April 2nd 2015
Whitehorse Chamber E-Bulletin “The Voice Of Business”
Happy Easter from the Whitehorse Business Community!
In This Week’s Edition for April 2nd 2015..... 1. Whitehorse Business Connect Wrap Up 2. Alaska Highway Signs and Planter Boxes 3. Canadian Chamber of Commerce - Is Canada Headed For Recession? 4. Canadian Chamber of Commerce - From The Desk Of The President 5. (Continued) 6. Spring Job and Volunteer Fair 7. TIA Spring Conference 8. 2015 VIC Staff Training 9. Yukon Chamber of Commerce - Signature Tasting Series / The Artist Project 10.Frozen Globe Awards 11.Canada Revenue Agency - Falling For A Tax Scam 12.City Of Whitehorse Update 13.Pathways To Wellness
2015 Whitehorse Business Connect
The Whitehorse Chamber of Commerce held its first ever Business Connect conference and it was a huge success! Throughout the 2 day event an estimated 400 people attended some or all of the speeches, presentations and Business After Hours. There was also a trade-show which ran for the full two days and had the maximum number of 34 booths. The 3 keynote speeches from Premier Pasloski, Mayor Dan Curtis and Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi were very well received and the Chamber received a lot of positive feedback. This conference will be held again next year due to its success and people are encouraged to sign up early as the booths and delegate positions are sure to fill up fast! A big thank you to our sponsors who made this event possible:
Alaska Highway Signs and Planter Boxes As we head into the spring and summer season, the Whitehorse Chamber would like to remind businesses of advertising opportunities along the Alaska Highway and in the downtown area.
Urban Visitor Signs (UVS) structures have been erected at both the north and south ends of Whitehorse on the Alaska Highway. The structures are grouped into different categories (Gas, Food, Lodging, Services and Attractions ) and each has three slots for businesses to advertise. For more information on the UVS program, please click on this link:http:// www.whitehorsechamber.ca/index.php/highway-signs-urban-visitor-system-uvs
Planter boxes full of beautiful flowers are placed all around the downtown core every summer and businesses have an opportunity to purchase a box which they can advertise on (4 sides) or place outside of their workplace. This is made possible through the Chamber’s partnership with Challenge and the City of Whitehorse. By participating in this program, you not only get to advertise, but also help to beautify our city! For more information on the Planter Box Program, please click on this link: http://www.whitehorsechamber.ca/index.php/planter-box-program
5 Minutes for Business
Reduced Speed Ahead: Is Canada Headed for Recession? March 24, 2015
Since the Bank of Canada lowered interest rates as “insurance” against the risk of a sharper downturn, many have been asking: How long will it take for the fall in oil prices to impact the broader economy and how severe will the slowdown be? What will it mean for Canadian business?
Contribution to percent change in real GDP Q4, 2014 Household Consumption Government expenditure Business Investment
Canada’s fourth-quarter GDP growth came in at a brisk 2.4%, which looks pretty good, but when we examine where the growth came from, there is cause for concern. Household consumption was OK, but exports and business investment both declined. Instead, you can see in the adjacent graph that the biggest contributor, accounting for three quarters of the rise in GDP is inventories. A sharp rise in inventory can be caused by businesses stocking up in anticipation of stronger sales in the future or, alternatively, if a sharp deterioration in demand leaves unwanted stock. What’s the likelihood that business was stocking up in anticipation of a bonanza at the end of 2014? Not very good. Instead, we’ve heard anecdotally that companies in the oil patch were hit with a particularly sharp drop in sales, and the concerns are broad-based with the auto sector accounting for a big part of rising inventories. There are three reasons we’re expecting a significant slowdown in Canada. Firstly, the big declines in capital expenditure have not yet been seen in the broader economy. Remember that oil prices remained above $75 until the middle of November and only fell into the $50 range in December. There were many announcements of cutbacks at the end of 2014 but these will not be seen in operations on the ground until the first half of 2015, a point confirmed by many service providers in the energy industry. Secondly, consumption looks soft as retail sales fell by 1.7% in January, signs that consumers are staying
Inventories Exports Imports -0.2
