YOUR VOICE OF BUSINESS VOL 31 ISSUE 4 APRIL 2015 ...€¦ · The Roundtable Women In Business The...

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Published by the Greater Oshawa Chamber of Commerce • Established 1928 • Reaching over 5,600 Decision Makers • Email: [email protected] • 905.728.1683

BUSINESSMATTERSSERVING OUR MEMBERS AND THE BUSINESS COMMUNITIES OF • OSHAWA • BOWMANVILLE • COLUMBUS • COURTICE • HAMPTON • ORONO • RAGLAN • TAUNTON

Y O U R V O I C E O F B U S I N E S S VOL 31 ISSUE 4 APRIL 2015

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce welcomes the March 18th announcement by Prime Minister Stephen Harper that Canada will establish a new export market development program and expand the Trade Commissioner Service.

“This is a big deal. By helping entrepreneurs manage the costs of international expansion and by strengthening our trade offices in priority countries, we’ll be making a real difference on the ground,” says Canadian Chamber President and CEO Perrin Beatty.

“With consumer spending showing signs of weakness, Canada will need a vibrant export sector to pick up the slack. That’s why for several years now we’ve been asking the government to take bold action like this to help companies of all sizes compete in the markets of the future.”

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 500-1000 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. This funding will be used to increase their footprint abroad and increase promotion and outreach efforts in Canada.

Last year, a Canadian Chamber report called for Ot-tawa to maximize the value of free trade agreements by enhancing trade promotion and economic diplomacy, including new tools for exporters and additional

Chamber Welcomes Big Win For Canadian Exporters

Cont.’d on Page 3

Panda Express held its grand opening at 224 Ritson Road North in Oshawa on Saturday, March 21 and already is making a difference in the community. “A big thanks to the Chamber team and all the Chamber members that took time out of their Saturday to join us for a fabulous event, the support of the Chamber was crucial in our success and enabled us to raise over $2,000 for Simcoe Hall and give out more than $8,000 in free food to the local community,” stated Ty-rone Mooney, Regional Marketing Manager, Panda Restaurant Group. On hand to receive Panda hugs was Jennifer French, MPP Oshawa and Mark Shuwera, Executive Director of Simcoe Hall Settlement House, who was overwhelmed with the generosity. www.pandaexpress.ca.

Panda Cares!

Showcasing Business!

The Greater Oshawa Chamber of Commerce hosts its Spring Business

Showcase on Thursday, April 9 at the Durham Banquet Hall and Conference Centre from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Mix a Biz after 5 with a mini trade show and an information session by the City of Oshawa Pan Am Games Committee and you have a tremendous opportunity to make some new business connections! Register online, visit web.oshawachamber.com/events.

The Roundtable Women In Business

The Chamber hosts its Women In Business lunch on Wednesday, April 15 at the Oshawa Golf and Curling Club. This is a new format,

designed as an interactive roundtable discussion on topics that interest and affect women in the workforce. There will be four tables each with a different topic sponsored by Tammy Lee Hanlon Insurance Agency Inc., State Farm Insurance. Select the topic that most interests you! Register online at web.oshawachamber.com/events.

Get Your Brand Out There!

The Chamber hosts its Annual Golf Tournament on Thursday, June 4 and is inviting businesses to add to

the swag bag! Each golfer gets their own personal gift bag full of great stuff! If you wish to “get your brand out there”, then you don’t want to miss putting an item in the bag or donating an item for the silent auction. For more information contact the Chamber at 905-728-1683 or visit web.oshawachamber.com/events.

Greater Oshawa Chamber of Commerce – Your Voice of Business April 2015

BUSINESS OF THE MONTHCONPUTE

CONPUTE is a leading provider of business technology, consulting, and IT services dedicated to helping companies build stronger businesses. They’ve been giving back to the community since 1969. Each year they select a worthy charity to benefit from their fundraising efforts. In 2014, they selected Rose of Durham Young Parents Support Services as their charity of choice, and held their biggest fundraiser to date, raising over $1,600 for the local charity. The Greater Oshawa Chamber of Commerce recognizes businesses for making a difference in the community and has named CONPUTE Business of the Month for April 2015! Pictured in the banner presentation, from left to right (front), CONPUTE staff Joe

Velacich, Steve Conaby, Liz Williams, Bruce Hughes and Dave Lewis, (back) Chamber Ambassador Nina Romano of State Farm Insurance - Nina Romano Insurance Agency Inc., CONPUTE staff Gene Lowe, Richard Black, Carole McIimoyle, Chamber Ambassador Peter Bocking of Hardiman Mount & Associates Ins. Brokers Ltd., Ryan Douglas of CRCS DKI, Lisa Paulin of Business Development Bank of Canada and Dean Lawrence of Speedpro Imaging Durham. CONPUTE staff missing from the photo: Sarah Wellman, Mike Bianchi, Kurt Herrmann, Johnny Tan, Rachel Lofthouse, and Sean Kikulis. For more information on CONPUTE contact them at 905.433.7033 or visit www.conpute.com.

