At the 2026 Annual Conference in Kelowna, GFOABC presented its Excellence in Local Government Finance Awards — the profession's highest form of peer recognition in British Columbia. Five awards were presented, recognizing career-long dedication, sustained service, extraordinary achievement, creative ideas that change practice, and commitment to professional development. Each recipient was nominated by peers and selected by the Awards Committee.
Life Member Award
Tanya Garost
The Life Member Award is among GFOABC's highest honours, reserved for careers marked by distinguished service, leadership, mentorship, and lasting contribution. The 2026 recipient is Tanya Garost, City Manager at the City of Martensville, Saskatchewan.
Tanya's connection to GFOABC runs deep. She served seven years on the Board, including a term as President from 2016 to 2018, and was previously honoured with the Outstanding Contribution Award in 2019. After leaving BC, she went on to serve as President of GFOA, representing the profession across Canada and the United States. Through it all, she has remained a consistent presence at GFOABC workshops and conferences, translating technical finance into accessible knowledge for colleagues at every career stage.
The Life Member Award honours something more specific than a resume. In Tanya's award letter, Executive Director Kala Harris wrote that the recognition is for the way she shows up for others — as a mentor, a connector, and someone who consistently elevates those around her. This sentiment is echoed across the profession, with colleagues at every stage pointing to Tanya as someone who changed the trajectory of their careers.
Outstanding Contribution Award
Nyla Attiana
The 2026 Outstanding Contribution Award recognizes Nyla Attiana, Chief Administrative Officer at the District of Tofino, for seven years of distinguished service on the GFOABC Board.
Two contributions stand out over that tenure. First, Nyla helped shape and steward the Education Framework, which became the foundation of the 2019–2024 Strategic Plan and continues to guide the Association through the 2024–2029 Strategic Plan. It was a structural contribution at a defining moment, and it still shapes how GFOABC develops and supports its members.
Second, perhaps less visible from the outside, Nyla helped shape the Board's culture. As GFOABC transitioned from a working board to the hybrid governance model it operates under today, Nyla worked to ensure that the spirit of service and connection that defines the Association remained at the heart of the Board's operations.
It is that combination — vision in what GFOABC does and care in how it shows up — that has left such a lasting mark on the Association.
Outstanding Achievement Award
Tax Sale and Vulnerable People Working Group
When the Ombudsperson's report on tax sales prompted legislative reform, the practical question was how the new framework could work for both the local governments administering it and the vulnerable property owners it sought to protect. The Tax Sale and Vulnerable People Working Group answered that question — together.
Drawing on operational experience across BC, the Working Group informed amendments to the Local Government Act and helped develop the new tax-sale guidelines, best-practice tools, and plain-language communications that local governments rely on today. As Executive Director Kala Harris noted in the award letter, the result is a more practical, fair, and compassionate approach to tax-sale administration — one that will benefit both local governments and residents for years to come.
The 2026 Outstanding Achievement Award recognizes the collective contributions of Erin Anderson, Sally Bhullar-Gill, Janene Brierley-Green, Kevin Franson, Nancy Hudson, Eva Juca, Nicki Kathler, Kim Kenward, Layla Monk, and Angela Zanardo.
Innovative Idea Award
Village of Zeballos
The annual report, as every finance professional knows, is a technical requirement that few in the community actually read. The Village of Zeballos reimagined its annual report as a comic-book superhero story, casting local government staff as everyday heroes who solve unseen problems that keep a community running. Compliance disclosure became something residents actually wanted to read, and it made the work of local government legible in a way few other formats can.
The 2026 Innovative Idea Award recognizes the Village's bold reimagining of how local governments can communicate with the people they serve. The report has resonated in Zeballos and drawn attention across the sector, prompting others to rethink their communications. Special thanks go to Alana Janisse, Deputy Corporate Officer / Deputy Finance Officer, whose presentations at Boot Camp and the Accounting & Auditing Forum extended the reach of this work across the GFOABC community.
New Member Award
Justin Brogan
The 2026 New Member Award recognizes Justin Brogan, now the Finance Services Lead at the Town of Golden. While at the City of Rossland, Justin led the early adoption of PS 3280 (Asset Retirement Obligations) and made templates, working papers, and audit-approved memos freely available to communities across BC — saving colleagues countless hours and significant consulting costs.
That instinct to share runs through everything Justin contributes to the GFOABC community: hands-on conference workshops on data visualization, regular contributions to the Online Forum, and patient mentorship of emerging finance staff across the province.
In her award letter, Executive Director Kala Harris captured what makes Justin stand out: that combination of leadership, curiosity, and generosity is not only valued, it is essential to the strength of the GFOABC community — a clear signal of the leadership Justin will bring to the profession in the years ahead.
The 2026/27 nomination cycle is now open. Know someone whose work deserves recognition? Learn how to nominate.