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home. Also, that big boost from inventories will reverse and become negative in the quarters ahead as the closures of Target, Mexx, Jacob and Sony subtract billions from the inventory tally this year. Thirdly, it is true that many manufacturing industries are seeing a boost in sales from the weaker loonie and a stronger U.S. economy. Canada’s auto sector and aerospace industry exports have been particularly stellar. However, oil and gas accounts for 24% of Canadian exports, and those prices have fallen by half. It will take a long time before manufacturing can compensate for a 12% hit to Canadian exports. Canada’s domestic economy has a hit a soft patch, so we should be braced for bad news in the first half of 2015. Overall GDP growth should come in around 1.8% this year, and Canadian businesses will have to focus more than ever on exports if they want to maintain the strong growth rates we’ve seen. In the meantime, it looks like we may need that insurance. For more information, please contact: Hendrik Brakel Senior Director, Economic, Financial & Tax Policy 613.238.4000 (284) | hbrakel@chamber.ca
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Advocacy at Work At this time of year, our Policy group is intensely focused on two things: the federal budget, which will determine a lot about the policy resolutions debates that will take place at our AGM and Convention in the fall, and the launch of our policy projects. As 2015 is an election year, the budget will be the key event that sets the issues on which the government wants to campaign. At the Canadian Chamber, we are gearing up for the election by producing an “election manifesto.” The document will focus on competitiveness and will group our many issues into five categories: access to money; access to skilled workers; access to technologies and infrastructures; access to markets; and finally, the role of government to ensure an efficient business climate. We will be asking the parties to address these areas of policy in their campaigns. As it approaches an election, the government is, naturally, trying to move key legislation forward in the House. Four of our Policy Directors have already testified to various House or Senate Committees this season and I recently met with Justin Trudeau and with Thomas Mulcair to brief them on our Top 10 Barriers to Competitiveness. These meetings are particularly important in an election year, since we want to be ready to meet the next government—whoever that is—on the basis of good, cordial relations.
Advocacy success The first quarter of 2015 is coming to a close, and I am pleased to report that we have had quite a few positive developments on Parliament Hill.
Continued on next page...
Last week, the federal government announced that it will establish a new export market development program and expand the Trade Commissioner Service. The export market development program will receive $50 million over five years to provide non-repayable matching contributions to companies seeking to export to emerging markets for the first time. The program aims to reach 500 to 1000 exporters per year and will cover market research and participation in trade fairs and business development trips. The Trade Commissioner Service, which maintains a network of trade promotion officers around the world, will receive $42 million over five years and an additional $9.25 million per year afterwards. Last year, our report, Turning It Around: How to Restore Canada’s Trade Success, called for Ottawa to maximize the value of free trade agreements by enhancing trade promotion and economic diplomacy, including new tools for exporters and additional resources for the Trade Commissioner Service. A subsequent report, A Path Forward for Entrepreneurship in Canada, confirmed the need to raise awareness of government trade promotion services. Also last week, the Agreement on Land, Rail, Marine and Air Transport Preclearance between the Government of Canada and the Government of the United States of America was signed. Such an agreement has long been promised and was one of the commitments made in the 2011 Beyond the Borders Agreement. We have long called for such an agreement and believe that new preclearance operations will greatly improve the competitiveness of North American trade. The agreement will allow both CBSA and U.S. CBP officers to conduct preclearance operations in each other’s territory. A similar agreement has been in place at a number of Canadian airports for several years and has been a massive success. Such preclearance operations greatly reduce congestion at the border and allow for streamlined processing of trusted trade and travel. We will continue to work with authorities on both sides of the border to ensure the efficient rollout of this initiative. Earlier this month, the federal government announced that it has extended the 15% Mineral Exploration Tax Credit (METC) for investors in flow-through shares for an additional year until March 31, 2016. The METC is a measure designed to assist junior mining companies in raising new equity through flow-through shares. This additional financing should help exploration companies maintain or increase the amount of exploration activity in Canada. The government also announced that costs associated with environmental studies and community consultations are eligible for treatment as Canadian Exploration Expenses and could