Helping Small Municipalities Develop Their Economic Potential

4 May 2012

Community centres play an important role in small communities by creating gathering places for local activities and events. 

Through an investment of over 2.7 million dollars from the Community Adjustment Fund, the Municipality of Ritchot, Manitoba, was able to construct a new community centre.   The new community centre includes a banquet hall, a daycare, and is able to lease office space for small businesses, including enhanced health services. Thanks to the Community Adjustment Fund, Ritchot can now offer medical services that were previously unavailable in the community. 

Western Economic Diversification Canada administers programs that advance innovation, business development and community economic development in rural and urban areas throughout the four western provinces. 

Click here to get further details about WD programs.

Watch a video on the building of the Community Centre.

Transcript

Tags: Infrastructure, Jobs and Growth

On the Boardwalk in Victoria, PEI

2 May 2012

Thousands of visitors flock to the seaside village of Victoria, Prince Edward Island, every year to enjoy the tourist attractions the island community has to offer. Thanks to an investment of $220,000 through the Community Adjustment Fund, Victoria’s popularity as a summertime destination has been enhanced even further.

The funding supported a number of capital improvements to its seaside tourism landscape, including general landscaping, curbing and lighting. It also featured improvements to the parking lot, the relocation of a welcome centre, the addition of public washrooms, as well as construction of a boardwalk and beach access point.

The project has allowed the community to provide more amenities to existing clientele and attract more tourists and businesses along Victoria’s waterfront.  These improvements are helping to build a sustainable economic future for the community.

Click here to listen to Ben Smith, Chairman of the Community Council of Victoria, discuss this Economic Action Plan success story.

For more information on Economic Action Plan 2012 click here.  

Tags: Infrastructure, Jobs

Support for your R&D

30 April 2012

The Scientific Research and Experimental Development program is a federal tax incentive program that encourages Canadian businesses of all sizes, and in all sectors, to conduct research and development (R&D) in Canada. It is the largest single source of federal government support for industrial R&D.

The SR&ED program gives claimants cash refunds and/or tax credits for their expenditures on eligible R&D work done in Canada.  Economic Action Plan 2012 will make changes to the SR&ED tax incentive program to make it simpler, and more cost effective and predictable. 

For further information on the SR&ED program click here.

Tags: Jobs, Jobs and Growth, Tax Credits for Jobs and Growth

Bringing Innovation to Market

27 April 2012

Increasing business investment in research and development (R & D) is crucial to Canada’s long-term competitiveness, and programs such as the National Research Council’s Industrial Research Assistance Program are helping businesses like Ottawa’s Valydate innovate.

Valydate is a world-class company, founded in 2010, that specializes in a technique that detects and corrects errors in electronic designs early in the hardware design cycle. Many world-leading companies working in the telecommunications, defence, aerospace and medical industries use Valydate's technology to reduce their costs and shorten the time it takes to integrate their products into the market.

Starting with two employees in 2010, the company has grown to include five full-time engineers and one part-time employee. Last February, Valydate won the DesignVision Award in the Design Verification Tools category at DesignCon 2012 in Santa Clara, California. In 2011, the company won a bronze award in the New Business of the Year category at the Ottawa Business Achievement Awards.

The Industrial Research Assistance Program, which supports research and development projects by innovative small and medium-sized businesses such as Valydate, is a cornerstone of Canada’s innovation system and is regarded worldwide as one of the best programs of its kind.

Economic Action Plan 2012 proposes an additional $110 million per year starting 2012-13 to the National Research Council to double the Industrial Research Assistance Program.  This will allow the National Research Council to support additional small and medium-sized businesses that create high-value jobs, and to expand the services provided to businesses through the program’s Industrial Technology Advisors. 

Learn more about the Industrial Research Assistance Program.

Transcript

Tags: Jobs and Growth, Workforce initiatives for Jobs and Growth

Extending the Hiring Credit for Small Business

25 April 2012

We know how important small businesses are to the Canadian economy. And we know how important it is for small businesses to be able to hire new workers so that they can take advantage of emerging opportunities.

That’s why Economic Action Plan 2012 extends the temporary Hiring Credit for Small Business to make it more attractive to hire new workers. 

A credit of up to $1,000 against a small employer’s increase in its 2012 Employment Insurance premiums over those paid in 2011 will be provided. This temporary credit  will benefit about 536,000 employers, reducing small business 2012 payroll costs by about $205 million.

If you’re considering hiring, you might be eligible for this temporary hiring credit.

