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When it comes to exporting, Alberta businesses continue to show enormous potential. But many are finding that doing business in the U.S is significantly different than doing business at home. Successfully entering and maintaining a presence in the market is a major feat, as well as remaining current with U.S. import regulations and procedures. Even experienced exporters to the U.S. are not immune to this reality.

Export Challenges
Temporary business entry into the U.S. is often a particular challenge to Alberta exporters, many of whom regularly visit the U.S. to perform contracts, service machinery or conduct training. Although these services are covered under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the agreement has strict guidelines regarding the extent of the work done and supporting documents required by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Needless to say, the topic is very complicated and if not properly prepared, Alberta exporters to the U.S. will likely experience difficulties with temporary business entry and work permits at some point in the export process.

Services Available
Fortunately, exporters can tap into a number of services for assistance. The Export Link (a specialized initiative of The Business Link) is one example. The Export Link is the first point of access to export assistance in Alberta, providing free export information services, resources and referrals. The initiative also regularly organizes training events for new and potential exporters. In fact, if your company is planning to export to the U.S., you may want to mark March 2005 in your calendar. A series of seminars are scheduled for that month on the topic of exporting to the U.S. including a three-hour seminar on Doing Business in the U.S, and sessions on shipping goods and U.S. tax issues.

Do's and Don'ts
Also taking place in March is a half-day training session called the "Do’s and Don’ts of Business Entry into the United States" that provides information to exporters on regulations governing business entry in the United States under the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The session includes presentations by an officer from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, an immigration lawyer and a customs broker. The session also covers visas and tips for entering the U.S. and the temporary export of goods. The session on March 16 will be hosted in Calgary and video-conferenced to various locations around the province.

Contact the Export Link
To access Export Link services and events, visit www.exportlink.ca, call Team Canada’s Export Information Service at 1-888-811-1119 or visit us at The Business Link.

Canada Revenue Agency Offers Free Tax Seminars

Two upcoming sessions will be held at Canada Place Conference Centre Room 201, 9700 Jasper Avenue in Edmonton, Alberta.

Tax Workshop for New Business People
Attend this free session and get the information you need on: payroll deductions, income tax and GST.
The session will be held on January 11, 2005, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Workshop for New GST Registrants
Attend this free session and get the information you need on: the basics of GST, how to complete the GST return for registrants, the services offered by CRA and the options available to you.
The session will be held January 12, 2005, from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.

For more information and to register, visit Canada Revenue Agency's web site at www.cra.gc.ca/events or call 1-800-959-5525.

Economic Developers Association of Alberta

The Economic Developers Association of Alberta works to enhance the economic development profession in the province. The EDA is working to provide a forum for its members where information is exchange by building relationships, to coordinate educational programs and workshops for Albertans involved in economic development and to establish and maintain effective linkages with other organizations, corporate bodies, and all levels of government to promote economic development in the province of Alberta.

For more information about the Economic Developers Association of Alberta visit their web site at edaalberta.com, or contact Executive Director, Carlo Klemm by phone at 1-866-671-8182 or by e-mail at chklemm@telus.net.

Did You Know?

There were 30,680 new business incorporations in Alberta in 2003, up from 28,141 in 2002.

Statistics provided by Alberta Economic Development.

For more sources of statistics and market research information, go to The Business Link's Statistics section: www.cbsc.org
/alberta/tbl.cfm?
fn=statistics.

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Welcome to a new issue of E-News! from The Business Link. Whether this is your first time receiving E-News!, or you've been with us from the first issue, we hope you will enjoy this quick monthly
e-newsletter. Our goal is to keep you informed of upcoming events and services at The Business Link and other items of interest to Alberta's small business community.

The Business Link's Spring Season

The new season of Brown Bags and Small Business Seminars starts February 1^st. Our high quality sessions will be offered here at The Business Link and around the province via video conferencing. The new season will offer more Brown Baggers and Small Business Seminars than ever before in more locations than ever before. This season, three of our Small Business Seminars will be offered in the afternoons at The Business Link and around the province via video conferencing. For more information on the upcoming season, visit our site here: http://www.cbsc.org/alberta/tbl.cfm?fn=infosess.

