Youth Employment and Entrepreneurship Info-Guide

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Introduction
2. Programs and Services
3. Financing
4. Regulations
5. Taxation
6. Resources and Web Sites of Interest 

1. Introduction

This Info-Guide provides information on a variety of resources for young entrepreneurs; including tax and employment information, financing, as well as on various associations and online publications.

2. Programs and Services

Special Incentives to Hire Youth

Youth Opportunities Ontario
Youth Opportunities Ontario has several program components which can help employers hire and train youths:

For further information:
please call (416) 326-5656 or 1-800-387-5656
visit the Web site:
Youth Opportunities Ontario
http://www.youthjobs.gov.on.ca/eng.html
see the document Youth Opportunities Ontario

Science and Technology Internships With SME's
This program provides financial assistance to SME's that wish to hire recent college and university graduates as interns who will help:

• research and development, engineering, multi-media;
• develop multimedia tools and products;
• market analysis for a new technology-based product;
• business development related to science and technology activities;
• improvement of customer services, etc.

For further information:
please call 1-877-994-4727
visit the Web site:
Youth Internships
http://irap-pari.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/english/youthinitiatives_e.html
see the document Youth Internships NRC-IRAP

Career Focus Program
The Career Focus Program (CFP), part of the Government of Canada's Youth Employment Strategy, provides recent graduates with career-related work opportunities to help them acquire advanced skills and become leaders in their fields. The objectives of the CFP are to facilitate the transition of skilled young people to a rapidly changing labour market and to increase the supply of qualified people in the workplace. Candidates should:

• be a Canadian citizen;
• be a recent science graduate (within the last three years) from a Canadian University with a degree in biological, chemical, agricultural or veterinary science, or applied technology;
• be under the age of 31;
• be currently unemployed or under-employed;
• not be in receipt of Employment Insurance benefits; and
• not be a previous participant in any internship program funded by the Youth Employment Strategy of the federal government.

Note: Post-secondary graduates are limited to participation in one Career Focus project.

For further information:
see the document Career Focus Program

Sectoral Career Focus Program
The Sectoral Career Focus Program is a national initiative between the Government of Canada and sector councils and cross-sectoral organizations. Sector councils are well positioned to develop projects that assist youth in finding quality employment and are well qualified to act as project managers, assessing and matching employers and participants based on program eligibility requirements and assuming responsibility for the overall financial management of projects. As project managers and recipient sponsors, sector councils assess potential employers and participants to ensure they meet program eligibility requirements and assume responsibility for the overall financial management of projects.

Young Canada Works
Young Canada Works (YCW) provides wage subsidies to help secondary and post-secondary students access summer work experiences in key cultural and heritage sectors. Young Canada Works sponsors the following summer work opportunities:

• Young Canada Works in Both Official Languages;
• Young Canada Works in Heritage Organizations;
• Young Canada Works at Building Careers in English and French;
• Young Canada Works at Building Careers in Heritage; and
• Young Canada Works for Aboriginal Urban Youth.

For further information:
visit the Web site:
HRSDC-Our Offices
http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/en/gateways/nav/top_nav/our_offices.shtml
see the document Young Canada Works

Government Support Services for Young Entrepreneurs and Employees

Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) Offices for Students
Employers can get quick access to enthusiastic workers by contacting one of over Human Resources Centres of Canada for Students (HRCC-S) open across Canada through the summer months. They can also get information on wage levels, labour laws, health and safety in the workplace and other federal and provincial youth employment programs.

For further information:
please call 1-800-935-5555
visit the Web site:
Human Resource Centres of Canada for Students (HRCC-S)
http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/en/ns/career/student_centre.shtml

Young Entrepreneur Awards - Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC)
Every year, the BDC presents the Young Entrepreneur Awards (YEA). Thirteen young Canadian entrepreneurs aged between 19 and 35 years old - one from each province and territory - will receive these awards to recognize their accomplishments. To be eligible, candidates must have at least two years of experience as entrepreneurs and must be Canadian citizens. Winners are also eligible for two other prizes: the Export Achievement Award, consisting of a $15,000 grant, and the WestJet Creative Mind Award, which also consists of a $15,000 grant. These grants are intended to help companies in their efforts to achieve growth objectives; therefore, they must be invested in the business.

