History
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BDO is proud to celebrate 90 years of great relationships |
In January 1992, our Canadian accounting firms, Dunwoody & Company and BDO Ward Mallette ― each with approximately 70 years of history ― merged with BDO Guenette Chaput in Winnipeg and BDO Frazer Matthews in Edmonton to form one unified firm. Formerly known as BDO Dunwoody, the Canadian member firm of the international BDO network changed its name again in 2010 with the rest of BDO’s firms around the world to become known as, simply, BDO.
The new national accounting and advisory firm developed in the 1990s has been committed to helping independent businesses succeed. We are one of the largest accounting firms in Canada, with 95 offices and over 2,700 practice area professionals and partners across the country to serve our clients.
BDO is the brand name for the BDO network and for each of the BDO Member Firms.
Dunwoody & Company
Dunwoody & Company was established by the late Colonel James M. Dunwoody in March 1921. From its roots as a small local practice to its current status as a national firm, Dunwoody & Company has continued to reflect the influence of its founder.
By 1939, the firm had offices located in Winnipeg, Kenora and Fort Frances. When Colonel Dunwoody retired from the services in 1943, he established another office in Toronto and, in 1947, one in Thunder Bay. In 1959, a partnership was created between the eastern and western partners to also open a Vancouver office.
The firm became truly national in scope in June 1965 when the Vancouver office joined in, and the three partnerships were integrated as Dunwoody & Company. At the time, it had 23 partners and 120 employees in 11 offices.
An international link was forged in 1963 on the condition from BDO’s British firm that Dunwoody & Company also line up a US affiliate. When an agreement was reached with an American firm, a union was built in which Dunwoody was the leader and moving force.
BDO Ward Mallette
From its origins in 1951 as a single office operated by Geoff Ward, BDO Ward Mallette grew to become Canada's seventh-largest public accounting firm.
Prior to this achievement, Geoff Ward acted as auditor for the United Co-operatives of Ontario. When the government passed the Public Accounting and Auditing Act, Ward seized the opportunity to open his own accounting practice with his initial principal clients consisting of agricultural co-operatives and credit unions.
In 1954, the first partnership leading to the establishment of the firm was formed with Herb Watson in Lindsay, Ontario. Soon, more partnerships were formed and the Ontario-wide firm name, G.H. Ward & Partners, was finally adopted in the 1960s.
Attempts were made at various stages in the firm's history to secure international connections. However, it became apparent very quickly that the firm had to grow nationally before it could plan international expansion. Discussions took place with firms in other provinces, leading to a three-way merger of the Ontario firm, the Quebec firm (Groupe Mallette, founded by Paul Mallette, past president of the Quebec Ordre) and the British Columbia firm (founded by David Rolfe, treasurer of the BC Institute) in 1973.
This new national firm became the representative of the American firm Seidman & Seidman, in 1975. Two years later, it became a member of the international firm Binder Seidman, which evolved to become BDO Binder and, recently, BDO International Limited.
BDO Canada LLP today
Both Dunwoody & Company and BDO Ward Mallette had a strong commitment to serving small and medium-sized entrepreneurial clients, and our merged firm has been built on similar principles. We understand how our clients operate and can, therefore, provide them with quality service.
Since we span the entire country, it is important for us to have a central national office to coordinate the utilization of resources. The various departments at National Office (Accounting and Auditing, Taxation, Computer Services, Marketing, Communication, Professional Development and Human Resources) exist to serve the needs of our local offices.
The International BDO Network
BDO Canada LLP, a Canadian limited liability partnership, is a member of BDO International Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, and forms part of the international BDO network of independent member firms. All of our national accounting firms are tied together by means of a common agreement to operate under the BDO name.
BDO is a worldwide network of public accounting firms, called BDO Member Firms, serving international clients. Each BDO Member Firm is an independent legal entity in its own country.
The network’s unifying philosophy includes providing personalized service and quality advice to clients, and emphasizing practical applications and superior standards for all firms in the BDO partnership.
An international directory of all of our BDO offices around the world is available in each office and online at www.bdointernational.com.
