November 26, 2010 – January 2, 2011 Get in the spirit of the Holidays – take a train ride through our forest transformed with two million twinkling lights, see the animated displays and listen to holiday sounds as you enjoy hot chocolate, fresh popcorn and roasted chestnuts. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT BRIGHTS NIGHTS [...]

Every December, VanDusen Botanical Garden in Vancouver transforms itself from a serene botanical oasis into a winter wonderland. Millions of colourful lights are strewn around flower beds, trees, shrubs and decorations, combining to create an awesome spectacle. Visitors to the Festival of Light can stroll through brightly-lit pathways, watch the Dancing Lights show, enjoy hot [...]

You gotta be in it to win it! We’ve all heard that saying before. And, in this case, we’re definitely glad we were in it! Several weeks back, we saw an article in the Province about a company called Imogo who was holding a contest offering an IT Makeover worth more than $16,000 for the [...]

Business in Vancouver has reported on the latest in the ongoing efforts to get the recently-launched Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) in BC overturned. How will it play out? Looks like we’ll have to wait and see. What are your thoughts on how keeping or nixing the tax could help or hurt your business? Here’s an [...]

With the implementation date of the HST now in effect, be sure to check out the following list of web resources to learn more about the new Harmonized Sales Tax and how it will affect you and your business. BC GOVERNMENT Consumer Taxes Section Harmonized Sales Tax, Creating Jobs, Lowering Prices CANADA REVENUE AGENCY Goods [...]

Most businesses in BC fall into the category of companies which are required to register with WorkSafeBC and pay premiums for the workers they employ. Is your business required to register or are you exempt? Visit the WorkSafeBC web site and find out what you need to know to meet your business’ legal registration and [...]

And, without further ado, we bring you the newly-implemented HST in BC and Ontario. Many a business owner will no doubt find themselves running into a few hiccups along the way when transitioning into the new tax’s sometimes-confusing rules, particularly with regards to place of supply when doing business with customers in other provinces. Have [...]

General rules are provided by the BC Government to help guide businesses and consumers in a smooth changeover to the proposed Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) in July 2010. The HST Transition Rules specify technical details about paying the HST in the period around July 1, 2010. Overall, the HST would apply to goods and services [...]

Quickbooks software maker, Intuit, is offering free webinars on HST for businesses in Ontario and British Columbia. Ontario HST Webinar June 16, 2010 at 11:30am (local time) Hosted by Richard Krummenacher, CA, CPA, CFP, Certified ProAdvisor BC HST Webinar June 24, 2010 at 11:30am (local time) Hosted by Eileen Reppenhagen, CGA, Certified ProAdvisor Visit the [...]

CRA has compiled a list of notices and bulletins with regards to GST/HST. The list includes information sheets on transitional rules, along with question and answer bulletins for specific areas of concern. Download the bulletin list in PDF format from the Curriculum Services Canada web site.

Curriculum Services Canada has posted a PDF of a a webinar presentation given by the Canada Revenue Agency to help give business owners an overview of the upcoming implementation of HST (Harmonized Sales Tax) in BC and Ontario. The presentation covers many areas of confusion and concern and is a good primer on what you [...]

Without sounding like alarmists, the fact is that hiring the wrong bookkeeper can destroy your business. Before choosing a company with whom to work, it is imperative to clearly define what you expect from your bookkeeper. Choosing a company to assist you in maintaining your financial records is an important decision. We at NALH we [...]

We read an interesting blog post written by the kind folks at the Your Business Today site, run by CompuMax. They had several questions about how to accurately incorporate the new HST regulations when billing their clients in the upcoming months. A CRA agent at the HST Answer Line clarified their questions, which may be [...]

BIV has written an interesting article that underscores the uncertainty that most business owners have around the impending HST that will be going into effect soon.  Here’s a snippet of the article: Almost half of all business owners don’t fully understand how HST will impact their businesses, according to an Angus Reid opinion poll. An [...]

Vancouver’s economy is slated to grow 4% in 2010, topping all Canadian cities, according to Ottawa-based think tank Conference Board of Canada. Toronto and Hamilton will follow closely behind with 3.7% and 3.3% growth respectively, according to the Conference Board of Canada’s Metropolitan Outlook Spring 2010 publication. Read the full article on the Business in [...]