Click here to learn more about the extended temporary Hiring Credit for Small Business.

Tags: Jobs, Jobs and Growth, Small Business, Tax Credit, Workforce initiatives for Jobs and Growth

Expanding Trade and Opening New Markets

23 April 2012

Canadian businesses need access to key export markets in order to take advantage of new opportunities. Over the past six years, Canada has concluded free trade agreements with nine countries as well as foreign investment promotion and protection agreements with ten countries. Since 2009, Canada has eliminated all tariffs on imported machinery and equipment and manufacturing inputs to make Canada a tariff-free zone for industrial manufacturers, the first in the G-20 to do so.

Economic Action Plan 2012 will:

• Intensify Canada’s pursuit of new and deeper trading relationships, particularly with large, dynamic and fast-growing economies.
• Implement the Action Plan on Perimeter Security and Economic Competitiveness and the Action Plan on Regulatory Cooperation, which will facilitate trade and investment flows with the United States.
• Provide support to Canadian exporters by extending the provision of domestic financing by Export Development Canada.

For more information on Economic Action Plan 2012 click here.  

Tags: Economy

Improving Employment Insurance

20 April 2012

The Government is committed to making targeted, common-sense changes to make Employment Insurance (EI) a more efficient program that is focused on job creation and opportunities. Economic Action Plan 2012 proposes:

• Limiting EI premium rate increases to 5 cents each year until the EI Operating Account is balanced.
• Providing $21 million over two years to enhance the content and timeliness of the job and labour market information that is provided to Canadians who are searching for employment.
• Investing $74 million over two years to ensure that EI claimants benefit from accepting work.
• Investing $387 million over two years to align the calculation of EI benefit amounts with local labour market conditions.

For more information on Economic Action Plan 2012 click here.

Tags: Finding a job, Jobs, Jobs and Growth

Expanding Opportunities for Aboriginal Peoples

18 April 2012

Equipping First Nations people with the skills and opportunities they need to fully participate in the economy is a priority both for this Government and for First Nations people.

Economic Action Plan 2012 proposes:

• Providing $275 million over three years to support First Nations education and build and renovate schools on reserve.
• Committing to work with partners toward passage of legislation that will establish the structures and standards to support strong and accountable education systems on reserve.
• Announcing the Government’s commitment to improve the incentives in the on-reserve Income Assistance Program while encouraging those who can work to access training so they are better equipped for employment.
• Providing $27 million over two years to renew the Urban Aboriginal Strategy.

Read how federal funding under the Aboriginal Skills and Employment Training Strategy helped Lucien become a welder.

Tags: Aboriginal, Aboriginal Skills and Employment Training Strategy, Jobs

Responsible Resource Development

17 April 2012

Major economic projects create jobs and spur development across Canada. In 2010, natural resource sectors employed over 760,000 workers in communities throughout the country. In the next 10 years, more than 500 major economic projects representing $500 billion in new investments are planned across Canada.

Economic Action Plan 2012 will streamline the review process for major economic projects, support consultation with Aboriginal peoples, and strengthen pipeline and marine safety.

This includes introducing system-wide legislative improvements to the review process for major economic projects to achieve the goal of “one project, one review” in a clearly defined time period, reducing duplication and regulatory burdens, and focusing resources on large projects where the potential environmental impacts are the greatest. 

The Economic Action Plan will invest $165 million over two years for responsible resource development that creates jobs while protecting the environment. This includes:

• $54 million over two years to renew the Major Projects Management Office initiative to support effective project approvals.
• $13.6 million over two years to support consultations with Aboriginal peoples to ensure that their rights and interests are respected.
• $35.7 million over two years to support responsible energy development. This includes:
• New regulations which will enhance the existing tanker inspection regime by strengthening vessel inspection requirements.
• Appropriate legislative and regulatory frameworks related to oil spills, and emergency preparedness and response.
• A review of handling processes for oil products by an independent international panel of tanker safety experts.
• Improved navigation products, such as updated charts for shipping routes.
• Research to improve our scientific knowledge and understanding of marine pollution risks, and to manage the impacts on marine resources, habitats and users in the event of a marine pollution incident.
• $13.5 million over two years to strengthen pipeline safety.
• $47 million over two years to the Northern Pipeline Agency to support federal regulatory responsibilities related to the Alaska Pipeline Project.
• $1 million over two years to expand Metal Mining Effluent Regulations to non-metal diamond and coal mines.
• Extension of the temporary 15 percent Mineral Exploration Tax Credit for flow-through share investors for an additional year.
• Amendment of the Coasting Trade Act to improve access to modern, reliable seismic data for offshore resource development.

