Peterborough Blogs
Check Out The Business Beat This Week Featuring The Alzheimer Society, GreenUP, PTBO Northern Originals and Community Futures
/PTBOCanada is delighted to be running the Business Beat columns each week here, spotlighting new businesses and startups in Peterborough and the Kawarthas. Here is this week’s edition…
The Alzheimer Society is launching a Dining for Dementia campaign through January.
Dine out at a participating local restaurant and a portion of every meal’s cost will be donated to the Alzheimer Society. It’s a great opportunity to enjoy some delicious food, support local businesses, and raise money for a good cause. Each participating restaurant will be offered free training and resources for their staff on enhancing customer service and accessibility for patrons living with dementia. Reach out to the Alzheimer Society for more details and a list of locations.
The holiday season is a critical fundraising time for local charities and non-profits.
Many of them depend heavily on donations through the holiday season to provide community programming for the rest of the year. They would normally be sending you reminders in the mail. Consider this your reminder to donate. Give online, over the phone, or drop by their offices.
After many years selling sustainable products, GreenUp is closing its downtown retail store.
The mission when it opened was to give people sustainable options. Since then, local retailers now stock a lot more sustainable and environmentally friendly products. The store will be open until December 21 with all remaining stock going on clearance from January 7 to 17. You can find everything from household and hygiene products to gifts and gardening items. All proceeds from store sales will continue to support GreenUP's charitable work in the community.
I’ve had a couple of questions about where you can get Peterborough-branded clothing. There are some new unique clothing and accessory options available from Ptbo Northern Originals. You can find them at Flavour Fashion at 383 George St. N. in downtown Peterborough or online at ptbonorthernoriginals.com. Peterborough branded items include hats, crewnecks, hoodies, long sleeves, t-shirts, tank tops, and kids items.
Looking for support for your small business?
Get the free Small Business Toolkit from Community Futures. It’s packed with information and designed for local entrepreneurs. It includes support for things like payroll, registering a business, and crafting a business plan. You can find the Small Business Toolkit and other helpful support at communityfuturespeterborough.ca.
If you want to have your business featured on the Business Beat or know of a business doing something new and interested, shoot an email to joel@pkchamber.ca.
Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here.
Hometown PTBO: The Chocolate Rabbit's Kristine Webster and Her Family Hitting the One-Year Milestone With Its Peterborough Location
/This week on Hometown PTBO, David Tuan Bui talks with Kristine Webster of The Chocolate Rabbit about the Peterborough location hitting the one-year milestone, continuing Lois MacEachen's legacy since opening in 2005 and keeping the business in the family since buying it in 2021.
Voice of Business: Navigating the Holiday Tax Break
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This past month has been challenging for businesses and organizations across Canada.
With postal strikes affecting businesses across Ontario, we’re diving into some news that could shake up our holidays for businesses and shoppers across Canada. Starting this Saturday, December 14th, 2024, the government is rolling out a GST/HST tax exemption on various products until February 15th, 2025.
The GST/HST offers zero rate taxes on multiple products. The following products are:
Food
Beverages
Restaurants, catering, and other food or drink establishments
Children’s Clothing and Footwear
Children’s diapers
Children’s car seats
Children’s Toys
Jigsaw Puzzles
Video Game consoles
Physical Books
Printed Newspapers
Christmas and Similar decorative trees
Now, this may seem like a win for consumers. No tax means lower prices and we could see increased spending, but we don’t know the whole impact on businesses and how this pressure to comply with new tax rules takes its toll at a time when shipping is delayed from ongoing postal strikes. While customers might enjoy the savings of an estimated total of $1.7 billion, businesses are stressed and scrambling to get ready. According to the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB), many small businesses call this tax break a headache. A survey from 3,500 small businesses found that 75 per cent of small firms expect it’ll cost them about $1,000 just to reprogram their systems to handle the exemption. And 65% said there’s not enough time to get everything in place before the deadline.
With the perceived benefit for consumers, businesses will still have to go through the tedious task of updating their systems. This tedious task could update their computing systems to apply zero-tax to the products listed above.
Some industries, such as hospitality, will have to go through more tedious tasks than others. This involves distinguishing between selecting the alcohol eligible for GST/HST relief because there are specific alcoholic beverages eligible for tax relief and some that are not. According to the CRA, beer and malt beverages (canned or bottled beer, pitches of beer) qualify. Wine, cider and sake (including fortified) that are 22.9 per cent alcohol by volume or less. And/or Spirit cooler and premixed alcoholic beverages that are 7 per cent ABV or less also qualify.
The items that would not qualify are alcoholic spirits and liqueurs, including cocktails with spirits that would not qualify. For example, a sangria, including wine and rum, would not qualify. Beverages sold from a vending machine also are not eligible. Examples like these create an additional burden for businesses. Another burden is that businesses will additionally have to revert to their original systems after the tax relief period.
