Radio Western Report to the Board of Directors For the year ended May 31, 2010 Reported as at November 16, 2010 PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP Chartered Accountants 465 Richmond Street, Suite 300 London, Ontario Canada N6A 5P4 Telephone + 1 519 640 8000 Facsimile + 1 519 640 8015 www.pwc.com November 16, 2010 Board of Directors Radio Western We have substantially completed our audit of the financial statements of Radio Western (the “Organization”) for the year ended May 31, 2010 and propose to issue an unqualified report dated November 18, 2010 on those financial statements. Our draft report along with management’s draft financial statements are included in Appendix A. We have issued the accompanying report to the members of the Board of Directors and management of the Organization to assist in their review of the financial statements. At the Board of Directors meeting to be held on November 18, 2010, we will be responding to questions from the Board relating to our audit. We would like to express our thanks to the management and staff of Radio Western who have assisted us in carrying out our work. We look forward to meeting with you and discussing the contents of this report and any other matters which you consider appropriate. Yours very truly, Kerry Gerber Partner Audit and Assurance Group cc: Cathy Clarke Carrie Passi “PricewaterhouseCoopers” refers to PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, an Ontario limited liability partnership, or, as the context requires, the PricewaterhouseCoopers global network or other member firms of the network, each of which is a separate and independent legal entity. Radio Western Report to the Board of Directors Contents 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Executive summary......................................................................... 1 Significant audit, accounting and reporting matters ........................ 2 Required communications to the Board of Directors....................... 3 Communicating control weaknesses............................................... 4 2010 fees ........................................................................................ 5 Accounting and financial reporting developments........................... 6 Appendices A - Draft auditors’ report and draft financial statements B - Management representation letter C - Summary of unadjusted and adjusted differences The matters raised in this and other reports that will flow from the audit are only those which have come to our attention arising from or relevant to our audit that we believe need to be brought to your attention. They are not a comprehensive record of all the matters arising, and in particular we cannot be held responsible for reporting all risks in your business or all internal control weaknesses. This report has been prepared solely for your use and should not be quoted in whole or in part without our prior written consent. No responsibility to any third party is accepted as the report has not been prepared for, and is not intended for, any other purpose. Radio Western Report to the Board of Directors 1. Executive summary This document outlines the results of our audit of the financial statements of the Organization as at and for the year ended May 31, 2010. The following topics are discussed in the accompanying report: ■ The fact that we have substantially completed our audit and plan to issue an unqualified opinion subject to the completion of certain procedures discussed below; ■ Significant audit, accounting and reporting matters; ■ Required communications to the Board of Directors; ■ Communicating control weaknesses; and ■ Accounting, auditing and reporting developments. At the time of writing this report, the following items remain outstanding: ■ Receipt of management representation letters, ■ Legal confirmations, and ■ Approval of the final financial statements by the Board of Directors We will update the Board with regards to any issues that arise as a result of our completing the above procedures at the forthcoming meeting. The final procedure we need to evidence prior to the release of our opinion is the approval of the financial statements. We would like to highlight to the Board that we received full cooperation from management during the course of the audit and had unrestricted access to personnel. We had no disagreements with management over accounting or reporting matters. PricewaterhouseCoopers (1) Radio Western Report to the Board of Directors 2. Significant audit, accounting and reporting matters Our comments should only be taken in the context of the financial statements as a whole and are not meant to express an opinion or view on any individual items or accounting estimates. a) Items of significance in the current year We are responsible for ensuring that the Board of Directors is informed about the initial selection of and changes in significant accounting policies or their application. We are also responsible for informing the Board of Directors of significant unusual transactions and the effect of significant policies in controversial or emerging areas. Issue Background Recommendation GST/HST Registration Radio Western is not registered for GST/HST. However, GST is charged on revenue and collected on purchases. Radio Western should no longer consolidate