James Sabourin

James is a CPA with over seven years’ experience in municipal finance at the City of Ottawa. Graduating with distinction, he holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Guelph and was part of the first class to complete CPA Canada's Public Sector Certificate program.  

A well-rounded finance professional with experience in accounting, financial analysis and decision support, financial services, financial systems and treasury, he is a dedicated professional who volunteers in the municipal finance industry and for the accounting profession.

James has participated on special projects serving as project manager and as business analyst.  These projects included the development and implementation of a financial DataMart and Business Intelligence (BI) reporting software, Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) Sustainment, capital project financial management and systems, OC Transpo's ParaPay system and treasury management systems.

James first got involved in the municipal finance industry through the New Professionals Network - organized by the Municipal Finance Officer's Association of Ontario (MFOA).  There he created and branded a networking event for young professionals in the municipal finance sector that featured subject matter experts speaking on Leadership, Performance Management, Assessment Based Management, Risk Management, Change Management, Strategic Procurement, Treasury and Value for Money (VfM) Analysis.

At the time James joined the board of directors for MFOA in 2015 he was the youngest person to do so.  As a member of the board of directors James advocated for several initiatives including: the roll out of an E-Learning platform and training strategy; the creation of a part-time subject matter expert pool for smaller municipalities, and a business plan that responded to new municipal investment regulations that permit municipalities to become Prudent Investors.  Over his four- year term James chaired the New Professionals Committee, and participated on several committees: audit, professional development and governance.

After himself completing the Certified Management Accountant (CMA) Strategic Leadership Program in 2014 he mentored prospective CMAs in navigating the program.  Since the amalgamation of the accounting profession he has volunteered as an evaluator for the Sprott School of Business's Masters of Accounting Program at Carleton University.
Away from work James treasures his time raising his young family and is active playing soccer, cycling and running.