MEMBER PROFILESTransat Travel Oshawa Centre

Transat Travel Oshawa Centre, (for-merly Marlin Travel) is a full service travel agency comprised of a team of profession-

al travel advisors who possess extensive destination and prod-uct knowledge. Their highly skilled and passionate Travel Professionals have 113 years of combined experience making their clients’ dream vacations come true. Transat Travel not only sells a wide variety of All-inclusive Packages, Cruises, Coach Tours and Adventure Travel, but also have specialists

in River Cruising, Disney Vacations, Luxury Travel and Des-tination Weddings. They offer English and Italian speaking advisors who are there to help you plan your next destination wedding, family reunion, quick getaway, cruise, flight, hotel or car rental, and other travel related products and services, such as travel protection insurance. Many of their clients have been booking their vacations with them for over 30 years. What’s on your Bucket List? Whatever it is, Transat Travel can create your perfect vacation to ensure you’ll make memo-ries that will last a lifetime. Drop in and see them at the Osha-wa Centre on the lower level beside Chapters (new location), call (905) 723-7726 or visit www.transattravel.com/650.

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Big Win For Canadian Exporters

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resources for the Trade Commissioner Service. A subsequent report on discussions with fast-growing entrepreneurs across Canada confirmed the need to raise awareness of government trade promotion services.

The Canadian Chamber has also partnered with the Trade Commissioner Service to create a contact

point for SMEs and local chambers of commerce to learn more about exporting and how to access the resources they need to go global.

For a copy of all reports, visit www.oshawachamber.com.

The City of Oshawa is proud to announce Norma Douglas as the Oshawa community torchbearer for the TORONTO 2015 Pan Am Games Torch Relay, presented by President’s Choice® and OLG.

The torch relay will visit Oshawa on Friday, June 5 and will feature Norma Douglas as the com-munity torchbearer. The 84 year old Oshawa resi-dent competed at the 1955 Pan American Games in Mexico City, where she not only participated in the official debut of team synchronized swimming at that level of competition, but also won a silver medal for Canada as a member of the Peterborough Ornamental Swim Club.

The full Pan Am torch relay route will include

3,000 torchbearers, over 5,000 kilometres on the road and visits to more than 130 communities over 41 days.

A detailed map is available online at www.toronto2015.org/torchrelay highlighting Oshawa, and also the date and location for each community celebration. Street-level routes and specific timing will be confirmed and announced in May.

Pictured here celebrating the announcement is (left to right) Matt Douglas, Cris Douglas, Norma Douglas, Mayor John Henry and Ryan Douglas. Missing from the photo is Norma’s grandson, Kyle Douglas, who celebrated via FaceTime. For more information about Norma and the Pan Am Games Torch Relay, visit www.oshawachamber.com.

The City of Oshawa is currently recruiting for pre-games event volunteers, as well as ambassadors during the Pan Am/Parapan Am Games. All positions will take place during June, July and August of 2015.

All volunteers will receive Pan Am themed cloth-

ing, training for their positions, a volunteer certifi-cate and an invitation to a recognition event.

The deadline for applications is May 15, 2015. Visit www.oshawa.ca/panam for more information and the application form.

Cont.’d from Page 4

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Presented by Peter Bocking

…Scary word when it relates to your Employee Benefit Plan, right? All sorts of looming questions on your mind: “How much are my costs going up this year?” … “Am I protected from the usage of my plan?” … “How do I tell if the premium increase I’m getting is justified and fair?”… “Should we ‘shop the market’ again and move to another provider?” …

In many cases these are necessary questions and processes. We manage these situations for any of those for which the “Chamber Pool” is not the right fit. BUT…there is a rare advantage for small businesses. Something they can’t get anywhere else, and all they need to access it is to be a member of their local Chamber or Board of Trade.

