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Biz X Magazine NEWS October 2018, USMCA and Dairy: Canadian Government Spin vs Fact, City of Windsor Holiday Hours Thanksgiving 2018, Call to Artists - Warming Shelter - Art Installation, Windsor Municipal Election 2018 Results, Unofficial LaSalle Election Results 2018, Ontario Government Seeks to Strengthen Tourism Sector, Making Ontario Open for Business Act, LaSalle Emergency Alerts, Ontario Police Oked to Administer Naloxone, Windsor-Essex Regional Chamber of Commerce Welcomes Rakesh Naidu as Incoming President and CEO, Premier Ford says there's Tax Relief for Manufacturers, Oshawa Assembly Plant, Plant Closures,General Motors, Overnight Rate, End-Of-Life Care
 This Just In! - News

Ontario Freezing More Driver and Vehicle Fees

Ontario Freezing More Driver and Vehicle Fees

The Ontario Government says it is taking another step to make life more affordable for taxpayers and businesses by putting a stop to driver and vehicle fees that were set to increase today on January 1, 2019.

This is the second round of driver and vehicle fee increases that the Ontario Government has cancelled. In September, fees for driver’s licences and road and knowledge tests were frozen.

“Families and businesses alike will benefit from the freeze on fees. We’re leaving money in people’s pockets, so they can spend it on the things that really matter to them.”

Jeff Yurek, Minister of Transportation

“Today’s announcement is more proof that Ontario is open for business,” Yurek said.

The following fees are being frozen to directly benefit Ontario drivers, vehicle owners, farmers and businesses:

Product/Service Scheduled to increase to Fee will remain at
Passenger vehicle validation – South   $126.00 $120
Passenger vehicle validation – North $63.00 $60
Commercial vehicle (<3k kg) personal use only (PUO) validation – South $126.00 $120
Commercial vehicle (<3k kg) personal use only (PUO) validation – North $63.00 $60
Commercial <3k kg business validation – South $126.00 $120
Commercial <3k kg business validation – North $126.00 $120
Personalized licence plate $32 – $318 $15 – $300 
Oversize/overweight permits (single trip) $66.25 – $714 $65 -$700
Oversize/overweight permits (non-single trip) $16.75 – $448.75 $16.50 – $440
Heavy commercial validation fees $270.50 – $4,786.75 $265.25 – $4,693
Farm vehicle validation (> 3000 kg) $160.25 – $1,270.50 $157 – $1,245.50
Bus and school bus validation $137.50 – $2,306 $134.75 – $2,260.75
Dealer/service permit for motor vehicle, trailer, motorcycle or motor assisted bicycle (motorcycle/other) $100 – $179 $98 – $175
Manufacturer validation for motor vehicle or motorcycle $100 – $179 $98 – $175
Replacements (driver’s licence, enhanced driver’s licence, driver instructor licence, commercial vehicle operators registration,  oversize/overweight) $35.75 $35
Commercial vehicle operator registration original, re-enter $255.00 $250
Commercial vehicle operator registration renewal $51.00 $50

This decision is part of the government’s commitment to putting people first.

Windsor Tunnel Bus Changes Detroit Route. Transit
 City, This Just In! - News

Windsor Tunnel Bus Changes Detroit Route

Important Information for Transit Windsor Tunnel Bus Riders

Riders of the Transit Windsor Tunnel Bus are being advised of a route change on the Detroit side of the river.

Due to a decision by the City of Detroit to close some downtown streets and disallow bus access to several others effective January 1st, the Tunnel Bus will no longer be servicing Beaubien Street, Congress Street, Fort Street and Cass Avenue between Fort Street and Michigan Avenue in Detroit.

This new route will take effect start of service on Friday, December 28th and will now include Little Caesars Arena and the surrounding entertainment district.

Access to the business district will be more direct as well.

For a map of the new route and the schedule, as well as the list of new stops click on map below.

Windsor Tunnel Bus MapDownload
Cannabis Retail Licensing
 This Just In! - News

Ontario to Phase in Cannabis Retail Licensing

Ontario Takes a Phased Approach to Cannabis Retail Licensing Due to National Supply Shortages

Today, the Honourable Caroline Mulroney, Attorney General and the Honourable Vic Fedeli, Minister of Finance, released the following statement on changes being made to the licensing process for recreational cannabis retail stores in Ontario:

“It is the federal government’s responsibility to oversee cannabis production and to provide a viable alternative to the illegal market by ensuring there is sufficient supply to meet consumer demand. Yet, we continue to see severe supply shortages across the country in legal, licensed recreational cannabis stores.

For example, Alberta stopped issuing any new retail cannabis licences after only receiving 20 per cent of the stock it ordered from federally licensed producers, and in Quebec retail operating hours have been reduced to four days a week. In addition, the shortage of supply has restricted online sales in many jurisdictions.

This is a national issue that demands an immediate response from Justin Trudeau and the federal government. The Government of Ontario has brought this to the federal government’s attention repeatedly. At a recent meeting of federal, provincial and territorial Finance Ministers in Ottawa, Minister Fedeli, along with Finance Ministers from several other provinces and territories, raised the issue of a severe shortage of supply across the country with Federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau.

Taking into consideration the required investments for a prospective Ontario private legal retailer, we cannot in good conscience issue an unlimited number of licences to businesses in the face of such shortages and the federal government’s failure to provide certainty around future supply.

