OMAFRA Connects – February 2012

The latest edition of OMAFRA Connects is now available:

2012-02-01 – OMAFRA Conencts

OMAFRA Connects – December 2011 Issue

Here is the December issue of OMAFRA Connects – check it out by clicking on the link below.

OMAFRA Connects – December 2011

OMAFRA Connects – October/November 2011 Issue Now Available

The latest issue of OMAFRA Connects is a wealth of info on events and other info!

OMAFRA Connects – October 2011

November 7th Hands On Social Media Seminar is Now Full!

Our Hands On Seminar Social Media Seminar being held on November 7, 2011 at the Southampton Town Hall is NOW FULL!

Many thanks to those who have registered – if you would like to be added to a waiting list in case of a cancellation, please call the office at 519-832-2082 or email smallbiz@saugeenshores.ca

Consumer Prices Rise More | Gifts and Tablewares

Consumer Prices Rise More | Gifts and Tablewares.

Majority of Canadian Small Business Owners Don’t Have Succession Plan: TD Waterhouse Survey | Gifts and Tablewares

Majority of Canadian Small Business Owners Don’t Have Succession Plan: TD Waterhouse Survey | Gifts and Tablewares.

Scotiabank Study Reveals Canadians Willing to Go Extra Mile to Support Small Business | Gifts and Tablewares

Scotiabank Study Reveals Canadians Willing to Go Extra Mile to Support Small Business | Gifts and Tablewares.

Statistics Canada Reports Retail Sales Increase in Second Quarter | Gifts and Tablewares

Statistics Canada Reports Retail Sales Increase in Second Quarter | Gifts and Tablewares.

Employment Standards Special Rule Tool

The Ministry of Labour’s fifth online employment standards tool delivers quick access to important compliance information about the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (ESA). Are you in an industry or occupation that is covered by a special rule that accommodates the unique or specific conditions of your job or business? Or is your industry exempt from an ESA standard? This new tool will provide easy-to-access summaries to help you answer these questions.

Website

Source: What’s New, October 2011, Issue #17

SMEs were the light in the recession storm

According to Survival of the Smallest, the newest report released by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB), Canadian small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have emerged from the recession as leaders, restoring jobs and business activity despite a slow and fragile economy. Entrepreneurs had no choice but to implement many changes in various areas of their businesses in order to survive the recession, including: working longer hours (62%); finding new customers in local markets (50%); and introducing new products or services (46%).

“Smaller firms hung on to their employees during the recession, which provided much needed stability to the Canadian economy. This is a testament as to why we need to be listening to their concerns,” stated Catherine Swift, president of CFIB. The report identifies payroll tax increases, red tape, and interprovincial and foreign trade barriers as some of the most harmful growth barriers for SMEs.

Entrepreneurial resilience is a recurring theme in the report: a number of small businesses said that growth, not cuts, was the key to their survival during the recession. These Growth-Oriented Enterprises (GOEs) added employees and expanded to new markets, and a large portion of GOEs reported that they are significantly better off now compared to when the recession was at its worst.

Source: Canada NewsWire, 22 September 2011