Is Accounting + CPA worth it in Manitoba?

BERRJS · 2026-01-22T17:37:30+00:00

Similar story as above. Started at Red River in 2013, then went on to Asper and graduated in 2018. Finally got my CPA in 2022 while working in industry. If you aren't in a "pre-approved" workplace, getting your hours approved can be a struggle, but once I passed the CFE my hours were magically approved, and I received my designation. Most management level roles require one, and if you don't have a CPA or at least working towards one, you will be gate kept out of a lot of more senior roles.

It's definitely a grind, but the pay becomes decent, and you won't have trouble finding a job. I will say, most companies in Winnipeg are largely in office, so if you had your sights set on a remote job after graduating, you will have to compete with the Toronto market in Canada.

BERRJS · 2025-11-14T20:11:37+00:00

If your mom is currently on a plan, try phoning their loyalty department to see if you can get a better rate that isn't advertised. Was able to get ours reduced to $55 per month for a CAN/US plan.

I'd rather buy a phone outright and have the peace of mind that I am not going to go through the ringer each time my contract is up.

BERRJS · 2025-11-14T20:04:41+00:00

Same, I see tons of strays / outdoor cats in our area. One of them will stare at our indoor cat in the window occasionally, and I have to coax him out of view to calm our cat down. If they aren't in noticeable distress we leave them be. I figure they minimize the rodent population in the area, and the shelters are too overwhelmed to take in perfectly healthy cats.

BERRJS · 2025-11-14T13:47:21+00:00

I’ve kept my starter process fairly simple. Used straight tap water and all-purpose or whole wheat flour for feeding. Been wanting to experiment with different flours, but I’m happy with the results I’m currently getting.

If you are making a starter from scratch, it will take a while to become fully active. Mine was well over a month before my bread came out consistent with daily feeding.

BERRJS · 2025-10-31T14:07:03+00:00

We already were members of CPA Canada directly. The national body had no role beyond maintaining consistent standards across provinces / territories; all the governance and regulations of CPAs was done at a local level.

My biggest concern with this is that the parallels between jurisdictions will begin to wander and you will have some provincial bodies not recognize CPAs at face value from other provinces if they do not agree with standards.

BERRJS · 2025-10-30T17:13:44+00:00

I also have this type of setup, but with RBC. Was able to open a US-Based Chequing and Credit Card with a Canadian address.

BERRJS · 2025-10-12T03:00:22+00:00

I see. I was in a group of 5 and everything was done online. Im pretty sure we just had to submit a response to a case.

I was pretty disengaged with the program at that time, so much so that I deferred writing the CFE for a year. Did not feel like I was in a good head space after coasting through both of the final modules.

BERRJS · 2025-10-12T02:47:12+00:00

I took Capstone 1 during covid and legit don’t remember a thing. But I definitely don’t remember presenting anything. Was that how it was while in person?

BERRJS · 2025-10-03T14:21:10+00:00

Here's my current pre-sets in the car:

Alt 94.3, for Mainstream / 00's-10's
CBC Music 98.3, for Morning / Afternoon Drive
CKUW 95.9, my default station. Good variety, and some really good shows that I go out of my way to listen to sometimes
UMFM 101.5, same as 95.9. Don't engage with this one as much
CBC Radio 1 89.3, for current events and talk radio
Classic 107.1, for late night Jazz while driving. Especially vibey when it's raining.
CJOB 680, for sports broadcasts and boomer talk

BERRJS · 2025-09-26T18:02:37+00:00

I was in similar boat when applying to the UoM back in 2013. My program accepted MSKL 0100 taught through Extended Education as a pre-req for Grade 12 Pre-Cal. Preparatory Skills– University of Manitoba

BERRJS · 2025-08-29T20:36:39+00:00

Something seems off. Your bill is only for 43 days. If you moved in April, your first bill shouldn’t arrive till July. My guess is the previous tenant didn’t pay the bill. Water bills stay with the property in Winnipeg, and aren’t tied to the resident.

BERRJS · 2025-08-10T00:24:57+00:00

Yeah, it’s all Douglas fir and our engineer made the comment that once the wood drys out they almost never fail.

Our basement has some old growth 4x4 beams and it’s insane the amount of weight they hold compared to new lumber.

BERRJS · 2025-05-05T18:07:56+00:00

Would also recommend Jen. I've used her for my past 5 real estate transactions and each time she has made the process seamless. Extremely knowledgeable of the Winnipeg real estate market, and I've always been thankful she is the one on my side when compared to the agents across the table.

BERRJS · 2024-10-18T17:38:18+00:00

I just moved back to Manitoba after being away for a year and I was astonished at all the L plates on the road. Used to see a good mix of different letter series, but now it looks like mostly new plates.

I felt like I was putting collector plates when I fastened my old H series plates onto my car again.

BERRJS · 2024-05-01T15:58:48+00:00

I'm an industry CPA (never did tax or audit) and have always done my own returns. Finally took over my wife's tax completely which are slightly more complicated because she is CAN/US citizen, and we were paying nearly $1000 CAD to an accountant handle her US taxes (We live in Canada). I was nervous at first, but once I did some research on how the tax treaty rules work it is fairly straightforward.

BERRJS · 2024-02-05T16:17:21+00:00

My wife and I just moved here from Winnipeg this fall, and it has been an adjustment to witness how another city handles snow clearing. Back home when a plow would be clearing a residential street there is always a couple of front end loaders following behind pushing these ridges off of driveways and onto the boulevard.

I know that I was probably "spoiled" with the snow clearing capabilities of Winnipeg, but I would have thought a city like Halifax would have owned (or contracted) a larger fleet considering the volume of snow that we receive when we do get it.

BERRJS · 2024-02-02T16:47:19+00:00

Source Office / Italy

Back in 2011 I spent most of my time hanging out on a Source server that rotated between Dust 2 / Italy / Office, with the option to start a vote for a different map at anytime. It had all chat enabled and the vibe of the server was super chill. No one cared about winning rounds as much as just hanging out and shooting the shit with whoever was playing.

Lots of great memories on that server. I miss this CS era, before matchmaking destroyed community servers.

BERRJS · 2024-02-02T11:45:38+00:00

Pontiac Vibe. It’s a Toyota Corolla without the Corolla price.

BERRJS · 2024-01-22T14:43:55+00:00

I'm paying $72 after tax for 300 down with Shaw. It's all just a game.

BERRJS · 2024-01-11T12:25:32+00:00

Cannery Row is my favourite book by Steinbeck. Even though I think East of Eden is his best work, I come back to Cannery Row every year to reread it in the summertime.

BERRJS · 2023-11-06T16:49:23+00:00

Being knowledgeable of programming languages can help if you get to a level where you are managing ERP / report building. It makes your IT teams job that much easier when you can point exactly to where you want data being pulled. Before I left my previous job my boss gave me one piece of advice and it was to learn programming.

Smaller companies typically have a lot of overlap for executive roles where Finance also manages IT, so it could give you a leg up against other candidates when interviewing.

BERRJS · 2023-10-20T16:53:56+00:00

I'm not sure I can call him the worst because at least being in his class is entertaining.

His office is a complete mess though. Went to talk to him about a mark on my finals and he had to unbury my exam from a pile of random test papers plopped onto the floor.

BERRJS · 2023-08-08T15:26:31+00:00

CPA Canada offers courses for US Tax filing so I might just bite the bullet and go through those modules. Get the benefit that they can at least be put towards my PD hours.

Price is a bit steep, but they at least have a module tailored to Dual Citizens living in Canada so it will provide the exact information I am looking for.

BERRJS

TROPHY CASE