Your Weekly Tune Up

New Fact Sheet on Tax Obligations for Personal Services Businesses

Have you recently incorporated your business? Do you provide services to one other company? You might be considered to be operating a personal services business (PSB) by the CRA. This means your tax obligations are different than other corporations. Check out the CRA’s fact sheet on PSBs! It’s intended to help you better understand your reporting and filing obligations, as well as your tax rate and what you can and cannot deduct as a PSB.

City of Medicine Hat Community Well-Being Plan

The City of Medicine Hat continues its work on the Community Well-Being Plan. Check out the final ‘What We Learned’ report on Shape Your City! This report is the result of multiple community engagement sessions with over 1,000 participants. Learn what your community had to say about the state of, and future of, well-being in Medicine Hat. View the report on Shape Your City

There will be additional opportunities for input this fall as a final report with recommendations is developed.

Historic Signing Drives Alberta Towards Decarbonization

Carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) in Alberta takes a big step forward as the Atlas project signs a carbon sequestration agreement with Alberta’s government. The Atlas carbon storage hub, a partnership with Shell and ATCO EnPower is the first hub project to convert Phase 1 of their evaluation agreement into a sequestration agreement. This allows them the right to inject and store captured carbon dioxide on their lease, approximately 45 kilometres east of Edmonton.

Southeast Alberta Immigration for Employers

The Southeast Alberta Rural Renewal provides eligible employers to provide a job offer to an eligible candidate, providing a pathway for the candidate to accept the offer of employment, ultimately addressing current labour shortages in Southeast Alberta. Employers can access the Request to Participate form by clicking the Apply Now Button found on the Info for Employers section of the website. Employers who successfully apply to participate will be contacted by email to schedule a 20-minute online consultation. Explore eligibility requirements, important details to consider, and how to apply.

Self-Employed? Need Help Understanding Taxes?

Whether you are working for yourself or starting your own business, it is important to understand your tax obligations. Navigate self-employment with the CRA’s online module: Working for yourself. This comprehensive learning tool covers everything you need to know, from business registration to income reporting, and more!

Your Top Business Tax Questions Answered

Check out CRA's latest FAQ tax tip which includes answers to top business tax questions!

Bids & Tenders

City of Medicine Hat Venues – Concert & Event Support: The City of Medicine Hat is looking to source a qualified and experienced company who specializes in the provision and delivery of technical services for live production events such as concerts and other media entertainment for scheduled events at City owned Facilities on an “as needed basis”. Deadline: August 1, 2024 with question deadline: July 24, 2024. Find out more

City of Medicine Hat Canada Day Event Celebrations: The City of Medicine Hat is looking for organizations to provide Canada Day Event Celebrations for the City of Medicine Hat. Deadline: July 30, 2024 with question deadline: July 22, 2024. Find out more.

Advocacy in Action

How to Regain Canada’s Competitive Edge

Canada’s competitiveness has fallen off track. There are a lot of economic factors that have contributed to our decline in this area, but instead of focusing on how we ended up here, the latest edition of Policy Matters looks at nine measures we can either stop, start or continue to do in order to grow our competitiveness once again.

What Skills is Your Business Hiring for this Summer?

The Alberta Chambers network has partnered with industry partners and the Government of Alberta to better understand what talent your business needs to grow and succeed. Your participation will help inform critical government workforce strategies for the Alberta Talent Development Taskforce.

Share your perspective before July 26.

Enhancing Credential Recognition

Alberta and Ontario have signed an MOU to improve the recognition of international trade credentials, aiming to fill skilled labour gaps by making it easier for internationally trained workers to have their credentials recognized. Additionally, Alberta has formed an advisory committee, which includes ACC President & CEO Shauna Feth, to enhance the foreign credential recognition system, streamlining the integration of internationally trained professionals into the workforce and addressing labour shortages in key professions. Learn more about the Alberta-Ontario MOU and Learn more about the advisory committee

Complete the Online Questionnaire on Reporting Fees for Service with CRA

The Canada Revenue Agency is looking to better understand businesses’ and organizations’ awareness of, and readiness to comply with, the reporting fees for service (RFS) requirement. The online questionnaire on RFS will help identify ways to clarify reporting requirements, streamline processes, and proactively support businesses and organizations in understanding and meeting their tax obligations.

Canada’s Digital Services Tax (DST) is not in Canadians’ Best Interests

The DST may tax revenue earned by large foreign and domestic businesses on online services, including marketplaces, advertising, and social media, but its effects will also be felt by Canadian consumers like you in both the short- and long-term. The timing couldn’t be worse — affordability is top of mind for nearly all Canadians right now, and cost-related concerns are six of the top 10 business obstacles expected in the next three months according to the Q2 2024 Canadian Survey on Business Conditions Report released by the Business Data Lab.

The Digital Service Tax is now in effect and it’s a retroactive tax which means that it will apply to revenue earned by businesses in 2022 and 2023 as well. That’s like having the CRA send you a letter telling you to review your last two years of tax filings and to pay more now for a tax that didn’t exist back then!

Normally, a retroactive tax like this happens only in exceptional circumstances but the government has yet to explain why the DST is such a circumstance. If this new service tax isn’t reversed, it will negatively affect your daily life and the Canadian economy. Find out how this new tax impacts you and find out what the Canadian Chamber has been doing to stand up for you.

