Surrey’s Top 25 Under 25 Recognized by Surrey Board of Trade

Surrey, B.C. – On Tuesday, May 29^th from 5:30-8pm at Eaglequest Golf Course, the Surrey Board of Trade will award 25 winners in their second annual Surrey’s Top 25 Under 25 Awards event.   The event will celebrate the incredible initiatives of Surrey’s youth under the Age of 25. The winners were chosen based upon a subjective analysis of their business or community achievements, leadership ability, community involvement, professional achievements and uniqueness of their business or community projects.

“Their community and entrepreneurial spirit were showcased through their nominations. We have amazing talent in these winners who will take our businesses now and in the future to amazing heights,” said Anita Huberman, CEO, Surrey Board of Trade (SBOT).

“At the Surrey Board of Trade it is in our mandate to grow our business community by instilling in our youth entrepreneurial support and spirit – and for them to be an active part of Surrey,” said Anita Huberman.

The winners are, with their age:

Afraj Gill	GammaSocial Inc. & ASHA (Advocates for Social Heritage Awareness)	20
Alisa Zukanovic	Voices United
Andrea Danyluk	Kwantlen Polytechnic University	23
Brendan Graham	Surrey School District	23
Brock Courneya	XNS Technology Group Inc.
Daryl Dela Cruz	(1) Progressive Surrey Transit Coalition  (2) SkyTrain for Surrey Initiative	16
Gurkiran (Kiran) Mann	Youth Transforming Society	17
Ivneet Bains	Math4Me Learning Inc	20

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Surrey Board of Trade asks for PST Improvements

The Surrey Board of Trade wants to reduce the red tape around PST. "The PST is an extremely burdensome tax for business", says CEO of the Surrey Board of Trade, Anita  Huberman. The Surrey Board of Trade's Finance & Tax Team wrote to the BC Government's Expert Panel on Tax to make recommendations on how BC's business tax environment might be made more competitive. This is only one of a series of the Surrey Board of Trade's tax evaluations, this time focusing on the PST.

BACKGROUND:
While the BC government is required to reinstate the PST in conjunction with the GST, the BC government “must chart a course…that will create and defend jobs for families in every corner of the province”.

In our opinion, PST (the BC Social Services Tax) is an antiquated tax that has burdened BC businesses for over 60-years. Reinstating the PST in the same form as it was in effect before July 1, 2010 would create a chill effect on the BC economy and jeopardize the government’s efforts to create and defend jobs for British Columbians.

The BC government recognized the necessity to improve the PST statute in the August 26, 2011 News Release and Backgrounder. A summary of the key aspect include:

a)    The PST will be reinstated at 7%
b)    There will be “permanent PST exemptions”
c)    There may be some “common sense” administrative improvements to the PST
d)    The transition period is expected to take 18-months
e)    There will be provincial and federal transitional rules

A. SURREY BOARD OF TRADE RECOMMENDATIONS:

After considerable research and consultation with the Canadian Tax Foundation, we recommend that the following aspects of the PST be fixed or improved:

1. Three classifications for software but only one is taxable
2. Some services are classified as “exempt taxable services”
3. There is no recognition of a legal partnership as a person
4. Services to cranes that run on rails are subject to tax, but services to radial access cranes with a pivot point are not taxable

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CBC SHOW RETURNS TO SEARCH FOR CANADIAN COMPANIES IN NEED The BIG Decision Matches Struggling Canadian Businesses with Top Investors

The BIG Decision Matches Struggling Canadian Businesses with Top Investors The producers of CBC’s hit show Dragons’ Den are looking for Canadian companies to participate in the second season of the reality business show The BIG Decision.

Canada’s top investors are on a mission: to spend their time AND their money to turn around struggling Canadian companies.These wealthy investors have founded companies worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Now, they will roll up their sleeves and visit the factories, shops, and offices of Canadian companies in need - providing expert business advice and a possible financial investment.

CBC is sending out the call to business owners who would like to participate in the second season of this show. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to partner with a Dragon and receive national exposure for your company.

What type of companies can apply?

-    Must have been in operation for at least three to five years, or more

-    Gross revenue of at least $500,000 per year

-    More than five employees

-    Privately held businesses, family businesses, partnerships, limited partnerships

-    Must be willing to commit to being filmed on camera for up to a two-week period

-    A business registered in Canada

-    Fluent English speakers

Here’s what our past participants have to say about their experiences on the show:

“The benefits of the insights into your business and the opportunities presented are large and worthwhile.” Jennifer Williams, CEO, Camino.

“People keep coming by to see us because of ‘The Big Decision.’ The show gave us GREAT exposure and we’re so happy to have participated.” Karen King, co-owner, The Ice House.

To apply, please visit cbc.ca/thebigdecision to complete an application. All interested applicants should apply ASAP. Applications close June 8, 2012.

New Addition to Surrey Board of Trade Team

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - May 10, 2012

Surrey BC - The Surrey Board of Trade is pleased to announce a new addition to their team. Bernard Magnan, CMC, CMA, FCMA has been brought on to the Surrey Board of Trade team as their International Trade Manager to implement the Canada Global Trade Association (CGTA). "An initiative of the Surrey Board of Trade, this new association under the operations of the Surrey Board of Trade will strategically build global business connections for local businesses", said Anita Huberman, CEO of the Surrey Board of Trade.  This association is similar to International Trade Centers found in Europe, the Middle East, India etc where they are common to Chambers of Commerce/Boards of Trade, which is not the case in North America. A combination of technology and human resources will operationalize the CGTA and there will be an announcement in the near future on its full implementation will occur soon. Mr. Magnan has been brought on to implement the foundation of the CGTA, a brainchild by the Surrey Board of Trade which has been very focused on its international trade service portfolio for the past 6 years.

Mr. Magnan was the Assistant Managing Director and Chief Economist for the Vancouver Board of Trade for the past four years, an International Project Manager working for a variety of national and international businesses, and Senior Manager at Ernst & Whinney (KPMG) for 7 years. He brings over 25 years of national and international experience where he has focused on policy and business development, consulting, project management and people leadership. His skills, training, and industry connections will position him well to implement the Surrey Board of Trade's latest initiative for business.

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