Newest Chartered Accountants convocate on Feb. 25

Grads from across Ontario gather in Toronto

Toronto (February 23, 2006) - More than 750 newly graduated Chartered Accountants are gathering at Toronto's Westin Harbour Castle on Saturday, February 25, 2006 to celebrate passing the Uniform Evaluation (UFE), one of the world's most challenging professional entry examinations. Keynote speaker Leon Goren, President of Presidents of Enterprising Organizations, will be on hand to tell the graduates that the excitement and challenges of their new career path have just begun and the best is yet to come.

The UFE, written in September, is a national three-day evaluation that assesses competencies including essential knowledge, professional judgment, ethics and the ability to communicate. The UFE is an important component of a professional program, which includes prescribed education, experience and examination requirements. Only those who complete this entire program successfully are entitled to use the prestigious designation of Chartered Accountant.

WHAT: Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario Annual Convocation Ceremony
WHEN: Saturday, February 25, 2006 at 2 p.m.
WHO: Keynote speaker: Leon Goren, President of Presidents of Enterprising Organizations; Graduating CA students and their families; and prominent Chartered Accountants.
WHERE: Grand Metropolitan Ballroom of the Westin Harbour Castle, 1 Harbour Square, Toronto

A total of 21 of 54 CA students who earned places on the Canada-wide Uniform Evaluation's prestigious Honour Roll were Ontario graduates, including 13 women and eight men. The National Honour Roll lists the top students in the country who have successfully written the UFE. Of the total 1,862 UFE successful candidates in Canada, 770 were from Ontario, including 388 men and 382 women from communities across the province.

At the top of the Ontario class in 2006 is Lucy Durocher, who earned the esteemed regional Gold Medal for Ontario as the top UFE writer in the province. Lucy articles with PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP and has a Masters of Management and Professional Accounting degree from the University of Toronto. Lucy recently emigrated from England to join her husband. "I had been studying in the UK and I had to start over again to a great extent, but it was worth it."

Ms. Durocher said about her achievement: "The CA exams are intense so I was amazed to find out I had placed first in Ontario. It is definitely one of the proudest moments of my life."

About the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario:
The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario is the qualifying and regulatory body of Ontario's 31,000 CAs and 3,500 CA students. Since 1879, the Institute has protected the public interest through the CA profession's high standards of qualification and the enforcement of its rules of professional conduct.

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Media are invited to attend the 2006 CA Convocation and interviews with Honour Roll graduates can be arranged.

For more information, please contact:
Perry Jensen
The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario
416-969-4271
1 (800) 387-0735 ext. 271
pjensen@icao.on.ca