The ballots have been cast and the decision made. The HST in BC has been repealed. Now, the government is presented with the task of reinstating the GST/PST mode. If you’re wondering what will happen now, you’re not alone. For many BC residents and entrepreneurs, questions abound. When will PST be re-implemented? Will we continue [...]

Beginning January 2011 Canada Revenue Agency made changes to the Canada Pension Plan that might affect you if you are: an employee who contributes to the Canada Pension Plan (CPP), whether you are just starting your career or you are planning to retire soon; a self-employed person who contributes to the CPP; between the ages [...]

British Columbia’s general minimum wage will rise by 75 cents on Tuesday to $9.50 an hour, while the minimum wage for liquor servers will increase to $8.75. By next May, the minimum wage will rise to $10.25 an hour. “When workers have more money in their pockets, they are in a better position to support [...]

Together, the Canadian and British Columbia governments have sponsored the Aspect Targeted Skills Shortage program. The initiative bestows up to $7,500 per employer to provide workplace-specific training to eligible employees, to a maximum of $1,500 per employee. The program is a great chance for employers to support educational opportunities for staff members who have a [...]

Whether you love it or hate it, the Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) in BC is soon to be a thing of the past. 55% of the 1.6 million BC voters who cast their ballots in the referendum opted to repeal the tax. So, the work now begins to re-instate the former GST/PST model of taxation [...]

As mentioned in the June 2010 issue of our newsletter, the BC Government is sponsoring a program to help small businesses provide training for their employees that they would not otherwise have access to. If you’d like to apply to receive a grant of up to $5,000 for courses for your employees, here’s the basic [...]

The Government of Canada has approved legislation – the Fairness for the Self-Employed Act – to provide Employment Insurance (EI) maternity, parental/adoption, sickness and compassionate care benefits to self-employed Canadians on a voluntary basis. This legislation will allow the self-employed to opt into the EI program in January 2010, while benefits will start being paid [...]

These days, if you’re like a lot of companies, money is tighter than ever and it’s critical to prioritize expenditures and get the biggest bang for your buck. Sometimes, this means putting things on the back burner that you may otherwise choose to invest in to ensure the growth and advancement of your company. Employee [...]

Earlier this month, the Government of Canada released its 2010 Budget. It contained a number of measures and initiatives to create and maintain jobs, to grow the Canadian economy, to strengthen Canadian Innovation and to make Canada a destination of choice for new business investment. Read the full article on the SOHO web site to [...]

Victoria plans to commit every dollar raised through the HST to health services funding once the controversial tax comes into effect July 1, 2010, according to B.C. Finance Minister Colin Hansen. The provincial government budget tabled Tuesday will increase the Ministry of Health Services’ budget by more than $2 billion between 2009-10 and 2012-13. Health [...]

The Government of Canada has introduced some proposed legislation under the Fairness for the Self-Employed Act which could provide the opportunity for self-employed individuals to access many of the same employment insurance benefits as employees. The legislation, recently announced by the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development, The Honourable Diane Finley, forms part of [...]

About 11,300 more British Columbians collected employment insurance in September than August, leading to the first increase in EI rolls since June, according to data released from Statistics Canada Tuesday. The number of people in B.C. receiving benefits rose 12.8% to 99,360 in September, up from 88,080 in August. StatsCan reported that 15 of B.C.’s [...]