Hi, I'm Emily.
I spent most of my career in big firms — including making partner at a Big Four — before my entrepreneurial side won out and I went independent. Now I get to practice tax the way I actually believe in: clear, human, and built around the people who run the businesses.
Two résumés. One person.
The credential list is only half of it. I've lived both extremes of money — and everything I do comes from the gap between the two.
- CPA, CA — with a tax specialization
- Big Four partner at 34
- Founder of Compass CPA
- Quoted in the Globe & Mail, Investment Executive & Advisor.ca
- Active investor
- Raised on social assistance
- Daughter of a disabled single mother
- A high childhood-adversity (ACE) score
- Labelled "intellectually gifted" as a kid
- And, for a while, a high-school dropout
The journey out of poverty doesn't end at the salary. It ends — if it ends — at the nervous system. That's why I talk about money the way I do.
Not your typical accountant.
I'm the founder of Compass CPA and a recognized voice in Canadian business and tax. I hold an Honours Bachelor of Commerce (cum laude) from Laurentian University, both the Chartered Accountant and Chartered Professional Accountant designations, and a post-designation specialization in Canadian income taxation through CPA Canada — and I put most of it to work for owner-managed private businesses, with strategic accounting, business, and tax guidance.
After years in big firms — and making partner at a Big Four — what stuck with me wasn't the complexity of the files. It was how rarely anyone translated it for the business owner sitting across the table. I'm entrepreneurial by nature, so I went independent and built Compass CPA my way: professionalism without the stuffiness, advice that leaves you clearer, not smaller. The Tax Gazebo is where I share that thinking openly — articles, short videos, and my monthly BEARINGS newsletter.
Sudbury's home — by choice. I grew up in a small town in the Ottawa Valley, moved here at nineteen, fell hard for the city, and never looked back.
As featured in
The Globe and Mail · Advisor.ca · Investment Executive · Eastlink TV
A few gazebo rules
Clarity is a service. If you leave a conversation about your taxes more confused than you arrived, something has gone wrong. Plain language isn't dumbing it down — it's the hard part done properly.
No fear-mongering. Tax content online runs on anxiety. I'd rather you make calm, informed decisions than panic-driven ones.
Owner-managers first. The people who sign the front of the paycheques carry a unique mix of risk and responsibility. Everything here is written with them in mind.
Give back. I grew up without much, so sharing what I know — my time, expertise, and resources — with my community matters deeply to me.
A real gazebo, by a real lake.
The Tax Gazebo isn't a metaphor — it's a little gazebo on the water in Northern Ontario, complete with two red chairs around a fire table, a Canadian flag, and a polka-dot mushroom stool for a side table. It's where I film, where I think, and where the whole friendlier-tax idea took shape.
It's also why the newsletter is called BEARINGS. Living on a lake, you learn to take your bearings before you set out. That's what I want for you and your business: a clear read on where you stand, and the confidence to choose your heading.
When I'm not in the Gazebo, you'll usually find me hiking, fishing, or kayaking with my husband Ken and our dog Xena.
Get your bearings, once a month.
One friendly email a month: what changed in Canadian tax and what to do about it — distilled for owner-managers. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.