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Working Alone: Are You Aware of Your Responsibilities?

Do you have employees who: travel to outside meetings; perform hazardous duties; work in isolated conditions; routinely travel long distances alone; or handle cash by themselves? If any of the above situations involve your workplace personnel, then according to the Occupational Health and Safety Code of Alberta, you are responsible as an employer for developing a 'Working Alone Policy' specific to your workplace.

According to Part 28 of the Occupational Health and Safety Code, a worker is thought to be 'working alone' if they are performing duties by themselves, and if required, help is not readily available.

Your 'Working Alone Policy' should include a hazard assessment for those working alone, safety measures to decrease risks to these individuals, a communication means for those working alone to get assistance, and training sessions so that the jobs can be safely performed.

For more information on this important topic, please visit the website of Alberta Human Resources and Employment, Workplace Health and Safety at www3.gov.ab.ca/
hre/workingalone/

New Canadian Innovation Centre
in Calgary

Do you have an idea or product that you need help with? The new branch of the Canadian Innovation Centre (CIC) in Calgary can help!

The CIC offers a 'Critical Factor Assessment' in order to determine how marketable your product or idea would be to the public.

For further information, contact Cara Hundt, at the Calgary office at (403) 503- 0746 or to view additional information on services offered, refer to the website at www.
innovationcentre.ca

Rural Business Booster-Prairie Finds: Alberta Shows Off

From July 21-30, 2005 there will be a showcase of rural Alberta businesses featured at the Klondike Days Exhibition in Edmonton. The trade show will include a general store with made in Alberta items as well as traditional product and tourism display booths.

The non-profit organization which is managing the trade show is called Rural Connections.
Sponsors of the event include the Province of Alberta, the City of Edmonton, Travel Alberta, and Northlands Park.

There will also be an art district, cooking stage, restaurant, travel agency, and entertainers featured at this trade show. Municipalities, municipal districts and counties, trade and tourism associations, chambers of commerce, economic development authorities, and rural educational institutions have also been encouraged to exhibit.

There are plans in the works for this trade show to travel to other destinations, should it prove successful. These future host locations would likely be in other Canadian provinces, and the United States.

For more information, please visit
www.prairiefinds.com

The Business Link's Staff Fitness Group Receives Active Edmonton Award

Have you ever thought of organizing a physical activity group for members of your staff?

Members of The Business Link staff decided to do exactly that in March 2005. A few months later, they were acknowledged for their efforts.

On behalf of the City of Edmonton, Councillor Bryan Anderson presented The Business Link with the “Active Edmonton Challenge 2005 Award” in the Workplace category at a ceremony that was held June 9 in Edmonton.

Award winners were honoured for their efforts in improving levels of physical activity.

Active Edmonton is an initiative with a mission of motivating individuals in all age groups to begin and continue long term physical activity.

It's never too late to think about adopting a healthier atmosphere in your workplace.

For more information on creating healthy workplaces, visit the Healthy Alberta website at www.healthyalberta
.com

New Editor for E-News!

The Business Link is pleased to welcome a new editor for E-News!

Lisa Iwanyk has been with The Business Link since November 2003 and has recently taken over the position of Web Services Coordinator, thereby making her your new E-News! editor.

Lisa brings with her a wealth of education and experience, she has a degree in Education as well as a Diploma in Bilingual Business Administration.

Lisa previously volunteered as newsletter editor for her Toastmasters club, and also designed classroom newsletters as a teacher.

She looks forward to providing you with a high quality monthly newsletter you will look forward to reading each month and welcomes your comments at any time. Feel free to use the feedback button at the top of E-News to send her your comments.

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Your Feedback is Important to us

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.

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 Fall Season is Quickly Approaching

The fall season of Seminars and Brown Baggers is currently being finalized and The Business Link is looking forward to offering another successful season of informative sessions.

We anticipate that our Fall Brown Bagger and Seminar Schedule will be available on our website in late July 2005.

Keep checking E-News! for information on extra events that will be offered from time to time, many via video conferencing.

Canada Revenue Agency Offers Helpful Seminars

Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) offers two different types of seminars for entrepreneurs: The Small Business Information Seminar and the GST/HST New Registrant Seminar. The Small Business Information Seminar is for entrepreneurs who have just started or are considering starting a new business. This seminar is an all day session which deals with three main topics: income tax, payroll, and GST/HST.

The GST/HST New Registrant Seminar teaches you about reporting GST/HST, invoicing with GST/HST, and what you can do when claiming GST expenditures. This session is offered over the course of a few hours in the evening.

Here are the dates, times and locations for the CRA summer seminars:

Small Business Information Seminar (8:30-3:30 p.m.):

July 21 (incorporated businesses): Edmonton

July 28 (all types of business): Calgary

August 17 (unincorporated businesses): Edmonton

GST/HST New Registrant Seminar (6:00-8:30 p.m. - Calgary, 7:00-10:00 p.m. - Edmonton)

July 6: Calgary

July 27: Edmonton

August 11: Calgary

August 23: Edmonton

For more information or to register, call (403) 691-6442 in Calgary and (780) 495-6376 in Edmonton; you can also send an e-mail in Calgary to outreach.pra-cal@ccra-adrc.gc.ca or in Edmonton to outreach.pra-edm@ccra-adrc.gc.ca or visit:
www.cra-arc.gc.ca/events/menu-e.html

Special Summer Networking Opportunities at The Business Link - Grow Your Circle of Contacts

Would you like to boost your business this summer and make valuable 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 introduce yourself and your business!