That is why today we are announcing that Ontario will be taking steps to ensure that private cannabis retail stores open in phases. In the initial phase up to 25 licences will be issued so operators can open for business on April 1, 2019 and stay open.

To ensure a fair and transparent process, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) will implement a lottery system to determine who is eligible for the initial licences to legally operate a store in Ontario. All interested parties will be able to submit an expression of interest form online to the AGCO from January 7 to January 9, 2019. The expressions of interest will be put into a lottery pool for a draw. The draw will be conducted on January 11, 2019, with the results to be posted on the AGCO’s website within 24 hours.

The lottery process will be overseen by a third-party fairness monitor to ensure equality and transparency in the treatment of the expressions of interest, as well as an appropriate distribution of stores in each region of the province, which is set out in the regulation. Further details on the lottery system will be available on the AGCO website.

The OCS continues to work closely with federally licensed producers to monitor the availability of supply and to secure supply for Ontario, including through regular product calls and frequent visits to producer facilities. The lottery is going to be a temporary model for issuing private retail licences. When Ontario has determined that the federal government has provided for enough reliable supply, Ontario will communicate next steps for additional private retail stores.

Our government refuses to compromise the viability of Ontario businesses. Private retailers need certainty from the federal government that there will be a reliable supply of cannabis to support their business and combat the illegal market.

We will continue to urge the federal government to take immediate action to ensure licensed producers ramp up production in order to meet the anticipated market demand for recreational cannabis.”

 Community, This Just In! - News

Sparky’s Toy Drive 2018

Over the weekend 3000 bags of toys and gifts gathered by Sparky’s Toy Drive, each with a retail value of $25-$30 were distributed to 1200 families of Windsor-Essex.

Sparky and we here at Biz X would like to thank all the people that donated toys, gift cards and cash at this year’s Biz X Awards. Thanks to the generosity of our award winners we were able to raise over $5,200 for this great cause that is near and dear to our hearts here at the office.

And finally a big shout out to to all the volunteers at Windsor Fire and Rescue that make this event happen each year!

Biz X Magazine NEWS October 2018, USMCA and Dairy: Canadian Government Spin vs Fact, City of Windsor Holiday Hours Thanksgiving 2018, Call to Artists - Warming Shelter - Art Installation, Windsor Municipal Election 2018 Results, Unofficial LaSalle Election Results 2018, Ontario Government Seeks to Strengthen Tourism Sector, Making Ontario Open for Business Act, LaSalle Emergency Alerts, Ontario Police Oked to Administer Naloxone, Windsor-Essex Regional Chamber of Commerce Welcomes Rakesh Naidu as Incoming President and CEO, Premier Ford says there's Tax Relief for Manufacturers, Oshawa Assembly Plant, Plant Closures,General Motors, Overnight Rate, End-Of-Life Care
 Business, This Just In! - News

Premier Ford says There’s Tax Relief for Manufacturers

Premier Ford says there’s Tax Relief for Manufacturers

As announced in the 2018 Ontario Economic Outlook and Fiscal Review, Ontario wrote to the federal government encouraging consideration of the immediate expensing of depreciable assets, similar to the United States.

With the announcement, the federal government took Ontario’s advice. The province continues to analyze the impacts of the changes across Ontario industries, though is disappointed the federal government did not completely mirror tax reform changes in the U.S.

“Recent U.S. tax reform has encouraged greater business investment in the U.S., challenging Ontario’s competitiveness. Creating an Open for Business environment requires competitive business taxes, which is why we welcome the federal measure to allow businesses to accelerate the expensing of depreciable assets.” – Vic Fedeli, Minister of Finance

Ontario is committed to matching the federal measures announced today, and has made this part of its fiscal plan.

“Hundreds of thousands of jobs across Canada depend on businesses remaining competitive. We will never put Ontario jobs, investment and growth opportunities at risk,” said Fedeli.

The Ontario Government says it is doing its part by cutting taxes, ending cap-and-trade, reducing red tape and lowering hydro bills to make it easier to do business in Ontario, so that employers can grow and create jobs.

With passage of Bill 47, the government says it is repealing much of the Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act, 2017 (Bill 148) and is keeping the minimum wage at $14 per hour, which would reduce employer costs by $1.4 billion in 2019.

Ontario is also taking steps to cut red tape by 25 per cent by 2022. In addition, the Province proposes to reverse the previous government’s announced changes to Ontario’s small business deduction that would have raised taxes by up to $40,000 per year for about 7,900 companies, and increase the amount of payroll that is exempt from the Employer Health Tax for eligible Ontario employers.

“We have taken action to support small business by reversing the federal government’s changes to passive income and we urge Ottawa to do the same. In addition, we are calling on the federal government to end the federal carbon tax to make Ontario and Canada more competitive.”

Ontario families and businesses cannot afford a carbon tax. The federal carbon tax will increase gasoline, diesel, natural gas, propane and heating oil bills for people in the province. Ontario’s Government for the People intends to protect Ontario families and businesses from being punished by a discriminatory federal carbon tax.

“Our government will always vigorously protect and advance Ontario’s economic interests,” said Fedeli. “We have made it clear that we will fight the carbon tax with every tool we have and will pursue ways to make sure that every person in Ontario is informed of how much they are paying in federal carbon tax — every time they pay a home heating bill or fill up their car.”