Online Publications

• Author of Taxation and Investment in Canada, the Canadian tax content in the Global Tax Explorer online publication of the International Bureau of Fiscal Documentation (“IBFD”), Amsterdam (www.ibfd.org).

Conference Papers

• Charitable Giving:  Ebenezer Scrooge in a Taxable Canadian Context, Conference on Tax Fundamentals for the Estate Practitioner, Vancouver, BC:  May 10, 2019 (Continuing Legal Education Society of British Columbia).  Read Article.
• Keeping the Dream Safe: Effective Tax Planning Surrounding the Family Cabin, Conference on Tax Issues in Real Estate Transactions, Vancouver BC: February 26, 2015 (Pacific Business and Law Institute). Co-authored with Layli Antinuk. Read article
• Effective Uses of Trusts in Estate Planning: The Depth and Breadth of Trusts, Conference on Trusts: Beyond the Basics, Vancouver BC: June 26, 2014 (Pacific Business and Law Institute). Read article
• Proposed Section 56.4 — Still Draft After All These Years, British Columbia Tax Conference, Vancouver, BC: September 26-27, 2011 (Canadian Tax Foundation). Read article
• Allocation of Purchase Price and Transalta, British Columbia Tax Conference, Vancouver, BC: September 26-27, 2011 (Canadian Tax Foundation). Read article
• Income Tax Attribution Rules, Conference on Tax Fundamentals for the Estate Practitioner. Vancouver, BC: February 4, 2011 (Continuing Legal Education Society of British Columbia). Read article
• Considerations in Drafting Shareholder Agreements, British Columbia Tax Conference. Vancouver, BC: November 21-22, 2005 (Canadian Tax Foundation). Read article
• Debt Restructuring, Tax for the Non-Specialist – 1996. Vancouver, BC: February 15, 1996 (The Continuing Legal Education Society of British Columbia).
• A Comparison of the Income Tax Implications of Using a Partnership or a Joint Venture, Corporate Management Tax Conference. Toronto, Ontario: June 28-29, 1994 (Canadian Tax Foundation).
• Tax and Matrimonial Problems, Matrimonial Law, Tax and Pensions. Vancouver, BC: December 2, 1993 (The Continuing Legal Education Society of British Columbia).
• Tax and Matrimonial Problems, Tax for the Non-Specialist – 1993. Vancouver, BC: March 10, 1993 (The Continuing Legal Education Society of British Columbia).
• GST Consequences for Reorganizations, Corporate Tax: The Essentials Course. Vancouver, BC: October 21-22, 1992 (The Canadian Institute).
• The Federal Goods and Services Tax and Commercial Leases, Strategic Issues in Commercial Leasing: Competing in Today’s Market. Vancouver, BC: April 29, 1992 (The Canadian Institute).
• Tax Implications of Incorporation, Tax for the Non-Specialist-1991. Vancouver, BC: October 17, 1991 (The Continuing Legal Education Society of British Columbia).
• Taxation of Partnerships and Joint Ventures, British Columbia Tax Conference. Vancouver, BC: September 12-13, 1990 (Canadian Tax Foundation).

Languages

• Français (un petit peu): compétences de niveau intermédiaire (lire, écrire et parler).
• Deutsch (ein bißchen): mittlere Sprachkenntnisse (lesen, schreiben und sprechen).

Teaching Positions

• Lecturer for Tax Update Course, Institute of Chartered Accountants of British Columbia (Victoria sessions, 2000).
• Instructor in Advanced Taxation, University of Victoria Law School (spring term, 1994).
• Instructor in Tax Law, Professional Legal Training Course (Victoria session of the British Columbia Bar Admission Course), 1993 to 1999.
• Instructor in Business Law at the Bar Admission Course of the Law Society of Upper Canada (Ontario) (1986-1987).

Personal Pursuits

• When not mulling over arcane provisions of the federal Income Tax Act, Blair can be found kayaking in the coastal waters off Vancouver Island.
• Blair also enjoys bicycling, hiking, travelling and reading history. And taking photos while kayaking in the beautiful waters off Vancouver Island.
  
  On one kayaking excursion, Blair was visited by a young seal. Did it want to be a corporate seal, perhaps?

Miscellaneous

• Blair is a native of Cape Breton Island and enjoys listening to Celtic and other types of folk music.
• Blair is married and is the father of two sons.
• While working his way through university, Blair had some interesting jobs.
  • He was a freelance journalist for CBC Radio (Halifax and Sydney).
  • He worked over several summers at the Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site (Parks Canada) as a costumed guide portraying the life of an 18th century soldier.
    • Blair started off as a private in his first summer but ended up as a lieutenant. This, of course, would not have been possible in the actual 18th century.
    • Blair was in charge of live cannon firings.
• Blair was a research assistant for Volume 1 of the Historical Atlas of Canada: From the Beginning to 1800 (Toronto: University of Toronto Press) R. Cole Harris, editor; Geoffrey J. Matthews, Cartographer.