Like clock-work on April 1st each year, the Chambers of Com-merce Group Benefits Plan renewal comes to town. And this year, much like the decades of renewals before it, the stability of the largest not-for-profit “benefit pool” in Canada has proven itself once again! News of minimal premium changes for all of the businesses who enjoy the security of being fully pooled in the Chamber Plan has been delivered all over the Nation.

Most renewal reports are an annual review of policy claims/usage vs. premiums paid for the year. The decision to increase or decrease rates for the next year is largely based on that study. This concept exposes a small business to the potential for occasional savings, or significant increases to their costs – with very limited predictability. What’s worse; those rate increases often happen when an employee needs the benefit plan most!

So what makes the Chamber Plan so different you ask? Simple: It protects the employees AND the employer! 30,000+ businesses, representing roughly 133,000 employees across Canada. Busi-nesses are pooled together, treated fairly and are not exposed to the “risks” of their own individual usage. The ‘law of large numbers’ works very much in favor of all who have “jumped in the pool”.

March and April is one of the ‘busy times’ around HMA, no question. But I admit, talking about the benefits of a uniquely pooled plan is easy news to deliver. And spreading the word about no risk with proof of minimal rate changes each year; sure makes for a nice way to ‘bring in the Spring!’

“RENEWAL!”

Peter Bocking, Employee Benefits ConsultantHardiman Mount & Associates Insurance Brokers Ltd.

1-800-361-6996 ext. 239 • [email protected] • www.hmainsurance.com

March was another busy month of Greater Oshawa Chamber of Commerce happenings. A big thank you goes out to the Chamber’s CEO Bob Malcolmson, and staff Michelle Chamberlain, Ashley Bain, JoAnne Cerovich and Michelle Lea for the tireless work they do day in and day out to help make our Chamber one to be proud of.

Congratulations to all the teams that participated in this year’s Challenge. A special congratulation goes out to Community Living Oshawa-Clarington for winning the overall Challenge Cup at the 7th Annual Challenge. Thank you to the staff and many volunteers that help make this such a fun event for the 16 teams that took part – some great costumes and props put smiles on many faces to be sure. A big thank you goes out to Stagevision Rentals Inc. (Oshawa Office) for sponsoring the Challenge this year.

Come out and enjoy a round of golf to help shake off the coldest February on record. Don’t hesitate to register for your Annual Cham-ber Golf Tournament taking place at the Oshawa Golf Club on Thurs-day June 4th. Spots are filling up rapidly and this event is sold out every year so get registered! And, be sure to get your brand out there. The Chamber puts together a gift bag for each golfer and offers the opportunity to all members to include an item in the bag. For more in-formation about this, see the flyer enclosed, go to the Chamber website at www.oshawachamber.com or call the office at 905.728.1683.

April 9th, between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m., is our Spring Business Show-case at the Durham Banquet Hall & Conference Centre. This is an event that really helps to grow your business, so book your display space now and get ready to meet some great people and help your bottom line at the same time. Each exhibitor receives complimentary tickets to the event so you can invite your customers, business associ-ates or maybe your significant other to come out and see your display and those of the other participants.

Women in Business is taking place on April 15th at the Oshawa Golf Course & Curling Club between 12 p.m and 2 p.m. This month will be a Roundtable session with the focus on discussing Service Ex-cellence and Work/Life Balance – both topics are near and dear to all of us. Space is limited to only 50 participants though, so don’t hesitate to register. Thanks goes out to Tammy Lee Hanlon Insurance Agency Inc. - State Farm Insurance for sponsoring this great event.

We celebrate Business Excellence at our Annual Awards Night in the fall. This year is the 20th Anniversary of our Business Excellence Celebration and so we are pulling out all the stops and going with a full on gala with dinner included! Please take the time to nominate an Outstanding Business that you know deserves recognition and we will all celebrate their accomplishments together!

On Thursday April the 16th join us for a Simply Networking Break-fast event at triOS College (200 John Street West, Oshawa). There is no agenda, just an excellent opportunity to network with others. Don’t just come alone, bring a friend or business associate too…

Have a healthy and prosperous April and remember:You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take – Wayne Gretzky

Sincerely,Jeff Hayes, President, Greater Oshawa Chamber of Commerce

Submitted by Stephen K. Carlisle, President and Managing DirectorGeneral Motors Canada

UPDATE: Planning GM Oshawa’s Future

This is a good time for a second Community Update, following my January 28th communication setting out our two year timeline for product and investment decisions in Oshawa. A great deal of positive work has happened since then and I think it’s useful to share some of that information.

