visits that week from loved ones and even a mentor of Warks who flew in from Toronto to congratulate him.

This is the first time I believe weve ever had someone from the territories or Nunavut actually place nationally, said Matthew Bannister, a member of the transitional steering committee of Chartered Professional Accountants Northwest Territories/Nunavut. Weve had honour role in the past, but never a national gold medalist.

Wark, who majored in accounting at McGill University, joined Crowe MacKay nearly three years ago as a junior staff member working in areas such as audits and tax.

As part of the CPA program, he was required to complete six eight-week modules that included weekly assignments and exams, before writing a final three-day common final examination this year, he said.

You have to pass each day in order to pass the exam, said Bannister of the final test. Not only did John pass each day of the exam, he excelled and scored the highest standing of anyone in the country, across the board its just an exceptional achievement, really.

But Wark said he couldnt have done it without the help of Crowe MacKay.

And thats true, he said, explaining the company helped him financially through the CPA program and afforded him time off to study for the final exam.

That was pretty impressive that they were willing to do all that, said Wark. But they didnt even hesitate.

Wark is expected to receive his awards, as well as a CPA Foundation scholarship, at a celebratory event on Jan. 20, according to a news release.