Mississauga, Ont.
The Council of General Synod (CoGS) appointed two new officers of General Synod Nov. 27, Chancellor George Cadman and Treasurer Beng Wee. Both were approved by unanimous votes.
Cadman has served as chancellor of the diocese of New Westminster since 1988 and received an Anglican Award of Merit in 2023 in recognition of his service in that role. At the time the award was announced, then-general secretary Archdeacon Alan Perry said Cadman “had particular impact on the church at the national level, in establishing the means to defend against lawsuits from dissident groups attempting to claim ownership of the parish properties,” citing, in particular, lawsuits filed in the early 2000s against the diocese of New Westminster that were followed by “successful outcomes” for the church as it contested lawsuits in other dioceses. Perry also mentioned Cadman’s role negotiating financial compensation for historic sexual abuse of Japanese Canadians by Anglican priest Gordon Nakayama, who died in 1995.
According to his profile, Cadman is a litigator at Boughton Law, a Vancouver-based firm, and has worked at all levels of the Canadian court system. He has advised clients on resolving corporate, commercial and real estate disputes as well as on governance and risk management leadership, it says. The profile also lists work in government relations on behalf of nonprofits among his specialties. Cadman has served in a host of roles in law, business and the non-profit sector, including as past president and counsel of the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association and several leadership roles in the Kiwanis Foundation of Canada and related charities.
Cadman will replace current chancellor Canon (lay) Clare Burns, who submitted her resignation from the role effective no later than Dec. 31, 2025, the church announced Nov. 12. Burns told CoGS she had known Cadman for many years and was thrilled he was picking up the burden of being chancellor.
“He’ll be amazing,” she said.
Archbishop Shane Parker, primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, said Wee would take the role of treasurer, while previous treasurer Amal Attia would remain the role of chief financial officer; previously Attia had served in both roles simultaneously. Parker said the change was a return to better practices of governance—that it was standard practice for most organizations to keep these roles separate.
The treasurer is an officer of General Synod; the chief financial officer is not.
In a profile submitted to CoGS, Wee says he grew up in a Christian family in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia but did not form his own personal relationship with God until he was struck by the beauty of creation during a trip to the Grand Canyon during his second year of university. He was trained as an accountant in Cheshire, United Kingdom, and has worked in Malaysia, Hong Kong and New York, spending much of his career in accounting and management positions for the publishing company Dow Jones. Wee holds a bachelor’s degree in management and chemical sciences, a master’s degree in theological studies and is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants in the United Kingdom.
“I am grateful to Beng for faithfully offering his extensive experience and acumen to this important role and look forward to serving with him,” Parker said in an announcement on Anglican.ca.
Correction: The spelling of Boughton in this article has been corrected.