First, on February 12th, we announced that GM is investing a fur-ther $560,000,000 in our CAMI Assembly Plant in Ingersoll to sup-port the production of the next generation Chevrolet Equinox. This is a vote of confidence in Canada and it is a tribute to our outstanding employees and the positive work accomplished by working together with our partners over the past several years. Our Ingersoll plant is humming on three shifts as we work to meet the strong demand we are seeing in the North American crossover segment.

Our St. Catharines Engine and Transmission plant is also working around the clock supplying award winning quality powertrains for our assembly plants in Canada and across North America. On February 25th, I had the pleasure of addressing a group of almost 100 GM plant managers from all across North America who came to St. Catharines to share learnings and see first-hand why our Canadian quality is top rate.

I am also pleased to report we have made strides on our work with partners regarding future plans for Oshawa Assembly. Much work is still to be done as we have both short and longer term chal-lenges to tackle in Oshawa and we are now well engaged with our union and government partners. We have outstanding strengths in Oshawa. Several, like our leading flexible manufacturing capabil-ity, robotics and paint shop are in place with thanks to the support we have received from our government partners. We have a strong Canadian-based supply chain and our amazing Oshawa employees continue to deliver industry-leading quality and productivity.

In past weeks we have stepped up our discussions with our government partners and we are engaging very constructively with our Unifor union partners. Unifor’s leadership recently met with our senior leadership in Detroit and offered a number of constructive suggestions. One example was calling out a multi-

million dollar cost reduction opportunity related to the very high percentage of our Oshawa plant workers who are ready and eli-gible for retirement and pension. We will continue to work with the union to examine a range of opportunities to further enhance the cost competitiveness of the Oshawa plant and work through more near-term market ups and downs. The challenges before us are clear and we understand them well, but by working together constructively, I believe we have a great opportunity to build a positive future in this great community.

We are also looking to the future with our new GM cars and trucks and the amazing technology advancements that our cus-tomers are going to enjoy over the coming decade as we enter the decade of the “connected car”.

At the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto I had the privilege to unveil two new Chevrolet electric cars - the next gen-eration Chevy Volt (the Volt is Canada’s top selling electric vehi-cle) and the all new Chevy Bolt EV concept. The Bolt is designed to have a 300 km battery range, and feature amazing “connected car” technologies that not only make it a powerful wifi hot spot, but the ability to park itself and return to pick you up when sum-moned on your smartphone. We also announced in February that GM’s next generation pure electric vehicle, based on the Bolt EV Concept, will go into production and be available across Canada.

New technology is the future of our industry and it’s what our cus-tomers crave. At our GM Engineering facility in Oshawa, the only one of its kind in Canada, we already have an important role in de-signing the future of greener and more wirelessly connected vehicles. We also work closely with universities all across Canada to help de-velop breakthrough technologies we will commercialize. Stay tuned for more positive news in Oshawa in this exciting area too.

Finally, I am proud to say we have just reported our 8th succes-sive month of sales growth, outpacing the industry in Canada, and in 2015, we’ve grown share. So let’s keep focusing on the upside!

Follow us on Twitter @GMCanada.

Published by the Greater Oshawa Chamber of Commerce44 Richmond Street WestOshawa, Ontario L1G 1C7Tel: 905-728-1683 Fax: 905-432-1259

Email: [email protected]

Web: www.oshawachamber.com

Len Baker, Director CIBC Commercial Banking

Clyde Catton, Director BDO Canada LLP

Gina Cormier, Director Quality Hotel & Conference Centre

Kyle Douglas, Director CRCS DKI

Jason Easton, Director General Motors of Canada Limited

Nicholas Fazio, Director Fazio’s Restaurant

Linda Grieco, Director P.R. Engineering Ltd.

Dave Hare, CIP, Treasurer Petley-Hare Limited Insurance Brokers

Jeff Hayes, President Brian Hayes Plumbing

Rick James, Director James Printing & Signs

Deborah Jollymore, Director triOS College

John Kellam, Director McIntosh Anderson Kellam Funeral Home

K. Robert (Bob) Malcolmson, CEO & GM Greater Oshawa Chamber of Commerce

Ron Oberth, Director Organization of Canadian Nuclear Industries

Don Pitman, Executive-At-Large Guardian Residential Services

Jeff Robinson, Director J.J. McGuire General Contractors

Natalie Sims, Vice President Durham Medical

John Sturrup, Past President J2S Marketing & Communications

Gary Valcour, Vice President Oshawa Port Authority

Terry Wu, Director University of Ontario Institute of Technology

Business Matters is an information package provided to members of the Greater Oshawa Chamber of Commerce and businesses at large. The positions expressed in by-lined columns are the opinions of the author and do not reflect the position of the Greater Oshawa Chamber of Commerce unless specifically stated. The Greater Oshawa Chamber of Commerce assumes no responsibility for statements or claims made by advertisers. The Greater Oshawa Chamber of Commerce publishes Business Matters 11 times per year. Issue dates are January, February, March, April, May, June, July/August, September, October, November and December. Closing date is the 15th of the month prior to publication.

