Updates to BC’s Strata Property Act Lacking
The BC government recently introduced several changes to the Strata Property Act which change several important elements; for the latest updates from the government see their page (https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/housing-tenancy/strata-housing/legislation-and-changes/changes-to-legislation). The changes target three areas: 1) The removal of general rental restrictions; 2) The removal of age restrictions; and 3) Confirming electronic participation in meetings. We provide […]
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Ghost Kitchen Leasing
Leasing out a ghost kitchen can be a good bonus for a budding restauranteur
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Canada Government Support re: COVID-19
There were some good sounding announcements today for small businesses. Here are some of the key details of today’s announcements as they apply to small businesses. Short answer seems to be that for any new funds, the federal government will get your local bank to assist in the assessment and application then the government will […]
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Coronavirus for Employers
Below are some tips for employers todeal with coronavirus concerns: Prevention Alert employees as to the symptoms and risks associated with the coronavirus, as well as prevention measures. This information is readily available from official health sources, including your local public health office. Encourage employees to wash their hands prior to commencing work, after sneezing […]
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Vancouver Island Receives Foreign Trade Zone Designation
This week federal Minister for Innovation, Science, and Economic Development announced Vancouver Island is designated a Foreign Trade Zone (“FTZ”) in partnership with the Vancouver Island Economic Alliance (see news story here). The only other designated FTZ in B.C. is the Port of Prince George. The designation is significant in terms of economic trade and […]
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Cannabis and Travel to the United States
SEE UPDATE BELOW On October 17, 2018 Bill C-45 comes into effect under the Cannabis Act; the distribution and consumption of cannabis products will be legalized, regulated, and controlled. For Canadians who have a business interest in a cannabis-related company this may prove problematic for future travel to the United States. A senior official with […]
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Express Entry Suggestions
Navigating Express Entry – How to Be a Successful Applicant Every year 300,000 applicants are successful in immigrating to Canada as permanent residents. For skilled workers, the majority of applicants enter through the Express Entry system through the Federal Skilled Worker, Federal Skilled Trades, Canadian Experience Class, or Provincial Nominee streams. Proposed candidates build an […]
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Parent and Grandparent Visa
CHANGES TO SPONSORSHIP OF PARENTS AND GRANDPARENTS Starting in January 2019 Immigration Refugee and Citizenship Canada is making significant changes to help achieve family reunification for sponsoring parents and grandparents to become permanent residents. The Government of Canada will replace the old lottery system with a new first come first served system. In 2019, the […]
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Still Collecting Samples
As people have a little more down time I wanted to put this out as a reminder to all the work that goes on every month and thanks the INFORM scientists for allowing us as community scientists to be part of this continuing and important research (www.timescolonist.com/news/local/b-c-s-citizen-scientists-on-alert-for-radiation-from-japan-1.1741775). We look forward to another year of dips […]
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Google decision may increase the use of your .ca domain
In a case in the Supreme Court of Canada (watch the video of the decision here) some strategies were suggested for those who are looking to protect their company on the Internet. In an extension of a matter that began in the BC courts (and previously discussed by us here) the Supreme Court essentially ordered […]
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Avoid Costly Oil Tank Troubles when Buying a House
There is a looming epidemic here in BC that may be more devastating to homeowners that the Leaky Condo Crisis. It is hidden away and silently gnawing away at the equity many homeowners mistakenly feel they are building up in their homes. Underground storage tanks (USTs), that used to be for heating oil, are causing […]
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Facebook Users Beware
I was recently asked to comment on a news story regarding an old scam run in a new way. Despite the image many people have of computers and smart phones often having a detrimental effect on socializing, generally this is quite the opposite of what occurs in practice. Social networking in many forms does allow […]
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Infographic of gTLDs (New Domains) in 2015
Those of you who know me have likely heard me speak about domain names to the point where you don’t really want to hear me say much more. With many of the new gTLD (generic Top Level Domains or the letters after the “dot”) either already running or accepting registrations this is the perfect time […]
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Joint Tenancy in Estate Planning
