Welcome to a new issue of E-News! from The Business Link. Whether this is your first time to receive E-News!, or you've been with us from the first issue, we hope you 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.

Your feedback is welcome at any time to help us improve and enhance our services for Alberta entrepreneurs. Simply use the "Feedback" function located on the toolbar at the top of E-News! to send us your views.

The Business Link's Spring 2003
Seminars and Brown Bag Presentations

Our economically-priced Small Business Seminars and FREE Brown Bag Presentations feature the basics of business from start-up to marketing to e-business...and more! All sessions are held at The Business Link at 100 - 10237 104 Street in Edmonton. Pre-registration is required for the seminars; no registration required for the "brown baggers", however there is limited seating on a first-come, first-served basis.

For more information on our Small Business Seminars and to register on-line, visit our web site at: http://www.cbsc.org/alberta/seminars.cfm. Details on the "Brown Baggers" are available at: http://www.cbsc.org/alberta/brownbag.cfm.

Alberta Innovation and Science - Innovative Intellectual Property Management Seminar

Led by a group of experienced practitioners in the field, this seminar will highlight the different types of intellectual property, as well as focus on topics of negotiation preparation, licensing, new venture creation and intellectual property strategies. In addition, linking intellectual property protection strategies to marketing/business strategies will be covered along with practical case studies and a panel discussion.

This seminar will be held in Edmonton on March 5, 2003 and in Calgary on March 12, 2003 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (Cost: $50 plus GST - includes light lunch and course materials).

For more information and to register, please visit: www.innovation.gov.ab.ca/inno-series/index2.cfm

Quality Council of Alberta Brown Bag Sessions

The Quality Council of Alberta (QCA) invites you to attend their FREE monthly Brown Bag Sessions, held at noon every third Friday of the month until June 2003. Bring your lunch and take in this series on "Performance". Attendees will examine and learn what organizational performance is, approaches to improve it, and challenges to maintain it.

This month's session on "Ecological/Environmental Concerns & Organizational Performance" will be held at The Business Link on Friday, March 21, 2003, 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 this event, contact Ann Beaque at the Quality Council of Alberta at 780-423-6878 or 1-800-224-0848, or by e-mail at: abeaque@telusplanet.net.

U.S. / Canada Trade - Border Session

Do you know where to get information about exporting? Who can help you with exporting? Or where do you find export-related information on the Internet? This two-day session sponsored by Trade Team Alberta, Alberta Economic Development and the Rocky Mountain Trade Corridor will provide you with information on the export/import process between Canada & the U.S.

From 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., on March 19, 2003 in Lethbridge, learn about export services available from the Canadian and U.S. Consulates and tips on export preparation and planning, as well as export resources and assistance available to form cross-border partnerships. From 8:45 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., on March 20, 2003 in Coutts, attend presentations by Canada Customs and U.S. Customs, Customs Brokers, Canada and U.S. Immigration, the Rocky Mountain Trade Corridor, and tour the Canadian and U.S. Customs facilities.

For event information, please contact Gerry Gibbons, Regional Manager (Lethbridge), Alberta Economic Development at (403) 381-5414 or by e-mail at gerry.gibbons@gov.ab.ca OR Donna Mauro, New Exporter Initiatives, Alberta Economic Development at (780) 427-6394 or by e-mail at donna.mauro@gov.ab.ca.

An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure…
This is Especially True in Human Resources (excerpts)

Employers have rights and responsibilities in various human resources related areas. To prevent potential blunders that can be costly to business owners, education on various human resources matters is worth the time and money spent. Many organizations such as Alberta Employment Standards, Canada Customs and Revenue Agency, Human Resources Development Canada, and Workers Compensation Board of Alberta provide information on legislations, publications, newsletters and seminars and workshops to help you keep abreast of legislative changes and legal cases that impact the landscape of human resource areas in the workplace. Most of these organizations will also provide consultative services to review your draft policies and guide you to address your specific situation. Often, many of their services are cost-free to employers.

To access the full version of this article and links to provincial and federal agencies dealing with human resources, visit The Business Link's web site at: www.cbsc.org/alberta/tbl.cfm?fn=tip2.

It's that time of the year again! Tax season is upon us and it is now time to file those dreaded tax returns. To simplify this process, the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency (CCRA) offers a variety of information services for individuals and businesses on its web site at: www.ccra-adrc.gc.ca.

If you are self-employed, the way your business is taxed has a lot to do with the way it is set up.

• Sole proprietorship
  A sole proprietorship is an unincorporated business that is owned by one person. It's the simplest kind of business structure. A sole proprietor pays taxes by reporting income (or loss) on a personal income tax and benefit return (T1). The income (or loss) forms part of the sole proprietor's overall income for the year.

• Partnership
  A partnership is an association or relationship between two or more individuals, corporations, trusts, or partnerships who join together to carry on a trade or business. A partnership by itself does not pay income tax on its operating results and does not file an annual income tax return. Instead, each partner includes a share of the partnership income or loss on a personal, corporate, or trust income tax return.

• Corporation
  A corporation is a separate legal entity. It can enter into contracts and own property in its own name, separately and distinctly from its owners. Since a corporation has a separate legal existence, it has to pay tax on its income, and therefore must file its own income tax return. A corporation must file a corporation income tax return (T2) within six months of the end of every taxation year, even if it doesn't owe taxes. It also has to attach complete financial statements and the necessary schedules to the T2 return. A corporation pays its taxes in monthly instalments.
  