GST/HST activity with the USC. Radio Western has historically consolidated their GST activity with the University Students’ Council (USC) remittance. This has provided the USC with efficiencies during the GST remittance process. If GST/HST registration does not occur, Radio Western should cease collection of GST/HST on sales and will result in Radio Western losing the ability to claim input tax credits. PricewaterhouseCoopers (2) Radio Western Report to the Board of Directors 3. Required communications to the Board of Directors Canadian Assurance Standard 5751 and other professional standards require the external auditors to communicate certain matters to the Board of Directors that may assist the Board in overseeing management’s financial reporting and disclosure process. Below we summarize these required communications as they apply to the Organization: Matter to be communicated Auditors’ response The auditors’ professional judgment on other qualitative aspects of accounting principles including existence of acceptable alternative policies and methods Accounting policies have been consistently applied from prior year and there are no significant changes. All alternative accounting treatments within Canadian generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) for policies and practices related to material items (including revenue recognition, measurement, presentation and disclosure alternatives) have been discussed with management during the current audit period, including the acceptability of the policies or methods ultimately retained by management. Auditors’ responsibility under Canadian generally accepted auditing standards (GAAS) The financial statements are the responsibility of management. Our audit was designed in accordance with auditing standards generally accepted in Canada to provide reasonable, rather than absolute, assurance that the financial statements are free of material misstatement. As a part of the audit, we obtained an understanding of internal controls sufficient to plan our audit and to determine the nature, timing and extent of testing performed. Significant audit adjustments and unadjusted differences Refer to Appendix C for a summary of significant adjusted and unadjusted differences. Disagreements with management During our audit, we received full co-operation from management and had no disagreements about matters that individually or in the aggregate were significant to the Organization’s financial statements, the effectiveness of internal control or our audit opinion. Management’s consultation with other accountants Management has advised us that it has not relied on consultations with other accounting firms regarding any significant accounting matters in fiscal 2010. Significant difficulties encountered during the audit No significant difficulties were encountered while performing our audit which requires the attention of the Board of Directors. Fraud and illegal acts No irregularities, fraud or illegal acts involving senior management, or any that would cause a material misstatement of the financial statements, came to our attention as a result of our audit procedures completed to issue a report on the financials taken as a whole, or from further discussions with management. Independence We are not aware of any issues that would impact our independence on this engagement since our independence letter dated July 6, 2010. PricewaterhouseCoopers (3) Radio Western Report to the Board of Directors 4. Communicating control weaknesses Professional standards require the auditor to communicate to management and the Board of Directors significant weaknesses in the design or operation of internal controls identified during the audit. We considered the Organization’s internal control over financial reporting as a basis for designing our audit procedures for the purpose of expressing our opinion on the financial statements but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting. We do, however, discuss our observations and recommendations with management during the course of our audit and highlight the following items designed to help the Organization improve internal controls and achieve operational efficiencies. Below is a summary of the control weaknesses identified that should be brought to your attention as a result of our review. Control deficiency Internally Restricted Funds Legal contingency funds have been set aside. These funds are not tracked separately for accounting purposes. Recommendation A separate bank account should be set up for these contingency funds in order to allow for more accurate tracking Management’s comments Management is in agreement and will consider implementation in the next fiscal year. A separate reserve fund should be set up for accounting purposes Invoicing of Advertising Revenue Sales invoices are not issued for advertising contracts, therefore revenue is recorded only when cash is received. Outstanding receivables are not assessed on a regular basis. Invoices should be issued for each advertising contract to allow for revenue and/or deferred revenue to be recorded in the appropriate period The collectability of outstanding receivables should be assessed on a regular basis Board of Directors Meeting Minutes Board meeting minutes should be retained for future reference Meeting minutes are not properly