Earlier this month I was contacted by an adult child wondering about getting themselves registered as a joint tenant on their surviving parent’s property to “make the estate easier to deal with”. For property owners hoping to save their children the cost of probate, and children looking to find a simple way to transfer a […]
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Practicing Safe Social Media Marketing
At this stage, it should be clear that marketing your business through social media has the potential for some positive impact on sales but many smaller businesses hold back because, among other factors, time conscious business owners simply do not know if the time investment of managing social media accounts will provide a corresponding benefit. […]
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Crowdfunding Counterfeiters – Be Aware of the Risks
According to this 2013 study the crowdfunding market will soon surpass $1 Billion and suggests a ceiling on the investment levels may be hundreds times that amount. Already thousands of small companies, entreprneurs, artists, writers, musicians, gamers and others are using crowdfunding as an alternative (or often in addition) to the traditional friends and family […]
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NDA’s are Just the Beginning for IP Protection
It is pretty well accepted that if you want to protect your businesses proprietary information that a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) is the place to start. A recent decision out of the US warns us that an NDA is only the first step on a long and continuing path to protecting your IP. In that case, […]
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BC Court Orders Google to Delist Advertiser
In the terms of use (which few of us read) Google search it very clearly states that “All claims arising out of or relating to these terms or the Services will be litigated exclusively in the federal or state courts of Santa Clara County, California, USA”. Unfortunately for Google, a recent British Columbia Case reminds […]
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Estate Planning – Covering your Digital Assets
Efficient estate planning ensures that your worldly possessions transfer to your kith and kin in accordance to your wishes…but have you planned for inclusion of your virtual possessions? No longer are we able to pass on a bundle of love letters and pictures written to bridge the gap of miles and time. Similarly, we are […]
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Multi-Generational living: Everything old is new again.
Friends of mine are an inspiration, they seem to find ways to stick together, help each other, and have fun no matter what the circumstances. Several year ago, the parents, daughter and son were all working in the same city but house prices were increasing and the children could not save enough to afford a […]
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$1.6m later Quebec decides .quebec too expensive
In this recent article the Quebec government decided that it would be too expensive to justify continuing with switching provincial government websites over to the new .quebec registry. For the uninitiated, there is a massive change happening as I write this as to the types of web domains that can be used. We are generally […]
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US Can Now Search Foreign Servers
At the start of the summer, a district judge in New York ruled that US authorities can access and search through electronic data stored by US companies on servers based outside the US.
Microsoft had plead the territorial limitations of a warrant issued to it by US law enforcement in respect of data held by the company on servers based in Ireland should bar access to a search in Ireland. The district judge did not accept this position finding that given the nature of the warrant and the practical implications of effectively ceasing enforceability of such warrants such territorial limitation was not warranted.
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Top 5 Wrongful Dismissal Questions
In this article we provide some information and context in response to typical questions asked in employment termination situations. This includes the difference between termination for “just cause”, and termination “without cause”, “reasonable notice” and severance. We also provide information for union members, and details about the range of reasonable notice that the employee is entitled to receive.
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Franchise Vs Marriage
According to Statistics Canada, the average Canadian marriage lasts about 14 years, better than the Australian average of about 8 years, but not much longer than the average Franchise agreement which usually run for 10 years, with an option to extend for another 10 years. That’s a long time to be in a relationship and, if the state of many divorces is any information, it is hard to stay happy together for that long. Like all of life’s decisions, the time to think about the details of an agreement is before you commit.
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5 Questions for your Canadian E-commerce Strategy
Canadian retailers are apparently missing the boat when it comes to attracting online shoppers; at least that seems to be the conclusion from a recent news story.
Citing a study on e-commerce conducted for Google, the study estimates Canadian online consumption is expected to almost double during the 2010 – 2016 period to about $51 billion. The story goes on to report that small and medium sized businesses in Canada have been more reluctant than their peers elsewhere in the world to develop e-commerce strategies.
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