Business Matters is delivered to 5,000 businesses in the Greater Oshawa area. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the publisher’s written permission. Canada Post publication agreement #40804106.

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGEJeff Hayes

Inspired by NatureMeetings and vacations

on Stoney Lake

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The Regional Municipality of Durham, Planning and Economic Development Department, Tourism Division, announced that they will be partnering with all eight local area municipalities this summer, to bring residents and visitors the first-ever Durham Festival—a celebration of culture and creativity in Durham Region. This region-wide legacy event will take place from August 13 to 16.Showcasing the very best of what Durham Region has to offer, this lively event invites people of all ages to experience delicious local food, music, art, culture and creative expression of all varieties.“The Durham Festival celebration is built on four pow-

erful pillars: connection, inclusion, collaboration and unity; designed to promote the diverse communities that make up our beautiful region,” said Kathy Weiss, Director of Economic Development and Tourism. “The spotlight will be shining on Durham Region during this event, which will showcase us as a vibrant and evolved tourism destination offering creativity, culture and exciting entertainment—both now, and for years to come.”For more information about the Durham Festival, or for a full list of confirmed events, visit www.durhamfesti-val.ca or call Durham Tourism at 1-800-413-0017.

Chamber members came out to celebrate and congratu-late Silver Cross Durham at their recent grand opening at 850 King Street West in Oshawa. Presenting a con-gratulatory certificate to owners Victoria Westbury (left)

and & Lesley Westbury (right) is Chamber Ambassador Lisa McKnight of McCAM Insurance Brokers Ltd.www.silvercross.com/locations/Whitby.html.

One World Buffet recently celebrated its grand opening in style! Many Chamber members enjoyed the over 150 inter-national dishes made fresh daily. Located at 200 John Street

West (Midtown Mall) in Oshawa, with so many choices, the world really is on your plate! www.oneworldbuffet.com.

Celebrate Creativity, Culture And Cuisine At The Durham Festival

Silver Cross Opens Its Doors!

The World On Your Plate!

Nominations for the 20th Annual Greater Oshawa Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Awards (BEA) are now open.

Do you know of a business or person who shouldbe recognized for their outstanding achievements?

The award categories are Business Person, New Enterprise, Civic Pride, Innovation and Business Excellence.

All you need to do is simply email the name of the organizationand contact information to us by 5PM Thursday, April 30, 2015and we will take care of the rest. It's that easy.

AWARDNOMINATIONSNOW OPENCelebrating Business Excellence

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Members In the NewsMembers In the News

From the smiles on these faces, you know that The Challenge teams had a fun time at the 7th Annual Chamber Challenge at Neb’s Fun World! Congratula-tions to all who participated and a special congratula-

tions to the overall Challenge Champions...Community Living Oshawa, who won $700 for their Charity of Choice. Guess which charity they chose?! See more photos in our fb.com/oshawachamber photo album.

Congratulations to Dean Lawrence and his team at Speedpro Imaging Durham/Oshawa who earned the company’s coveted 2014 Speedpro Imaging Franchise of the Year award. Speedpro Imaging’s highest award

of achievement requires the franchisee to demonstrate leadership in a number of categories including sales volume & growth, ethics, innovation, employee satis-faction and community involvement.

Greater Oshawa Chamber members came out to cele-brate and congratulate Taunton Road Animal Hospital at their grand opening event at their new location at 1330 Townline Road North. On hand to present a congratula-

tory certificate to the owners is (left to right) Chamber Ambassador Scott Sonley of Collins Barrow Durham LLP, owners Dr. Mark Coleman and Dr. Jennifer New-house and Chamber member Beverly Ball. www.trah.ca

Challenge Champions!

Franchise Of The Year!

Animals Find A New Home!

