Charles D. (Chip) Burgess
Bio
Chip grew up in Calgary. He received a BA from the University of Calgary with a major in Latin American Studies, taking every opportunity to travel before and during university. Chip graduated Cum Laude from the University of Ottawa Law School in 1987, receiving the Richard DeBoo Award in Taxation upon graduation. After articling at Fenerty Robertson Fraser & Hatch in Calgary, Chip was called to the Alberta bar in 1988. He remained at Fenerty as an associate in the tax group, becoming a partner in 1995. Chip left Milner Fenerty, as it then was, for a brief stint at Burnet Duckworth & Palmer before going into practice as a sole practitioner. Since graduating from law school, Chip has completed all three levels of the In-Depth Tax Course offered by the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants, as well as the In-Depth Specialty Programs on Advanced Corporate Reorganizations and Advanced Taxation of Owner Managers.
Chip’s legal practice has always focussed on tax issues for the Canadian owner-manager, and the related corporate and commercial considerations. He also has a great deal of experience in asset protection matters having specialized in this area of law in the mid-1990’s. Chip has lectured at the Alberta bar admission course on tax law as well at several international tax conferences on asset protection trusts. He is the past chair of the Canadian Bar Association tax specialist group in Calgary, and he is a current member of the Law Society of Alberta, the Canadian Tax Foundation and the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners.
Over the years, Chip has been involved in a multitude of different activities. In 1996 he co-founded Synova Capital Corp., a private venture capital firm with offices in Calgary and Vancouver. He was the executive producer of a Disney film called Sacred Planet and of A Search For Freedom, and is working on a new film under the working title The Skool Project.
Chip has been a director on numerous public and private company boards, including several CPC shell companies. He was also a director and officer at Carnmoney Golf and Country Club and the American International School in Costa Rica. He served as a board member and chair of the City of Calgary Public Art board from 2009-2015. He still sits on the board of Catalyst Healthcare, a Kelowna BC based medical software company.
Apart from work, Chip plays ice hockey several times a week, enjoys golfing, skiing (snow and water) and sailing. He also travels as much as he can, especially to interesting and faraway places, and loves attempting to capture his adventures on film.