Generally, your individual return for 2002 has to be filed on or before April 30, 2003. If you own a sole-proprietorship or a partnership, you have to file a 2002 individual income tax return on or before June 15, 2003, but if you owe tax for 2002, you have to pay the balance owing by April 30, 2003, regardless of when you file the return. To get the forms and information you need to file your General Income Tax and Benefit Package for 2002, visit www.ccra-adrc.gc.ca/tax/individuals/t1general/2002/menu-e.html.

A corporation's taxation year is also called its fiscal year. The fiscal year cannot be more than 53 weeks or 371 days. For a new corporation, the fiscal year generally starts on the incorporation date. The first fiscal year can end at any time during the first 53 weeks. The corporation's fiscal year end will be established when it files its first corporate income tax return. For more information on Corporation Tax Return, visit www.ccra-adrc.gc.ca/t2return.

The Business Link works in partnership with 34 Regional Access Sites located throughout the province, plus the Calgary Business Information Centre (CBIC), to provide information and resources to Alberta entrepreneurs. To find the closest Regional Access Site in your area, visit our web site at: www.cbsc.org/alberta/regional.cfm.

One of these Regional Access Sites is the Drumheller Regional Chamber of Development and Tourism (DRCDT).

The Drumheller Regional Chamber of Development and Tourism is committed to doing everything possible to put the odds in your favour and help you build your business. The organization offers services to potential and existing entrepreneurs, including: one-on-one counseling on starting or operating a small business; use of an in-house library with business-related books and videos; statistical information on the region of Drumheller and a number of youth programs.

The Drumheller Regional Chamber of Development and Tourism also serves as an alternate-lending source for new and expanding small businesses in the town of Drumheller and Starland County. Methods of financial assistance can be in the form of loan (debt) financing, loan (debt) guarantees to third parties, operating lines of credit and equity investments. The DRCDT is a lender of last resort. Applicants must be turned down by a bank first before applying for funding. DRCDT also assists entrepreneurs with disabilities. Individuals with sound business ideas may access loans up to $125,000 with flexible repayment terms. Through Alberta Entrepreneurs with Disability Enhanced Support Services (AEDESS) other forms of support and training are also available at the DRCDT.

For more information, contact the Drumheller Regional Chamber of Development and Tourism at:

60 - 1 Avenue W
P.O. Box 999
Drumheller, Alberta T0J 0Y0
Phone: (403) 823-8100
Fax: (403) 823-4469
E-Mail: info@drcdt.com
Web site: http://www.drcdt.com

March 2003
Issue 10

In this Issue... Upcoming Events Business Tip Feature Web Site Regional Access Site in the Spotlight

Expert Advice for Inventors

Tom Boyd, Business Development Advisor for the Canadian Intellectual Property Office in the Atlantic Region, will visit The Business Link on March 17, 18 and 19, 2003. Tom has been working in intellectual property for over 30 years, both in private and public sector, and has agreed to come at The Business Link to share his thorough knowledge of patents, trademarks, copyrights and industrial designs protection with our clients.

If you are an inventor or need to learn how to protect your business' intellectual property, meet or phone Tom Boyd at The Business Link on March 17 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. These one-on-one consultations are free and confidential. Tom Boyd will also give two seminars on intellectual property protection at The Business Link on March 18 from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. and on March 19 from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. For more information on these events and to register, contact Louise Faucher-Moser at (780) 422-7764 or through our toll-free number at 1-800-272-9675.

While in Edmonton, Tom Boyd will also be a guest speaker at the all-day Edmonton Workshop for Inventors, Innovators & Entrepreneneurs organized by the Canadian Innovation Centre on Saturday, March 15 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT). For more information or to register for this event, contact the Canadian Innovation Centre at 1-800-265-4559 ext. 225 or by email at:
info@innovationcentre.
ca.

New Look and Features for Our Web Site

The Business Link is about to unveil its revamped web site. See the results in just a few days by visiting: www.cbsc.org/alberta.

Some of the new features that you will now find on our site are a monthly poll, a new help section and the option to send our documents to a friend by e-mail.

Despite its new look, our site offers the same user-friendly navigability and great features such as a list of nine business topics, useful tools and links, a database of government programs and services, a calendar of business seminars and much more...

The Business Link's web site is Alberta's best source of information for new and existing entrepreneurs. Every month, it receives an average of 43,000 visits, which make it one of the most visited sites within the Canada Business Service Centre (CBSC) Network.

The Business Link Welcomes AlbertaFirst.Com

AlbertaFirst.Com recently located its business and client support functions at The Business Link.

AlbertaFirst.Com is a provincial, municipal and industry partnership dedicated to the promotion of business and community development across the province of Alberta.

This organization operates and manages a web site rich with information to those interested in starting a business or relocating to Alberta. AlbertaFirst.Com currently provides five distinct types of information including Alberta community profiles, business directories, business information, commercial real estate listings and other opportunities that are available to both members and the general public.

Like other organizations such as the Alberta Women's Enterprise Initiative Association, Western Economic Diversification and the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency, AlbertaFirst.Com is now part of a family of business services hosted in our facilities.

For more information on AlbertaFirst.Com and its services, please visit: www.albertafirst.com.