For further information:
please call 1-877-232-2269
visit the Web site:
Business Development Bank of Canada - Young entrepreneur
http://www.bdc.ca/en/i_am/young_entrepreneur/default.htm 
see the document Young Entrepreneur Awards

Environmental Youth Corp. - EYC
The Environmental Youth Corp. (EYC) is designed to create a six to twelve month window-of-opportunity for post-secondary graduates under the age of 30. These individuals are either unemployed or underemployed and are seeking to gain experience in either a national or international environmental project. Matching youth with growing Canadian organizations, the Canadian Council for Human Resources in the Environment Industry (CCHREI) not only supplies companies with a database of hundreds of pre-screened, work-ready young professionals, they also supply a wage subsidy of up to $12 000 (depending on the length and type of project your company is undertaking).

For further information:
see the document Environmental Youth Corp. (EYC) and EYC International

3. Financing

Access to capital is one of the most challenging aspects of business ownership. There are various programs and resources for entrepreneurs in obtaining financing; listed below are some of the tools and resources available to entrepreneurs in Ontario.

Summer Company
The Summer Company program provides hands-on business training and mentoring together with awards of up to $3,000 to help enterprising young people start up and run their own summer businesses. Summer Company is coordinated and delivered at the community level through the Small Business Enterprise Centres by way of community mentoring groups. Community mentoring groups consist of volunteer business advisors from the local community.

For further information:
please call 1-800-387-5656
visit the Web site:
Summer Company
http://www.sbe.gov.on.ca/ontcan/sbe/en/youth_summerco_en.jsp
see the document Summer Company

Canadian Youth Business Foundation (CYBF) Loan Program
This organization provides loans and mentoring to young entrepreneurs (aged 18 to 34) who are eligible to work in Canada, have written a comprehensive business plan and are not able to raise the necessary financing from other sources.

For further information:
please call (416) 408-2923 or 1-800-464-2923
visit the Web site: http://www.cybf.ca/

Canada Small Business Financing Program
Business Financing Program can assist new and existing small businesses with annual gross revenues not exceeding $5 million (excluding farming and charitable or religious enterprises) in obtaining term loans and capital leases of up to $250 000 to help finance fixed asset needs.

For further information :
please call (613) 954-5540
visit the Web site:
Canada Small Business Financing Program
http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/epic/internet/incsbfp-pfpec.nsf/en/Home
see the document:
Canada Small Business Financing (CSBF) Program

4. Regulations

For regulatory or legal questions, it may be useful to contact a lawyer through the Law Society of Upper Canada's Lawyer Referral Service.

For further information:
please call (416) 947-3300 or 1-800-668-7380
visit the Web site:
The Law Society of Upper Canada
http://www.lsuc.on.ca
see the document Selecting Professional Services

Ontario Human Rights Code

All employers in Ontario must adhere to the Ontario Human Rights Code. The code states that all Employment decisions should be based on the applicant's ability to do the job and not on factors that are unrelated to the job.

For further information:
please call 1-800-387-9080
visit the Web site :
Hiring : Your rights and responsibilities
http://www.ohrc.on.ca/english/guides/hiring.shtml

Employment Standards Act

The Employment Standards Branch of the Ontario Ministry of Labour is responsible for the administration and enforcement of the Employment Standards Act, which provides for minimum terms and conditions of employment in most industries.

For further information:
please call (416) 326-7160 or 1-800-531-5551
visit these Web sites:
What You Should Know About The Ontario Employment Standards Act http://www.labour.gov.on.ca/english/es/es_pubs.html
What Young Workers Should Know
http://www.labour.gov.on.ca/english/es/factsheets/fs_young.html
Form: Employment Standards Claim
http://www.labour.gov.on.ca/english/es/claim/index.html
Employee Self Help Kit
http://www.labour.gov.on.ca/english/es/selfhelp/index.html
see the documents:
Employment Regulations Info-Guide
Employment and Training Assistance Programs Info-Guide
Are You an Employee or Self-Employed?

Related Legislation
Employment Standards Act
http://www.e-laws.gov.on.ca/DBLaws/Statutes/English/00e41_e.htm

5. Taxation

Dealing with Business Taxes

All businesses must be aware of the various taxes that may apply to their product or service. Depending on the type and location of products or services being offered, federal, provincial and/or municipal business taxes may apply.

For further information:
visit these Web sites:
Provincial Tax - Forms and Publications
http://www.trd.fin.gov.on.ca/userfiles/HTML/cma_3_158_1.html
Small Business Tax Help
http://www.trd.fin.gov.on.ca/userfiles/HTML/cma_3_160_1.html
CRA Business Tax Web Page
http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tax/business/menu-e.html
see the document: Taxation Info-Guide

Income Tax Information

Business owners must be aware of the requirements of Income tax that may apply to their product or service. There are different tax implications for incorporated and non-incorporated businesses. For information specific to your organization you should consult an accountant or financial professional.