New Members

Renewing Members

151 Chadburn Squadron - Royal Canadian Air Cadets

Ajax Convention CentreAlgoma Orchards Ltd.All Tax Services Inc.Avanti TrattoriaB.G. McPherson Training Center Inc.B.Y.O.B. Spring Water Brewing Inc.Best Western Durham Hotel &

Conference CentreBMO Bank of Montreal (206 Ritson

Rd. N., Oshawa)Bosco Properties and Services Ltd.Bowden TransportBrock Built-In SpecialistsBSNITBuffalo Wild WingsCanadian Blood ServicesCIBC (2 Simcoe St. S., Oshawa)City Wide TaxiClaudette's PoolsCommunity Living Oshawa/Clarington

CONPUTECORE21Desjardins Payroll and Human

Resources ServicesEnterprise AirlinesFurniture GalleriesGeneral Motors CentreGillett Car CleaningHalminen HomesKPS Construction Ltd.Krown Rust Control - OshawaMNP, LLPOffice Products & ServicesOfficeMax/Grand & ToyOrganization of Canadian

Nuclear IndustriesOshawa Collision CentreOshawa Funeral HomeOshawa Hearing Aid ClinicOshawa Little TheatreOshawa Office Equipment Inc.Pegasus Candles

Powerful Journey ConsultingPrecision LaboratoriesResidence Inn by Marriott, WhitbyRestorco Inc.Revere Optical & Low Vision ClinicSTAVS Dining EmporiumStorage Depot Inc.Tammy Lee Hanlon Insurance

Agency Inc. - State Farm InsuranceTaunton Road Animal HospitalTD Merchant ServicesThe Collision ManThe Digital Marketing People Inc.The Rotary Club of OshawaTip Top AutoTrillium Trails Banquet Hall &

Conference CentreTwo Men and a Truck - OshawaViamede ResortVoice Path Business

Telephone SystemsWalmart Supercentre

Panda Express 224 Ritson Rd., N.Oshawa, ON L1G 1Z7Phone: (905) 432-8999Website: www.pandaexpress.caRestaurants & ClubsJason Zhang

Tranquil Escapes Spa 71 Mearns Court, Unit 19-20 (Natural Touch Therapies)Bowmanville, ON L1C 4N4Phone: (905) 925-2305Cell: (905) 623-4884www.thetranquilescapespa.caHealth & Beauty SpasBeatrice Seywald

To view all of the new members,

please visit www.oshawachamber.com

and click on Business Directory >> New Members.

905-723-9898

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Late in 2014, the provincial government introduced a Bill to create the framework to es-tablish the Ontario Retirement Pension Plan (ORPP). Ac-cording to the government, the ORPP is “intended to provide a predictable source of retire-ment income for those most at risk of under-saving, particularly middle-income earners without workplace pensions”. The gov-ernment’s impetus to strengthen Ontario’s retirement income system is due to several reasons which include the following:

• workplace pension cover-age is low;

• individuals are not taking sufficient advantage of vol-untary savings tools; and

• people are living longer than ever before.

On the other hand, business-es and employees will be con-cerned about the potential cost of the plan, as both employer and employee contributions will be required in the same man-ner as the Canada Pension Plan (CPP). Also, some would argue that they would prefer to receive the amounts that will go toward contributions and invest the money themselves.

The government has em-barked on a consultation pro-cess and will seek feedback on the key design features. Here

are answers to some key ques-tions that you may have about the ORPP based on information that is known so far. When Can You Expect To See The ORPP?

The Ontario government has committed itself to establish the ORPP no later than

January 1, 2017. Incidentally, this will coincide with expected reductions in Employment In-surance premiums previously announced by the federal gov-ernment. Both employers and employees will be required to participate in the ORPP. Enrol-ment will be in stages, beginning with what are considered to be the largest employers. Initially, contribution rates will be phased in over a two year period. How Will The ORPP Work?

The ORPP will be manda-tory for employees who do not already have a comparable workplace pension plan, except for federally regulated sectors, such as telecommunications and banking. The plan will not apply to self-employed individu-als. However, having said that, the government has suggested that an opt-in feature may be available to the self-employed at some point in the future.

In accordance with the pro-posed plan, employers and em-ployees will be required to each contribute 1.9% of an employ-ee’s earnings, to a maximum of $90,000 of annual earnings.

This will make the total contri-bution per participating em-ployee equal to a total of 3.8% of earnings. Keep in mind that this maximum threshold will in-crease to reflect the percentage increase in the Year’s Maximum Pensionable Earnings (YMPE) under the CPP between 2014 and 2017. The maximum threshold will then continue to be adjusted in accordance with the YMPE increases on an an-nual basis. Contributions will not be required below a mini-mum earnings threshold that is expected to mirror that of the CPP of $3,500.