qualify for the METC. We reiterated our call for both these measures in our Mining Capital report, which we released in 2013. I met with the Canadian Transportation Act Review Chair, the Hon. David Emerson, to discuss his mandate and our view of the critical issues. This review is likely to be a very significant blueprint for transportation and infrastructure policies once it is tabled at the end of the year, and we are actively working on these issues in parallel. The Senate Committee for Foreign Affairs and International Trade has announced it will use our 2014 trade promotion report, Turning It Around: How to Restore Canada’s Trade Success, as the framework for a comprehensive examination of the issues this year. On Feb. 18, the implementation of the person-to-government dispute resolution mechanism in the Agreement on Internal Trade came into force. We have been calling for improvements to the efficiency, transparency and accessibility of the dispute resolution process for a number of years. These changes create certainty in the process by mirroring the government-to- government dispute resolution process and include monetary penalties for non-compliance. While there are still many areas where improvements to our internal trade regime are necessary, this is a positive step forward for Canadian business and for the Canadian economy. In late January, a report by the House of Commons Standing Committee on Human Resources supported our recommendations for investment to improve labour market information and to financially support individuals’ mobility to relocate for work. Just before Christmas, our major effort to strengthen brand protection scored a victory with the passage of C-8, a law that provides border officers with new powers to interdict contraband.
Local Employers! Not-‐for-‐Profits! Register now for the… Spring Job & Volunteer Fair Thursday April 23rd, 2015 10:30 am -‐ 4 pm Yukon Conven?on Centre www.yuwin.ca Why You Should Register Your Business/ OrganizaJon • • • • •
Students, Job Seekers & Volunteers want to know more about your company and organiza?on Last year’s event had more than 1,000 aNendees Reduce your ?me, effort and recruitment costs Promote your organiza?on Enjoy the networking opportuni?es & show you’re suppor?ng hiring local!
Costs and EssenJal InformaJon Early-‐bird Registra?on Fee of $100* (before March 31st) includes the following: • • • •
Table Two chairs Wireless internet access Extensive marke?ng of your organiza?on, including: radio, newspaper, promo?onal flyers, targeted emails, posters, social media and online.
*There is a 50% discount to all current Volunteer Bénévoles Yukon members-‐ Does not apply to universi@es, colleges, companies and government departments
** ADer March 31st registra@on is $150 for non-‐VBY members & $75 for VBY members. To Register or for more informaJon Visit www.yuwin.ca for registra?on and sponsorships forms, and to see already registered businesses and photos from 2014’s successful event! Please send the registra?on form to Bruno Bourdache, Volunteer Bénévoles Yukon, by email at execu?vedirector@volunteeryukon.ca or by fax: 456-‐4302
Sponsorship Opportuni-es are available! The Job & Volunteer Fair is a partnership of Whitehorse Chamber of Commerce, l’AFY, Volunteer Bénévoles Yukon and YuWIN
The Yukon Tourism Awards of Excellence will be presented at our Spring Conference in Dawson April 16-18. To leaner more about these wards, or submit a nomination, please visit the TIA website: http://tiayukon.com/Events/2015SpringConferenceAGM/ YukonTourismAwardsofExcellence.aspx. Nominations close next week! Notably, TIA will nominate all recipients of the 2015 Tourism Awards of Excellence for the national Tourism Awards of Excellence, presented by TIAC in Ottawa each year. The 2015 categories are: • • • • • • •
Marketing Innovation Award Sustainable Tourism Award Event of the Year Award Tourism Employee Award Innovator of the Year Award Traveller Experience Award Cultural Tourism Award
TIA Yukon is facilitating an industry networking component at the 2015 Visitor Information Centre (VIC) Staff Training. This is a unique opportunity to grow your bottom line by speaking directly with every VIC employee in the territory to raise awareness about your business. See attached document for further details. We’re hosting a cultural tourism and online tourism marketing workshop in Whitehorse. The content of this workshop will be duplicated at the TIA Spring Conference (April 16-18 in Dawson), but with more time for questions and discussion. See attached poster for further details. The agenda for Spring conference has been released, and registration is open! http:// www.tiayukon.com/Events/2015SpringConferenceAGM.aspx. The theme of this year’s conference is storytelling. This year’s lineup of speakers and workshops will inform tourism businesses on how to profit from wild life viewing, online marketing, culinary adventures, and more. Speakers Inga Petri and Dale Jarvis will discuss how to effectively provide a culturally enriching experience experience for visitors to Yukon.