For further information:
please call 1-800-959-5525
visit the Web site:
Ontario Income Tax
http://www.trd.fin.gov.on.ca/userfiles/HTML/cma_3_2447_1.html
Canada Revenue Taxes Menu
http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/menu-e.html
see the document Taxation Info-Guide

Below are links to publications that cover some of the general tax requirements for business owners in Ontario.

Ontario Small Business Guide
This booklet will guide you through various aspects of Retail Sales Tax, Corporations Tax and Employer Health Tax. This booklet also answers some of the frequently asked questions of small business owners regarding tax obligations.
http://www.trd.fin.gov.on.ca/userfiles/HTML/cma_3_24414_1.html

Employer Health Tax (EHT)
Describes the main features of the EHT, including taxpayer rights and responsibilities under the Employer Health Tax Act.
http://www.trd.fin.gov.on.ca/userfiles/HTML/cma_3_2697_1.html

For further information:
see the document Employer Health Tax - EHT

Retention/Destruction of Books & Records
Explains the retention period required for Ontario tax purposes, before books and records can be destroyed.
http://www.trd.fin.gov.on.ca/userfiles/HTML/cma_3_20001_1.html

Voluntary Disclosure
Explains what voluntary compliance is and the basic principles under which Ontario's tax system operates.
http://www.trd.fin.gov.on.ca/userfiles/HTML/cma_3_19999_1.html

6. Resources and Web Sites of Interest

Youth Business Associations

Young Entrepreneurs Association (YEA)
The Young Entrepreneurs Association is a Canadian non-profit organization whose mandate is to support young people in business. To use most of the YEA's services you must be a member. The Association's primary activities are providing monthly workshops and seminars on topics of interest to small business owners; formation of mentorship teams; YEA online forum; networking opportunities and social events.

For further information:
please call 1-888-639-3222
visit the Web site:
Young Entrepreneurs Association (YEA)
http://www.yea.ca
see the document Young Entrepreneurs Association

Canadian Youth Business Foundation (CYBF)
In addition to its financing programs (listed in section 1), the CYBF takes a proactive role in assisting young people who want to forge their own career paths in the spirit of entrepreneurship. Funded solely by the private sector, the CYBF provides three key areas of support: a Loan Program, a Mentor program, and online business support. http://www.youthbusiness.com

For further information:
please call (416) 408-2923
visit the Web site:
Canadian Youth Business Foundation
http://www.cybf.ca

Web Sites of Interest

Youth Path
Youth Path, also called Youth.gc.ca, contains information on the employment world, and will help you plan your career, find out about training, education and other services, learn about available youth employment programs and understand how to find a job. The Youth Path Web site is an initiative of the Youth Employment Strategy (YES) which is the Government of Canada's commitment to help Canadian youth get the work experience, knowledge, skills and information they need to prepare for, and participate in, the world of work: http://www.youth.gc.ca.

Youth Link
Youth Link is a guide to Government of Canada programs and services for youth. Young people can access information on work experience and learning opportunities, entrepreneurship, international work and travel experience, student loans, scholarships and much more:
http://jeunesse.gc.ca/yoaux.jsp?&lang=en&flash=1&ta= 5&auxpageid=238.

Youth - Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade  
The international exchanges and internship programs encourage young Canadians to learn new skills that will help them compete in Canada and in the global economy. Whether you are interested in travelling or studying in a foreign country, Canada offers various programs aimed for youth: http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/culture/youth-en.asp.

ACE-Canada
ACE-Canada (Advanced Canadian Entrepreneurship) is a national not-for profit, campus-based organization dedicated to fostering entrepreneurship in Canadians. We achieve this through the partnership of experience and outreach driven entrepreneurship programs: http://www.acecanada.ca.

Junior Achievement
Junior Achievement (JA) is an international non-profit organization dedicated to educating and inspiring young people about business and economics. The JA experience helps young people discover leadership, entrepreneurial and workforce readiness skills so they can achieve their highest potential and future successes as citizens in the global community: http://www.jacan.org.

• Important Notices
• Business Guides Available at the COBSC

DISCLAIMER
Information contained in this document is of a general nature only and is not intended to constitute advice for any specific fact situation. Users concerned about the reliability of the information should consult directly with the source, or seek legal counsel.

Links Policy
Some of the hypertext links lead to non-federal government sites which are not subject to the Official Languages Act and the material is available in one language only.