For more information on Responsible Resource Develoment, click here.

Tags: Economy, Jobs and Growth

Renovating his Career through an Apprenticeship

16 April 2012

After high school, Jason Langlois worked in the hotel industry. He started off working at front desks and made his way up to middle management. But after 10 years, he realized that it was not what he wanted to do with the rest of his life.

Thinking back to the advice his father had given him when he was a child, “learn a trade, it will be the only job you’ll ever need,” Jason made the difficult decision to stop working and to start an apprenticeship. “I was always good with my hands and building things, so I decided to take up carpentry. It was all over the news at that time about the looming skills shortages and excellent opportunities,” Jason says.

Jason enrolled at the British Columbia Institute of Technology and later landed a job as an apprentice carpenter with Rogad Construction Co. (2006) Ltd., a general contractor/construction management firm. Over time, he completed further technical training. In less than three years, he obtained his Red Seal and had doubled his salary from when he was working in the hospitality industry. Highly valued by employers, the Interprovincial Standards Red Seal Program promotes a national standard of excellence in the skilled trades.

Jason has benefited from both the Apprenticeship Completion Grant (ACG) and the Apprenticeship Incentive Grant (AIG). The ACG is a $2,000 cash grant designed to encourage registered apprentices to complete their apprenticeship program and receive journeyperson certification in a designated Red Seal trade. The ACG complements the existing Apprenticeship Incentive Grant, through which registered apprentices are eligible for a $1,000 grant when they complete their first or second year (or level) of apprenticeship training in a designated Red Seal trade, to a maximum of $2,000.

In total, Jason received $4,000 through these grants. They helped offset the cost of his training and provided him with the funds to buy the tools he needed and start his own business. “The grants have helped create a stable foundation for me to be able to provide for my family,” he says.

Listen to Jason tell his story here.

Tags: Apprenticeship Grants, Apprenticeship Incentive Grant (AIG), Jobs and Growth

Eliminating the Penny

13 April 2012

Did you know that in the Economic Action Plan 2012, the Government announced it will eliminate the penny from Canada’s coinage system?

That’s right. As of fall 2012, the Royal Canadian Mint will no longer distribute pennies.

Over time, the penny’s burden to the economy has grown relative to its value as a means of payment.  It costs the Government 1.6 cents to produce each new penny.  The estimated cost to the Government of supplying pennies to the economy is about $11 million a year. 

The penny will retain its value indefinitely and can continue to be used in payments. However, as pennies are gradually withdrawn from circulation, cash transactions should be rounded to the nearest five cents in a fair and transparent manner.

You can redeem pennies at your financial institutions and the Government encourages Canadians to consider donating them to charities.

For more information on Eliminating the Penny click here.

Tags: Coinage, Economy, Money

Building a Fast and Flexible Economic Immigration System

11 April 2012

Since 2006, the Government has pursued reforms to focus Canada’s immigration system on fuelling economic prosperity for Canada.  The Government has placed top priority on attracting immigrants who have the skills and experience our economy needs.  The Government is committed to making our immigration system truly fast and flexible in a way that will sustain Canada’s economic growth.

Economic Action Plan 2012 will:

• Realign the Temporary Foreign Worker Program to better meet labour market demands.
• Support further improvements to foreign credential recognition and identify the next set of target occupations beyond 2012.
• Move on to an increasingly fast and flexible immigration system where priority focus is on meeting Canada’s labour market needs.
• Return applications and fees to certain federal skilled worker applicants who have been waiting for processing to be completed. 

For more information on Economic Action Plan 2012 click here.

Tags: Family, Growth, Immigration

Jobs and Opportunities for Canadians

3 April 2012

Canada’s well-trained and highly educated workers are one of our key advantages in competing and succeeding in the global economy.

Economic Action Plan 2012 builds on existing initiatives with new measures to connect more Canadians with the job market. 