2015 VIC Staff Training - April 28th, Beringia Interpretive Centre
TIA Yukon is working with the Department of Tourism and Culture to organize an afternoon of industry-Visitor Information Centre (VIC) staff networking and information sharing. This event is a component of annual staff training for all VIC employees, and thus employees from all Yukon VICs are expected to be in attendance. This afternoon will include two components: 1. Speed Networking 1:15pm (communities outside of Whitehorse may connect via Skype)
Please pre register for this event. If you have questions about format, or if your organization would like to register, please contact Gina Bethell: 867-668-3331, gina.bethell@tiayukon.com 2. Industry-VIC Staff Reception 4:00pm - 5:30pm After tourism operators and VIC employees have had a chance to become acquainted during the speed networking component, a follow up reception will allow for further networking opportunities. Tables will be provided for those who would like to set up an information booth. Please pre-register if you would like to set up a booth by contacting Gina Bethell: 867-668-3331, gina.bethell@tiayukon.com Food and Beverage Providers are invited to submit a proposal for refreshment breaks, and appetizers for the reception. For more information, please visit www.tiayukon.com, or contact Amy O’Rourke: 867-668-3312, amy.orourke@tiayukon.com
The Yukon Chamber of Commerce in partnership with the Yukon Liquor Corporation Presents…
“Signature Tasting Series” Bourbon & BBQ A visiting bourbon specialist will guide us through a tasting of 10+ rare bourbons not available in the Yukon, accompanied by BBQ appetizers and sauces from local restauranteurs.
Saturday, April 25th 2015, 1-4 pm Waterfront Station Tickets are $50 dollars and can be purchased at the Yukon Chamber of Commerce Phone Martha Hills @ 667-2000 or email office@yukonchamber.com
The Ar-st Project Friday, May 1st, well known Yukon Ar-st, Halin de Repen-gny will sign limited edi-on prints. The event takes place at the Kwanlin Dun Cultural Centre, in the Ar-st Room. Time: 5-‐8:00 p.m. Refreshment served. Hope to see you there! Susan Stanley 336-‐4896
Falling for a tax scam can cost you
Did you receive an email from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) asking for personal information or to click on a link to get your refund? Did you see an ad in the paper that claims you don't have to pay taxes because you are two different people for income tax purposes? Did someone sell you a donation receipt for less than the donation amount shown? These are all scams. If you fall for a tax scam, you risk your financial security and your identity. Also, you may not be meeting your obligations under Canada's tax laws. The consequences of your action could range from embarrassment, to inconvenience, to serious legal trouble.
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The CRA does not use email to ask for personal information. Even though an email asking for personal information may look authentic, such email does not come from the CRA. This type of email is phishing, and it contains special coding or downloadable forms that are designed to steal your personal or financial information. For more information, go to www.cra.gc.ca/fraudprevention. The natural/legal person argument does not hold up in court. Promoters may try to convince you to treat yourself as two people—a natural person of flesh and blood and a legal entity created by government. Promoters argue that your income belongs to the natural person who is not subject to Canadian income tax law. These are false claims that do not hold up in Canada's courts. For more information, go to Tax Alert – Don't buy into illegal tax protester schemes. You are responsible for the information on your return, even if someone else prepared it. Be aware of who you are dealing with at tax time and what their credentials are. Stay away from tax preparers whom offer you false, fictitious or fraudulent tax claims such as charitable donations, false child care expense claims, or false business expenses or losses. If you're not sure if your claim is legitimate, get a second opinion from another tax professional, or contact the CRA's Individual Income Tax Enquiries line at 1‑800‑959‑8281 for more information. You can correct a past mistake. The CRA offers a second chance to make things right through its Voluntary Disclosures Program. If you make a valid disclosure before you are aware that the CRA has started any compliance action against you, you may only have to pay the tax owing plus interest, but not the penalties. For more information, go to www.cra.gc.ca/voluntarydisclosures.