The concept of a compa-rable plan is one of the key design issues that must be re-solved. It appears clear that a defined benefit Registered Pen-sion Plan (RPP) will be a com-parable plan. However, it is not clear whether a defined contri-bution RPP, a group registered retirement savings plan or a deferred profit sharing plan that requires employer contributions would be sufficient to exempt employers and employees from the ORPP. At the same time, it appears that the government is concerned about how the ORPP will impact these alterna-tive arrangements, as they have asked for feedback on that. When And How Will Retirement Benefits Be Paid From The ORPP?

In an attempt to ensure that

the ORPP will help individuals meet their financial needs in retirement, plan members will not be able to withdraw retire-ment income before reaching retirement age. This means that members of the ORPP will be able to start collecting retire-ment benefits under the pro-posed new program at age 65. However, there will be an option for members to be paid benefits as early as age 60 or as late as age 70. You should note that these payments will be subject to actuarial adjustments.

The amount of money one will receive will depend on the number of years an individual contributed to the ORPP and the salary that the individual earned during the years of con-tribution. For instance, accord-ing to examples provided by the government, an employee who earns $90,000 per year and who contributes to the ORPP for approximately 40 years can expect to earn approximately $12,815 of ORPP retirement income, while an employee who earns $45,000 per year and who contributes for the same duration of time, can expect to earn approximately $6,410 of ORPP retirement income. Is The ORPP Similar To The CPP?

The ORPP will be similar to the CPP in that it will be funded by both employers and em-ployees, and the contribution amount will be a fixed percent-

age of income up to a maximum amount. In addition, as stated, it is proposed that the ORPP will index the contribution limits using the same factors that are used for the CPP.

However, there are also some key differences for you to take note of. These include the fact that the ORPP will not be a universal plan; it will only apply to employees who do not have a comparable workplace program. In contrast, almost all individuals who work in Canada are subject to CPP contribu-tions and eligible for benefits. In addition, self-employed indi-viduals must contribute to the CPP, but will not be automati-cally subject to the ORPP. As well, based on 2014 thresh-olds, the employee contribution rate of the ORPP will be lower than the CPP contribution rate (1.9% vs. 4.95%) but will have a higher maximum threshold ($90,000 vs. $52,500). The lower contribution rate and higher threshold amount asso-ciated with the ORPP means that when compared to the CPP, fewer people will be eli-gible to receive the maximum ORPP pension benefit.

And finally, keep in mind that unlike the Québec Pension Plan, participation in the ORPP will be in addition to participation in the CPP. This will create additional administration costs for employ-ers as the provincial legislation

contemplates the creation of a separate administrative entity. Therefore, we would anticipate that separate payments and re-turns will have to be made or filed with the Ontario govern-ment in addition to the payments and returns currently required under federal rules and the On-tario Employer Health Tax. Summary

While the provincial gov-ernment is currently soliciting feedback on the design details of the ORPP, Ontario’s new retirement savings plan looks like it will become a reality. Both businesses and their employ-ees will need to plan ahead for its introduction and the impact it will have on them.

If you have any questions re-lated to the foregoing please con-tact our office at 905-576-3430.

This material is general in nature and should not be relied upon to replace the requirement for specific professional advice.

This article is from a BDO Tax Factor 2014-11, a publication by BDO Canada © BDO 2014.

Submitted by Clyde Catton, BBA, CPA, CA, Tax Partner

Clyde Catton

THE ONTARIO RETIREMENT PENSION PLAN – WHAT IS IT ALL ABOUT?

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419 King Street West, Suite 502 | Oshawa, ON | 905.576.3430

It’s actually a series of inclined planes. Similar to how we’re not just accountants. We are a partner-driven team available to you from engagement through delivery. BDO. More than you think.

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Visit web.oshawachamber.com/events to register online

Price includes golf, power cart, door and raffle prizes, contests, lunch and dinner! Showcase your brand! Sponsorship opportunities available.

ANNUAL GOLF TOURNAMENTThursday, June 4, 2015 • 11:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Oshawa Golf & Curling Club, 160 Alexandra St., OshawaRegister today! This event sells out quickly!Early Bird Special Rate $199.00 (Plus HST)

After April 15th $225.00 (Plus HST)

Dinner Sponsor:Lunch Sponsor:

Women In BusinessRound Table Discussion

Wednesday, April 15, 2015 12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Oshawa Golf and Curling Club 160 Alexandra St., Oshawa

An interactive round table discussion on topics that interest and affect women in the workforce.