Alberta Chambers of Commerce (ACC) Supply Chain Network

ACC understands the importance of strong and resilient supply chains for the success of business in Alberta. That’s why they launched the Supply Chain Network—an initiative dedicated to addressing the challenges faced by business in sourcing local suppliers and overcoming supply chain disruptions. Get involved by joining the Supply Chain Network, where you’ll have the opportunity to share your insights and challenges, collaborate on innovative solutions, and stay informed on the latest news and developments.

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Next Level Events

Coffee & Conversations

Join the Chamber next Thursday morning to enjoy coffee and conversations about your business, our business, or life in general! This is a great opportunity to connect in the mornings if your afternoons and evenings are too busy. You can stop by for a quick hello or stay and chat for a while; everyone is welcome!

Next up, meet us at the Chamber office July 18th.

OH and want to see our sponsor this is event get soaked? Take a look here: https://www.facebook.com/reel/1187635665911853

Details here: https://chamber.southeastalbertachamber.ca/chambercalendar/Details/coffee-conversations-1085671?sourceTypeId=Website

Grand Openings: Support your Community

Let's get the cycle of supporting each other going, we hope to see you at one of these upcoming business milestones 🙂

Read some of our reasons to attend a grand opening here

Check out our Grand Openings calendar here!

Business Brainstorming and Beers.

Thursday August 15, 2024, 4:00-5:00pm @ Paradise Valley Golf Course

Join the Chamber at Paradise Valley Golf Course on August 15th. Grab a drink and network with like minded people to discuss everything business. Whether it's business growth, workforce challenges, new business opportunities, regulatory hurdles, or anything else, we are all about finding solutions.

CLICK TO VIEW ALL EVENTS!

Enriching Your Business

There's a reason Chambers Plan is Canada's #1 plan.

Contact JoAnne Letkeman,
Exclusive Chamber Group Advisor,
403-504-2166 ext 1.

Look at what else your Chambers Plan includes here!

Find a Job

Value Added Benefits

Post a Job

Fueling the Business Community

• NEW MEMBERS •

We would like to welcome Village of Rosemary, Roofmart Alberta Inc., and BrokerLink Brooks to the Chamber Family!

We continually look forward to helping our members during their business journey and wish each the best in all future endeavors. We are extremely happy to have such amazing members, and are very glad that we can serve a part in that journey! Keep your eye out for more new member posts moving forward!

Chili Cook-Off Recap

The 2024 Downtown Chili Cook-Off was this past Saturday, and what a DAY!! Thank you to everyone who came out and supported not only the vendors, potter's association and Chamber of Commerce, but also the downtown area!

Shout out to all the vendors for putting in the time and materials to make some delicious chili (and salsa), and a special shout out to our sponsors as well for helping with the event. Great job everyone!

Keep an eye on the Chili Cook-Off landing page as we update who the winners were and share some of the photos: https://www.southeastalbertachamber.ca/downtown-chili-cook-off/

Fill Up On Funding

Canada Carbon Rebate for Small Businesses

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) is set to issue retroactive payments for the Canada Carbon Rebate to eligible small businesses. Canadian-controlled private corporations (CCPCs) with up to 499 employees must file their 2023 taxes by July 15, 2024, to qualify. The rebate, which covers the fuel charge years 2019-2020 to 2023-2024, does not require an application; the CRA will automatically calculate and distribute the rebates once rates are finalized. Learn more

Enhancing the Verified Beef Production Plus (VBP+) Program

The governments of Alberta and Canada are enhancing the Verified Beef Production Plus (VBP+) program with a $1.9 million investment to support Alberta Beef Producers. Last year, beef was Alberta's largest agri-food export at $3.9 billion, making up 22 per cent of the province’s total. Under this initiative, farmers and ranchers can receive up to $5,000 for expenses that align their operations with VBP+ certification guidelines. Learn more

Brooks-Newell Region News

Coffee & Conversations Business Roundtable

Join us Thursday, July 17th at SPEC in Brooks for a Coffee & Conversations Business Roundtable!

This is a great opportunity to connect in the morning if your afternoon and evening are too busy. You can stop by for a quick hello or stay and chat for a while; everyone is welcome!

Save your spot here: https://chamber.southeastalbertachamber.ca/brookseventcalendar/Details/coffee-conversations-brooks-1161877?sourceTypeId=Website

Judges Mix and Mingle

Thursday July 18, 6:30 PM at the Engineers House
$25.00 per person. Tickets are available at the Brooks Bulletin, Brooks Greenhouse House, or by calling Loretta at (403) 427-0524.

JBS Foods Canada qualified for Alberta’s Agri-Processing Investment Tax Credit

In 2023, Alberta beef production totalled almost one million tonnes, with meat product sales totalling $12.2 billion. To attract even more large-scale investment in agri-food manufacturing, Alberta’s government introduced the Agri-Processing Investment Tax Credit program in spring 2023. The program provided incentive for JBS Foods Canada ULC (JBS Canada) to invest about $90 million dollars in a new patty processing line and fulfillment centre at its Brooks plant. With the expansion, JBS Canada will produce almost seven million more kilograms of beef patties every year for restaurants in Western Canada. The processing line and warehouse expansion are already underway and are expected to be complete by fall 2025. The project will create up to 24 permanent jobs and 170 temporary jobs. Find out more

Crossword Puzzle

Crossword Puzzle Answers

Did you figure it out? Here are the answers for the July 8th crossword puzzle.

Remember that subscribing to our weekly email gets you access to the crossword puzzle. Anyone who sends us their answers will get their name put into our quarterly draw.

The prize? Receive 5 promotional credits with us (for members) or credit towards a membership (for non-members)! Oh and bragging rights that you're a crossword master.