Join us on Wednesday, July 20, 2:30 to 4:00 p.m. and Wednesday, August 17, 2:30 to 4:00 p.m.

For more information, contact Lisa Iwanyk by phone at
780-422-7738, 1-800-272-9675 or by e-mail at iwanyk.lisa@cbsc.ic.gc.ca.

Helping Kids Develop Entrepreneurial Skills

Young creators! Business plans! Conflict resolution! Playing with toys! Hold it! What is this surreal place? It almost sounds too good to be true.

West Central Community Futures Development Corporation has been offering the Kids Invent Toys! ™ program to the communities within their operating area since 2001 and has been delighted with the opportunities that this four-day day camp has provided for its participants. The kids between the ages of 8 and 13 years old enjoy their experience. From the take-apart activities, to the Toy Store tour, from the brainstorming activities to the modification of their toys, the kids' involvement is met with eagerness and enthusiasm.

Program evaluations completed by both participants and parents have indicated that 99% of the respondents had a positive experience with the program. The only complaint is that the participants would like more!

The day camp is very reasonably priced at a mere $45.00 per child and is scheduled between 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. each day.

Here is the Kids Invent Toys! Day Camp Schedule:
July 5-8: Drayton Valley: Teens in Action: 542-7609
July 12-15: Entwistle: Entwistle Community Hall: 727-3923
July 26-29: Calmar: Mike Karbonik Arena: 985-3604
August 16-19: Thorsby: 789-4041
August 23-26: Spruce Grove: The Lions Log Cabin: 962-7618

To register, contact the community sponsor above, or for more information phone Joan at 1-888-848-2285.

Upcoming Export Link Session

"Do's and Don'ts of Business Entry into the United States" is a half-day training session that will provide information to exporters as it relates to the regulations governing business entry in the United States under the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Whether you're going to the U.S. to perform a contract, service a piece of machinery or conduct training, this seminar will help you prepare and ensure you make it across the border!

This unique seminar will be video-conferenced to 6 other locations across the province. It will take place on Wednesday, September 14, 2005 from noon to 4:30 p.m. and the cost is $32.10.

For more information about this seminar (speakers, agenda, video-conference locations, etc), please refer to the Export Link website at www.exportlink.ca in late July.

Please call Lisa Lam-Cadieux at 780-415-0377 if you would like to be mailed the information when it becomes available.

Social Enterprise: How it's Changing the Way We Think
by Todd Benko, The Business Link

What is Social Enterprise?

Social enterprise is a for-profit business run by a non-profit organization. The funds raised are put back into the organization to offset the operational costs of the non-profit. These businesses can function with a number of different goals, including fund raising, creating employment opportunities, and education. Examples include: churches, colleges, performing arts centres, and thrift stores.

How does Social Enterprise differ from traditional Enterprise?

Unlike traditional businesses, financial accountability and results are not the ultimate gauge of a social enterprise's success. Success is measured in the social value created. This is a huge departure from the very reason businesses exist.

What are some unique challenges facing Social Enterprises?

Social enterprises face the unique challenge of needing to stay focused on the original mission of the not-for-profit. People who run enterprises and those in the not-for-profit sector have very different abilities, therefore finding the right people with the right skills and the right sensitivities can be difficult. Personnel must be able to create a balance between the non-profit goals and business success.

Why is Social Enterprise Important?

Non-profits are facing difficulties obtaining funding and are rethinking their approaches to solving social problems. Because of government cutbacks, and greater competition for the remaining funds, social enterprise is a way for organizations to supplement their operational needs by raising their own funds. Social enterprise is also a way of addressing the problems in a new way, for example, employment and training programs incorporated into a social enterprise can be a way of not only supporting but creating self-supporting individuals. Rather than throwing money at the results of the problem, they can create change at the source of the problem.

The Reality

Social enterprise is a positive and necessary option for non-profits to keep their organization running. By raising their own funds, non-profits gain independence and are able to affect change. Instead of distributing funds to problem areas, they can directly target the problem. The challenge is remaining true to the social mission while also being competitive in the business arena.

Canada Post Corporation
www.canadapost.ca/cpc2/addrm/hh/default-e.asp

The Household Counts and Maps part of Canada Post's website has useful information for entrepreneurs looking for numbers of household and businesses in both urban and rural areas. It is updated monthly and has maps of the count areas.

You can choose from two types of data: Consumer's choice and Total points of call. The first data category, Consumer's Choice, is comprised of households wishing to receive unaddressed mail. The second category, Total Points of Call, is made up of households only desiring to receive community newspapers and federal/provincial/municipal electoral mailings.

While on the website, you are able to search by the first three digits of urban area postal codes, and by the full six digit postal codes of rural areas. Entrepreneurs will only obtain numbers of households and businesses as this website does not give company listings or any other contact information.

This free website is for those wishing to know approximate numbers of households and businesses in their target market area.

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 businesses in their area. The services can include financing, a wide range of resources to help small business people and many training programs and seminars.

The Reach Corporation's head office is located in Smoky Lake and it has an additional branch in St. Paul. It offers a variety of financing programs, including a General Loan, Equity Financing, Western Youth Entrepreneur Loan, and Entrepreneur with Disabilities Program. These loans can be used for either start-up or expansion purposes. The Reach Corporation also provides assistance in terms of business counselling and business plan writing.

For more information about The Reach Corporation, please refer to the website at www.reachcor.ca/events/index.html