retained. The responsibility of maintaining these records has not been assigned to one individual. One individual should be assigned the responsibility of maintaining these documents PricewaterhouseCoopers Management is in agreement. Management is in agreement. A copy of meeting minutes should be forwarded to the Finance Department (4) Radio Western Control deficiency Manual Journal Entry Approval and Maintenance All accounting staff members have the ability to create manual journal entries. Manual journal entries are not maintained in a sequential manner. Recommendation A formal review process should be implemented in which each manual journal entry is reviewed by management Report to the Board of Directors Management’s comments Management is in agreement. Manual journal entries should be organized by batch number for easy reference Manual journal entries will be created with informative descriptions This communication is intended solely for the information and use of the Board of Directors, management and others within the organization. 5. 2010 fees We communicated our estimated fees when we presented our audit plan on July 14, 2010. We provided the Organizations’ management with updates related to any significant changes in the level of effort and associated professional fees necessary to complete the engagement. Please see the actual fees and out-ofpocket expenses for the 2010 audits as follows: Service description Actual fees 2010 Audit 6,195 Total Audit services 6,195 Preparation of income tax returns 630 Total Tax services 630 Total services PricewaterhouseCoopers 6,825 (5) Radio Western Report to the Board of Directors 6. Accounting and financial reporting developments Future of financial reporting for not-for-profit organizations NPOs have the option to adopt International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). The Accounting Standards Board (AcSB) and the Public Sector Accounting Board (PSAB) have been reassessing the strategic direction of financial reporting for NPOs in Canada and in recent communications have highlighted the following principles: • • Options are required to reflect the diversity and complexity of NPO organizations There is much support for the specific standards currently in place In March 2010, the AcSB issued an exposure draft, proposing that NPOs not subject to public sector reporting requirements will have a choice of adopting: • • Accounting Standards for Private Enterprises (ASPE) supplemented by the Section 4400 series (which addresses situations specific to NPOs); and IFRS In a separate exposure draft, PSAB proposes to incorporate the 4400 series into the Public Sector Handbook and to direct government NPOs to adhere to the standards in the Public Sector Handbook. Comments to both exposure drafts are requested by July 15, 2010 and the final standards are expected to be issued by the end of 2010, with implementation required for fiscal periods beginning on or after January 1, 2012. Early adoption of the standard will be permitted. The existing standards for NPOs will remain in effect until the completion of due process for changing those standards. We will keep management and the Board of Directors informed of any changes that are made to the options available to the Organization. PricewaterhouseCoopers (6) Radio Western Report to the Board of Directors Appendix A Draft auditors’ report and draft financial statements Radio Western Report to the Board of Directors Appendix B Management representation letter Radio Western Report to the Board of Directors Appendix C Summary of unadjusted and adjusted differences a) Summary of unadjusted differences At the conclusion of our audit, we summarized all significant unadjusted items and discussed these with management. The net amount of unadjusted items of which we are aware at May 31, 2010 resulted in pretax income of the company being overstated by $6,621. We are not proposing further adjustments, and concur with management’s assertion that the unadjusted items above are immaterial, both individually and in aggregate to the financial statements taken as a whole. Earnings Description Estimated Advertising Revenue Write-off of Input Tax Credit (ITC) Receivable Total pre-tax differences Over (under) stated $3,854 $2,767 Assets (over) under stated ($3,854) ($2,767) $6,621 ($6,621) Balance sheet Liabilities over (under) Stated Opening equity over (under) stated $Nil $Nil Radio Western b) Report to the Board of Directors Summary of adjusted differences Earnings Description Reclassification of Equipment Rental Expense out of Depreciation Expense ($18,335) Reclassification of Receivables into Due from USC ($365,337) Adjustment for Prior Period Retained Earnings Total pre-tax differences Over (under) stated - Assets (over) under stated Balance sheet Liabilities over (under) Stated Opening equity over (under) stated $22,768 $22,768 ($22,768) $Nil ($22,768) $Nil Radio Western Report to the Board of Directors www.pwc.com/ca © 2010 PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. All rights reserved. “PricewaterhouseCoopers” refers to PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, an Ontario limited liability partnership, or, as the context requires, the PricewaterhouseCoopers global network or other member firms of the network, each of which is a separate and independent legal entity.