Recognizing Small Businesses and Budget Highlights

November 2019

This Month's Issue:
Recognizing Small Businesses and Budget Highlights

Provincial Budget Highlights

by Monty Killoh ( [email protected] )

On October 24 ^th, the Province of Alberta released Budget 2019; the following are some of the highlights from the budget.

Budget Priorities

The key priority of the budget is a promise to balance the provincial budget within four years; this will be accomplished through cuts to operation spending of 2.8% over four years in combination with a forecasted climb in revenues, to reduce the current projected deficit of $8.7 billion for 2019-2020 to a budget surplus of $0.6 billion by 2022-2023.

Corporate Tax Cut

The budget includes a plan to decrease the corporate income tax rate from 12% to 8% over the next two and a half years; this will result with a projected corporate tax rate that will be 30% lower than the next lowest province, with Alberta having a lower combined federal-provincial corporate tax rate than 44 U.S. states, ensuring that Alberta will be a competitive place for investment in North America.

Enhanced Capital Cost Allowance

A "Capital Cost Allowance" is essentially a tax deduction that can be claimed over a period of several years for the cost of depreciable property that wears out or becomes obsolete over time. The budget commits up to $900 million for such deferrals for companies that make new investments in Alberta.

Alberta Innovates

The budget will provide more than $200 million to support research and innovation through Alberta Innovates. Alberta Innovates supports the entire innovation spectrum - from new idea generation through applied testing to commercialization/end-use - through funding programs/grants, advice, technical expertise and applied research services. For more information on available grants and programs, please visit the webpage for Alberta Innovates.

Red Tape Reduction

The budget has also promised to reduce red tape across the provincial government; this, combined with streamlined processes and consolidating administrative services, is expected to save at least $140 million and make it easier to do business in Alberta.

For an overview of some of the highlights from the budget, please visit the Budget's webpage. For the full detailed budget, please visit the document's webpage.

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In This Issue

Provincial Budget Highlights

Small Business Awards of Distinction

Small Business Week Conference Recap

Finding Fun in Social Media Marketing

Business Spotlight On...Gidget's

New Businesses in St. Albert

Monthly Growth Stats

Join the Conversation!

Upcoming Events

Dig In Dining Weekig In Dining Week

November 1 - 10

St. Albert Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours

November 7

St. Albert Chamber of Commerce Business @ Lunch

November 17

Remembrance Day Ceremony

November 11

Country Craft Fair

November 16 and 17

12th Annual Volunteer Fair

November 16

Snowflake Festival

November 22

Small Business Awards of Distinction

by Nicole Pearson ( [email protected] )

The annual Small Business Awards of Distinction were held at the Arden Theatre on Thursday, October 24, celebrating the incredible diversity, creativity and strength of the St. Albert business community. This year over 80 nominees were recognized for their achievement and success. In total, there were 11 award recipients.

The results from the evening were as follows:

Award	Winner
Business to Business Award Presented to the business who provides the best services to other businesses within the community	Staples
Ignite Award Presented to the most outstanding new business within the last three years	Endeavour Brewing Company
Community Leadership Award Presented to the business that provides the most leadership in the community in several categories	KDM Management Inc.
Young Entrepreneur Award Presented to the most successful young entrepreneur in the community	Gretzie Parth - GP Makeup Inc.
Marketing Award Presented to an independent organization that has developed and implemented a unique, innovative, and successful marketing strategy	Brian Cyr RE/MAX Professionals
Community Stewardship Award Presented to an outstanding not-for-profit organization that is a contributor to the success of our community	Stop Abuse in Families (SAIF) Society
Small Business (1-9 Employees) Award Presented to the most outstanding small business of the year	Proline Electric Ltd.
Small Business (10+ Employees) Award Presented to the most outstanding small business of the year	Toast Breakfast & Lunch
Outstanding Customer Service Award Presented to the business that best exemplifies good customer service in our community	Empire Salon
Lynda Moffat Woman of Distinction Award Presented to an inspiring business woman in the community	Rosanna Fischer
Chair's Award of Distinction Presented to an outstanding business owner for their long-term, continued contributions to the business community	Quantum Chemical

Congratulations to all those who won awards and all who were nominated; it is because of businesses like you that St. Albert's economy continues to prosper. Your contributions continue to make this a vibrant and healthy community to be a part of, one of the best places to live in Canada, and one of the top investment cities in Alberta. Special thanks to the St. Albert and District Chamber of Commerce for again hosting a fantastic evening! Click here to see a list of all nominees for each category.