There are also some confusing rules around returns. For instance, a customer buys something now during the tax break, then returns it and repurchases it later. That could mean extra fees for businesses handling those transactions through credit cards. And let’s not forget some of the confusion around qualifying items—like age limits for children’s products. Businesses will need to sort through these nuances, which could lead to even more confusion. This is not ideal for already stretched small businesses preparing for the busy holidays.
While the government hopes this holiday tax break will boost consumer spending, not everyone is convinced. Only 4 per cent of small business owners surveyed by the CFIB think it’ll lead to stronger sales. For many, the costs and logistical challenges seem to outweigh the potential benefits. As Saturday looms closer, this GST/HST relief is inevitable. Still, we can only hope this holiday relief will increase sales for our local businesses and make the tedious work worth doing.
If you’re a business owner feeling overwhelmed, there are resources to help you navigate this. You can call the CRA’s GST/HST inquiries line (1-800-959-8287 for English, 1-800-959-8296 for French) or check out the CRA’s webpage here.
Content provided by the Peterborough and the Kawarthas Chamber of Commerce.
Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here.
Check Out The Business Beat This Week Featuring Volunteer Peterborough, Peterborough Musicfest, Canopy Support Services and Peterborough Chamber
/PTBOCanada is delighted to be running the Business Beat columns each week here, spotlighting new businesses and startups in Peterborough and the Kawarthas. Here is this week’s edition…
Lois Tuffin received some well-deserved recognition for her work in creating Volunteer Peterborough.
She won the Charity Village’s Most Outstanding Individual Impact — Volunteer award for her tireless work leading a non-profit match-making service. The award celebrates the outstanding impact made by a volunteer at a nonprofit or charity. Since launching in July 2023, VolunteerPeterborough.ca has signed up 1,524 individuals who are seeking volunteer roles and 162 organizations who rely on volunteers. It welcomes posts from non-profits and the roles they have open so volunteers can find this information in one handy location.
Looking to dine out?
Get more than $1,000 in discounts with the 2025 Peterborough Musicfest Diner’s Book. This year’s edition includes 80 incredible restaurants, cafés, pubs, bakeries, candy shops, and more across Peterborough and the Kawarthas. Coupons are valid from January 1 to November 30. Proceeds go to support Peterborough Musicfest and their work putting on Canada’s longest running free concert series, bringing in premier artists to perform in Peterborough. The Diner’s Books are a great gift for foodies or the hard-to-buy-for person on your holiday list. Get them at Lansdowne Place or online at ptbomusicfest.ca.
Peterborough-based Canopy Support Services is celebrating its 50th anniversary, marking five decades of empowering individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
The organization has grown since 1974 to support over 6,500 individuals annually across 13 programs. Canopy provides case management, skill-building, caregiver training, mental health counseling, and more. They provide a welcoming, safe, and accessible environment for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities, Autism Spectrum Disorder, and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder to have access to individualized supports, resources, and specialized clinical services.
Looking for a holiday party with local businesses?
The Peterborough and the Kawarthas Chamber of Commerce is hosting Christmas in the County, a holiday social in partnership with Peterborough and the Kawarthas Home Builders Association and Kawartha Lakes Construction. Join us on Thursday, Dec.12 from 5 to 7 p.m. at Kawartha Lakes Construction at 3359 Lakefield Road in Lakefield. There will be food, drinks, games, and networking. Register at pkchamber.ca.
If you want to have your business featured on the Business Beat or know of a business doing something new and interested, shoot an email to joel@pkchamber.ca.
Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here.
Peterborough GreenUP Downtown Retail Space to Close in New Year
/GreenUP (also known as GreenUP Store and Resource Centre) is closing its downtown retail space in the new year.
File Photo.
“Ensuring sustained financial viability to achieve our mission is one of our key strategic priorities, and unfortunately our downtown retail store no longer serves GreenUP in the way we need it to,” said Tegan Moss, GreenUP executive director. “This will create room for us to focus on fostering awareness in other areas, changing mindsets, and advancing sustainability through our programs.”
The store will be open regular hours of 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Tuesday to Friday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday until Dec. 21.
There will be a clearance sale of any remaining stock during regular operating hours from Jan. 7 to 17.
GreenUP gift certificates will continue to be honoured at GreenUP Ecology Park, however if a certificate holder wishes to use it at the store, they are encouraged to bring it in for their holiday shopping. All proceeds from the store continue to directly support GreenUPs’s climate work in the community.
“While the closure feels like a loss, the widespread availability of sustainable products that were once very hard to find is a win. This is a sign of progress we’re proud to have supported,” said Moss. “We are grateful for the store’s impact and the support it drew from the community,” says Moss. “It was our privilege to connect you with sustainable products, and we look forward to working with you in new ways to deepen personal climate action.”
Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok, Youtube and LinkedIn. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for our newsletter here.
Innovation Cluster Announces Headquarters Relocation
/The Innovation Cluster - Peterborough and the Kawarthas doing a quick move as they are relocating from the third floor to the first floor of the VentureNorth building, announced on Tuesday.
File Photo.