Members: $40.00 PLUS HST Prospective Members: $60.00 PLUS HST

PRE-REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED! REGISTER ONLINE WEB.OSHAWACHAMBER.COM/EVENTS

Tammy Lee Hanlon Insurance Agency Inc. -

State Farm Insurance

Sponsored by:

Pre-registration is required. Register ONLINE at web.oshawachamber.com/events

No agenda, no speaker, simply networking! Members: $15.00 (plus HST) • Prospective Members: $20.00 (plus HST)

(Includes a continental breakfast)

Thursday, April 9, 2015 • 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.Durham Banquet Hall and Conference Centre559 Bloor Street West, Oshawa Member Registration: $10.00 Plus HST (1 ticket)$15.00 Plus HST (2 tickets)Exhibitor Display Table: $45.00 Plus HST (Members Only) Includes two registrations!

This event sells out quickly…register today.Hors d’ouevres & Cash Bar; VIA Rail Draw; Lots and lots of Door Prizes.Pre-registration is required! Register ONLINE web.oshawachamber.com/events

Thursday, April 16, 2015

7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. triOS COLLEGE - 200 John Street West, Oshawa

Health, Dental & Life Insurance designed for Greater Oshawa Chamber Members and their Employees. Contact Peter Bocking at 1.800.361.6996 ext. 239 or visit www.chamberplan.ca

UPCOMINGEVENTSTO REGISTER FOR A CHAMBER EVENT PLEASE FAX IN YOUR REGISTRATION FORM TO 905.432.1259, EMAIL TO [email protected]

OR PHONE 905.728.1683 TO HAVE A REGISTRATION FORM SENT TO YOU.

N E T W O R K I N G A T A G L A N C E

For complete details on these events, see the flyers in this edition of Business Matters or call the Greater Oshawa Chamber of Commerce at 905-728-1683 to have a flyer emailed or faxed to you.

SPRING BUSINESS MARKETPLACE

Wednesday, April 15, 2015 • 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.44 Richmond St. W. Suite 100, Oshawa

The Greater Oshawa Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with Kemp Travel and W Holiday is planning a 12-day trip to China scheduled for October 15-26, 2015. This trip is open to the general public and the partners are hosting an information evening to provide an outline about this amazing, once-in-a-lifetime trip.

This is a FREE information event, everyone is welcome! ***Register ONLINE!!! web.oshawachamber.com/events.***

INFORMATIONNIGHT!

Lunch&Learn12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Guest Speakers: Sarah Netley of Collins Barrow Durham LLP & Christine Ashton of Wilson Vukelich LLP

Topic: Employee vs. Independent Contractor: Tax Strategies!Speakers will focus on the tax and legal aspects of using an employee vs. an independent contractor.

Tuesday, May 12, 2015Harmony Creek Golf Centre1000 Bloor Street East, Oshawa

Members: $27.00 Plus HST | Prospective Members: $36.00 Plus HST (Includes a full plated lunch)

ANNUAL GOLF TOURNAMENTThursday, June 4, 2015 • 11:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Oshawa Golf & Curling Club, 160 Alexandra St., OshawaRegister today! This event sells out quickly! Early Bird Special Rate $199.00 (Plus HST)

After April 15th $225.00 (Plus HST)Price includes golf, power cart, door and raffle prizes, contests, lunch and dinner!

Showcase your brand! Sponsorship opportunities available.

This is your opportunity to promote your service or product to 144 potential customers for only $25.00! Space is limited. This is a member only benefit!

***Register ONLINE!!! web.oshawachamber.com/events.***

Deadline: Friday, May 29, 2015 at 5:00 p.m.

Include an item in the gift bag to be given out to each golfer at the Annual Golf Tournament on Thursday, June 4, 2015.

Chamber Speaker SeriesBreakfast With…Minister Brad Duguid

Wednesday, June 10, 20157:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.Quality Hotel & Conference Centre1011 Bloor Street East, Oshawa

Guest Speaker: Minister Brad Duguid, Minister of Economic Development,Employment and InfrastructureTopic: Insight into the economic Issues facing Durham Region and Ontario.

Members: $29.00 Plus HST | Prospective Members: $39.00 Plus HST(Includes a full plated breakfast)

***Register ONLINE!!! web.oshawachamber.com/events.***

Sponsored By:

YOUR VOICE OF BUSINESS VOL 31 ISSUE 4 APRIL 2015 ...€¦ · The Roundtable Women In Business The...

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