2018 Budgets and Cannabis

March 2018

This Month's Issue:
2018 Budgets and Cannabis

2018 Federal Budget

by Nicole Pearson ( [email protected])

At the end of February, the Federal government delivered its 2018 budget. Areas of focus were women's entrepreneurship, research and innovation, as well as clarifying the proposal to tax passive corporate income.

Here are a few of the highlights:

Small Businesses

The news was good for small businesses who will not see any new tax increases in 2018 which is inline with the government's previously announced plan to bring the small business tax rate down to nine per cent by 2019.

After proposing significant changes to the taxation of private corporations in July 2017, the government opted to simplify and tone-down their approach. Beginning in 2019, companies can earn $50,000 per year of passive income and still qualify for the small business tax rate. If companies earn more than this, they will gradually shift over to the general tax rate. Once a company has a passive income of $150,000 or more they will no longer qualify for the small business tax rate.

Women's entrepreneurs

$1.4 billion in new financing has been made available to women business owners, to be delivered over three years through the Business Development Bank of Canada and Export Development Canada. The government is also making $105 million available over five years to regional development agencies to deliver nationally-coordinated, regionally-tailored support to women entrepreneurs. Additionally, the budget for venture capital investments in women-led technology firms has increased to $200 million over five years through the BDC Women in Technology Fund.

Research and Innovation

To foster research and science, the budget includes a $4 billion investment over five years to support Canada's overall research system, to give Canadian scientists and researchers access to tools, technology and facilities. This includes dedicating $700 million over five years, and $150 million annually thereafter for the Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP) to support small-business research and development. The government also increased the threshold of IRAP to $10 million (increasing from the previous $1 million) to support larger business research and development projects. And to foster economic growth in communities across Canada, the budget provides an additional $511 million over five years to regional development agencies to support the Innovation and Skills Plan which supports regional innovation ecosystems, mentorship programs, networking and skills development.

In This Issue

2018 Federal Budget

Cannabis is St. Albert - Survey

Campbell Road Park and Ride Transit Centre Funding

Business Spotlight On...The Wheelbarrow Gardener

New Businesses in St. Albert

Monthly Growth Stats

Join the Conversation!

Upcoming Events

NABI Lunch and Learn: Speed Up Your Bookkeeping

March 7

Perron District Morning Social

March 8

NABI Lunch and Learn: Understanding the Canada-Alberta Job Grant

March 21

Cannabis in St. Albert - Survey

by Monty Killoh ( [email protected])

In April 2017, the federal government introduced Bill C-45 (Cannabis Act) to legalize recreational cannabis by summer 2018. While the legalization of cannabis is a federal decision, provinces and municipalities each have their own areas of responsibility to set clear processes for cannabis production, sale and consumption.

The City is encouraging residents and stakeholders to provide input that will inform the City's approach to legalizing cannabis and provide information to City Council as they make decisions related to regulating cannabis in St. Albert. An online survey is now available until April 4, 2018 here.

The survey will provide information to residents on cannabis legalization and the City's role, responsibilities and plans. It will also seek input from residents that will help shape future bylaws and practices regarding store locations, smoking and vaping of cannabis in public, and considerations for business licensing applications. Overall, the survey will help the City better understand residents' perspectives on potential impacts to the community. Survey results will be presented to St. Albert City Council and posted to the City website in late-April.

For more information about cannabis in St. albert, please visit the City's webpage at stalbert.ca/cannabis.

Campbell Road Park and Ride Transit Centre Funding

by Nicole Pearson ( [email protected])

On Monday, Premier Rachel Notley announced that the province will provide $30 million to fund the Campbell Road Park and Ride Transit Centre that is being constructed along Campbell Road near St. Albert Trail in Edmonton. The facility will include 800 parking stalls when it opens and will become a major transportation hub for St. Albert commuters. Most of the stalls will be paved but it will also include a gravel overflow parking area. When you add up the paved and non-paved parking it will more than double St. Albert's current park and ride stalls.

The City has taken future use into consideration and the facility could eventually be expanded to include 1,600 stalls. It has also been designed to allow space for the eventual extension of Edmonton's Metro LRT line.

Brush from the site has already been cleared and construction will begin after an ATCO gas line running through the property is relocated. The facility is expected to be completed in 2019.

Business Spotlight On... The Wheelbarrow Gardener

by Monty Killoh ( [email protected])

Having a bountiful and beautiful garden takes a lot of effort, and while it's a goal many people have, a lot of these same people don't have the means or know-how to make it happen. Enter The Wheelbarrow Gardener, a local business dedicated to helping infuse art and beauty into your home or business. "We believe there is an importance to having beautiful things incorporated into our lives, whether it be for a week, for a season, or for a lifetime" says owner Valerie. "We're passionate about designing garden spaces and florals that incorporate unique and creative details."

Valerie's business started as a project to tend a community garden in Morinville, which grew into a home-based business that eventually needed its own dedicated warehouse: "I had spearheaded that initiative up there, and found that many people had questions about gardening - they didn't know what kind of plants to use or where to plant them, and they wanted help bringing a design together. I knew there wasn't a lot of companies out there that did small projects. You have your landscaping companies that will come in and do your whole yard, but it's generally the little things people want help with, and that's where The Wheelbarrow Gardener started." Working on the small gardening projects and keeping with the name of her business is where Valerie places the focus of the gardening side of the business. "If I can't do it with my wheelbarrow, shovel and rake, I'm not touching it."

In addition to gardening, The Wheelbarrow Gardener also offers floral arrangements; as Valerie notes, having a location only 2 minutes off Anthony Henday Drive helps make her arrangements easily accessible to brides from all over the capital region. The business also offers consultations and coaching, which Valerie notes is a huge benefit for people who have recently immigrated to Canada and may not know how to plant a garden for our climate. "We'll go work with you in the garden, so if you don't know what vegetables grow here, we'll help show what grows and what doesn't, when to grow them and which ones are weeds." The business also helps build planters, with some of the contracts being for planters partly funded by the City's beautification program, which helps cover the cost of store-front planters for local businesses.

One unique aspect of the business is an event space located at their Riel Park shop. "I happened to come across this space, and this particular spot was bigger than what I wanted to rent, but when I saw the extra square footage, I knew there was something I could do with the space." Valerie notes that on top of running their own workshops in the space, businesses or community groups can rent out the space to host their own events: "The rental space, if we can get the word out, can bring in a revenue stream that isn't seasonal like our gardening."

The Wheelbarrow Gardener

220 - 6 Renault Cres

780-668-3892

[email protected]

http://www.thewheelbarrowgardener.com/

The Spotlight on Business is a monthly feature wherein we highlight a local business and learn more about what they do and how they positively contribute to the identity and economy of St. Albert. If you, or someone you know, would like to be featured in a future issue, please contact [email protected] with a brief description of the organization.