Even though scams may sound compelling and convincing, they are scams. In addition to high fees you may be asked to pay, scams are not legal and can cause serious tax consequences for you. If you make false claims on a return, the CRA can reassess it to determine correct amounts and you will have to pay interest on outstanding amounts. Also, you may be charged penalties and be prosecuted for tax evasion. Don't become a victim, find out more at www.cra.gc.ca/alert.
April 2, 2015
Easter Weekend Hours at the City Canada Games Centre hours are 8am to 8pm from Friday, April 3 until Monday, April 7. Shipyards Park Frank Slim Building closed from Friday, April 3 to Monday, April 6. Resume regular hours Tuesday, April 7. Whitehorse Transit will not be operating on Friday, April 3 or Monday, April 7. Normal Transit service will be available on Saturday, April 4 Please visit whitehorse.ca/cgcnews to see the special Easter activities scheduled for Saturday April 4!
Next City Council Meeting The next Standing Committee Meeting is April 7 at 5:30pm in City Hall Council Chambers. View whitehorse.ca/agendas for Council and whitehorse.ca/CASM for CASM meetings.
Whitehorse North Town Hall Meeting The Next Town Hall meeting is April 8 at the Porter Creek School Cafeteria from 6:30pm to 8:00pm. Visit whitehorse.ca/townhalls for more information, or contact Dinah Laing in the Mayor’s Office at 668-8626.
Invitation to Tender 2015 McIntyre Drive/Hamilton Blvd Intersection Improvements. Tenders will be received at the office of the Manager of Financial Services at City Hall, 2121 Second Avenue, Whitehorse, Yukon, Y1A 1C2 until 4:00pm local time on April 8, 2015. Please send all inquiries to taylor.eshpeter@whitehorse.ca.
Food Vendors 2015 Request for Applications for mobile food vendor stalls on Downtown public land is available. Please go to City Hall to pick up a copy of the Request for Applications. The deadline is April 10 before 2:00pm. Visit whitehorse.ca/foodvendors.
Parks and Public Open Space Open House Join us Tuesday, April 14th, 4pm to 8pm at the Frank Slim Building in Shipyards Park to comment and provide input on the Draft Bylaw. This is an informal drop-in event.
Vulnerable People at Risk Forum The City of Whitehorse and Kwanlin Dün First Nation governments will jointly host a Vulnerable People at Risk Forum. This event will be held from 8:30am to 4:30pm on Friday, April 24 at the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre Long House. An agenda will be shared in the upcoming weeks. Please RSVP to Dinah Laing at dinah.laing@whitehorse.ca or 668-8626.
whitehorse.ca
Pathways to Wellness e-Tips conversation • connection • commitment
Travel tips for your belly
Contact Info: Contact us at www.yukonwellness.ca/ contactus.php
Our Location It is tough to eat well on business trips. The fat, calories and sodium can add up quickly if you are eating out often. Here are some tips from Dietitians of Canada for staying on the healthy eating track when you are travelling: •
Bring snacks so you don't have to buy food at the airport or on the road. • Pack your water bottle -- staying hydrated is key to fighting the fatique that travel can cause. • Schedule a good breakfast into your daily calendar. Choose whole grain cereals, fruit, yogurt and eggs. • Ask the concierge about nearby grocery stores and restaurants with healthy choices so you don't have to rely on fast food. • Manage portion sizes -- ask for half portions, share a large meal with a friend, or pack up part of your meal to take home. • Ask for extra vegetables and skip the sweet drinks. And don't forget to get outside for walks to clear your head, stretch your legs and rejuvenate for the next day of meetings!
201 - #1 Hospital Road, Whitehorse, Yukon Mail: Pathways to Wellness, H-1 Health and Social Services Yukon Government Box 2703, Whitehorse, Yukon Y1A 2C6 E-mail: yukonwellness@gov.yk.ca Jan: 867-667-3674