Do you need to widen your business contacts? Then join us at The Business Link for an opportunity to Network! It is free and no registration is needed. Be prepared to exchange business cards and gain valuable contacts!

Join us on Wednesday, January 12, 2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Quality Council of Alberta Brown Bag Sessions

The Quality Council of Alberta (QCA) invites you to attend their Brown Bag Sessions at The Business Link in Edmonton and in Calgary. This year’s theme will be “Following the Roadmap to Excellence”. The QCA is offering a number of sessions, presented by noted Knowledge Management professionals, on using Knowledge Management to achieve organizational excellence. The sessions are free to members of the Quality Council of Alberta and $10 for non-members.

Two events will be held this month. The first "Introduction to Organizational Excellence" will be held in Calgary on Thursday, January 6 and at The Business Link in Edmonton on Friday, January 7. The second "Introduction to Knowledge Management" will be held in Calgary on Thursday, January 20 and in Edmonton on Friday, January 21. The sessions are held from 12:00 noon to 1:00 p.m. Seating is limited and allocated on a first come - first served basis.

For more information and to register for these sessions, contact Ann Beaque at the Quality Council of Alberta at 780-423-6878, 1-800-224-0848 or by e-mail at: abeaque@shaw.ca.

The 2005 Alberta Wage and Salary Survey is currently underway!

Alberta Human Resources and Employment leads the Alberta Wage and Salary Survey every two to three years in partnership with Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, Alberta Economic Development and Alberta Advanced Education. The purpose of the survey is to gather information on wages and salaries for full-time and part-time employees in Alberta by occupation, geographic area and industry group.

Alberta employers and organizations are encouraged to complete the survey to help ensure that accurate wage and salary information is collected for a wide range of occupations and job categories. The results of the survey will help Albertans make informed compensation decisions and develop competitive hiring policies. Other uses include: doing market research, settling injury disputes, conducting wage negotiations and making career decisions.

The Department extends its sincere thanks to all participants, from both the 2003 survey and the upcoming 2005 survey. The 2005 results are expected to be released in September 2005.

For more information please visit www.alis.gov.ab.ca/wageinfo. If you have questions or would like to participate, contact Dan Hodgson at Alberta Human Resources and Employment, (780) 415-8566 or through the toll-free number 310-0000.

Employment Insurance Premium Rate Reduction
Employment Insurance (EI) premiums will be reduced for employers and employees in 2005. The new premium rate for employers will be $2.73 per $100 insurable earnings, a reduction of $0.04. The new rate for employees will be $1.95 per $100 insurable earnings, a reduction of $0.03.

Refer to www.fin.gc.ca/finsearch/wn_e.asp for more information.

Year’s Maximum Pension Earnings (YMPE) for 2005 Increases
Effective January 1, 2005, the YMPE rate has been increased to $41,100. The basic exemption amount for 2005 remains unchanged at $3,500.

The Canada Pension Plan (CPP) contribution rates for 2005 also remain unchanged at:

• 4.95% for employee and employer and
• 9.9% for self-employed

• $1,861.20 for employer and employee; and
• $3,722.40 for self-employed

Workers' Compensation Board
www.wcb.ab.ca

For Albertan businesses operating in most industries, workers' compensation coverage is required by law. The Workers' Compensation Board web site is an excellent source of information and an access point for some of their services. This includes a list of exempted industries; employers in these industries may still apply for coverage.

The site contains a specific section for employers, including information on Personal Coverage, a service designed specifically for proprietors, partners, directors, and their dependents. On the site a wide range of downloadable publications including many important forms and a section answering the most often asked questions are all available to help you find the information you need.

All the Regional Access Sites around the province offer a wide range of services designed specifically to meet the needs of new entrepreneurs and small to medium sized business people in their area. The services can include financing, a wide range of resources to help small business people and many training programs and seminars.

Business Succession Planning Support
Business succession planning support is now available for small businesses through Entre-Corp Business Development Centre (BDC). A Business Succession Plan is a strategic approach to effectively guide the transfer of business ownership. Entre-Corp BDC in partnership with the Palliser Economic Partnership developed the Business Succession Planning Model that entrepreneurs can use to prepare for their own future, as well as the longevity of their business. For more information, contact the Palliser Economic Partnership at 403-529-3630 or Entre-Corp Business Development Centre at 403-528-2824.