New measures include:

• Extending the temporary Hiring Credit for Small Business to make it more attractive to hire workers.
• Investing an additional $50 million over two years to help more young people gain tangible skills and experience and to connect young Canadians with jobs in fields that are in high demand.
• Doubling the resources of the Industrial Research and Development Internship Program with $14 million over two years.  The program allows graduate students to undertake hands-on research in innovative firms, while providing firms with access to cutting-edge research and skills.
• Helping older workers by expanding the ThirdQuarter project to key centres across the country.  This innovative project, led by the Manitoba Chamber of Commerce, provides an online form that matches employers with experienced workers over 50.
• Investing an additional $30 million over three years to the Opportunities Fund for Persons with Disabilities. 
• Improving the Employment Insurance Program.  Economic Action Plan 2012 invests $74 million to introduce a new, national EI pilot project that will ensure that EI claimants always benefit from accepting work by allowing them to keep more of what they earn while on EI. 

Tags: Economy, Jobs, Jobs and Growth

Supporting Entrepreneurs, Innovators and World-class Research

2 April 2012

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Transcript

Increasing business investment in research and development (R & D) is crucial to Canada’s long-term competitiveness, and programs such as the National Research Council’s Industrial Research Assistance Program are helping businesses like Vancouver’s HootSuite Media, Inc. innovate and succeed in their product development.

HootSuite is a social media dashboard tool that lets small, medium, enterprise users and power users manage all their social media channels, like Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn from one place.  Just two years into operation, HootSuite had crossed over a million users!  It’s a great Canadian success story.

The Industrial Research Assistance Program, which supports research and development projects by innovative small and medium-sized businesses such as HootSuite, is a cornerstone of Canada’s innovation system and is regarded worldwide as one of the best programs of its kind.

Economic Action Plan 2012 proposes an additional $110 million per year starting 2012-13 to the National Research Council to double the Industrial Research Assistance Program.  This will allow the National Research Council to support additional small and medium-sized businesses that create high-value jobs, and to expand the services provided to businesses through the program’s Industrial Technology Advisors. 

Learn more about the Industrial Research Assistance Program.

Tags:

The Government of Canada Delivers Economic Action Plan 2012—A Plan for Jobs, Growth and Long-Term Prosperity

29 March 2012

On March 29, the Honourable Jim Flaherty, Minister of Finance, tabled Economic Action Plan 2012, a comprehensive agenda to bolster Canada’s long-term economic strengths and promote job growth.

Economic Action Plan 2012 takes important steps to address the challenges and help take advantage of the opportunities of the global economy, while ensuring sustainable social programs and sound public finances for future generations.

Supporting Jobs and Opportunities

The Government is focused on boosting economic growth and job creation—innovation, investment, education and skills. Economic Action Plan 2012 will support jobs and growth by:

• Making major investments of over $1 billion to support science and technology.
• Providing $500 million to spur the growth of innovative start-up companies.
• Ensuring responsible resource development by moving to “one project, one review” within a clearly defined time period for major economic projects while continuing to protect the environment.
• Opening new markets and expanding international trade, bringing Canadian goods to the world.
• Extending the Hiring Credit for Small Business for one year to make it more attractive for small businesses to grow and hire more workers.
• Providing $150 million over two years for the new Community Infrastructure Improvement Fund.
• Providing $5.2 billion over 11 years to renew the Canadian Coast Guard.
• Better focusing Employment Insurance on promoting job creation by removing disincentives to work and supporting unemployed Canadians by connecting them more quickly to jobs.
• Providing $275 million over three years to support First Nations education and build and renovate schools on reserve.
• Building a fast and flexible economic immigration system to attract immigrants with the skills and experience our economy needs.

Sustainable Social Programs

In order to ensure Canada’s social programs are there for when future generations need them, the Government is taking responsible action to prepare today for long-term demographic pressures. To this end, Economic Action Plan 2012 will:

• Gradually increase the age of eligibility for Old Age Security (OAS) and Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) benefits from 65 to 67, starting in April 2023, to be fully implemented by 2029.
• Allow Canadians to defer the take-up of their OAS pensions so they can receive a higher pension later.
• Put in place a proactive enrolment regime for OAS and GIS to reduce the burden on seniors of completing application processes and reduce the Government’s administrative costs. Proactive enrolment will be implemented in a phased-in approach from 2013 to 2015.

Responsible Expenditure Management

Economic Action Plan 2012 is the Government’s plan for jobs, growth and long-term prosperity. An important part of this low-tax, low-debt plan is returning to a balanced budget in the medium term. Over the past year, the Government has found fair, balanced and moderate savings measures to reduce the deficit. These measures will achieve ongoing savings of $5.2 billion, representing less than 2.0 per cent of expected federal program spending in 2016–17. Over 70 per cent of the savings found are in operational efficiencies.

For more information on Economic Action Plan 2012 click here.

Tags: Economy, Growth, Jobs, Jobs and Growth