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Small Business Week Conference Recap

by Nicole Pearson ( [email protected] )

On October 22, the City of St. Albert's Economic Development together with NABI and the St. Albert and District Chamber of Commerce hosted the first annual Small Business Week Conference. 51 small businesses spent the morning learning about how to choose which social media sites to use, how to create microcontent to post, and resources that can be used to make posting easy. The conference also covered how to measure the effects of a businesses online presence and how to write great content for your website.

Overall the conference was a great opportunity for small businesses to meet and learn from each other. In 2020 we will be offering morning and lunch hour workshops aimed at helping our local business community prosper. If you have any suggestions for future workshops or have a topic that you want to present that you think would be beneficial for our business community, please reach out to Nicole Pearson at [email protected].

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Finding Fun in Social Media Marketing

If finding content to post on social media is starting to feel more like a chore than a fun way to promote your business, here are some easy ways to change your mindset and restart your relationship with the online world:

1. Use your heart. No matter the size of your business, it was started as a venture you're emotionally and personally invested in. Don't be afraid to show off the "why" behind what you do. Record short testimonials and success stories from customers and post these with a link back to your website for potential customers to learn more. Or if video seems a little daunting, take a photo of a customer with their favorite product/in store with a simple write up about how your business has helped them in some way that's easily relatable to others.

2. Show some personality. Showcasing what sets your business apart from others could be as easy as working on the online tone and voice behind those social media posts. This doesn't mean everything has to be super punny going forward (but that's not off the table). Think of the values your company represents and how social media shapes that brand as well. Is it your goal to be educational, empower others, promote a certain lifestyle or just make sure no one leaves hungry?

3. Interact and engage. Go beyond the "hard sell" and open up conversations with followers. Try out something new like story polls on Instagram asking a question between two choices such as what should be featured on the lunch menu tomorrow. And if you're not already, always take the time to be responsive to comments and questions people ask on posts as well as private messages. Engagement is exactly what you're looking for so personalize each response by addressing the user with their name.

4. Get Visual. Having creatively crafted prose is great, but posts with a visual attached to them will receive more engagement. Memes, emojis and gifs aren't something you want to go overboard with, but they can add a bit of fun from time-to-time. Try showcasing what's going on in your business with a short new product launch teaser video from your phone or take some shots during an event. Customers will want to keep coming back to your page if there's new, visually engaging content being posted on a regular basis.

5. Consider a Theme. Motivational Mondays, Throwback Thursdays, FAQ Fridays. Consider one themed post that your business could support content for that fits its brand and messaging. If you're business has been established for awhile, Throwback Thursdays are an easy way to show customers blast from the past photos. These types of posts are also more likely to be shared by followers.

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Dig In Dining Week is currently on ending Sunday, November 10. 17 restaurants are participating and offering two and three course meals at special prices. To learn more and see restaurant menus, please visit

https://diginstalbert.ca/

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Business Spotlight On... Gidget's

by Katrina Rossol ( [email protected] )

St. Albert's newest restaurant, Gidget's, is now officially opened as of October 1^st, 2019. Located in Campbell Business Park at 101, 125 Carleton Drive and is owned by local St. Albert resident Gidget Bouchard. This plant-based bistro offers customers a delicious variety of fresh baked goodies, custom lattes and comfort-styled foods all created from locally sourced suppliers. Gidget's menu has traditional comfort food classics such as burgers, mac and cheese, chicken pot pie, all with her French-Canadian flair - and of course, no meat. All jams, dressings, sauces, salads, some breads, baked goods and desserts are made fresh from scratch in-house, and Bouchard aims to offer very few processed items.

Gidget, a full-time teacher at École Secondaire Sainte Marguerite d'Youville for 15 years, took the leap this fall to open her very own plant-based restaurant. She disclosed that she had first looked for a restaurant location in north Edmonton, thinking vacancies would be cheaper; however, she was pleasantly surprised to find a space in Campbell with competitive lease rates and at a great location close to home. The restaurant's atmosphere offers a warm cozy feeling with leather couches and several tables to catch up with friends and family or get caught up on work with a delightful latte. Bouchard strives for an "intimate local feel" and does this by having walls strewn about with stunning pieces of art from local artist, Gilles Simard (which are available for sale).

Gidget's is doing their part for sustainability in limiting the use of single-use plastics and offering reduced prices to customers who bring in their own reusable containers for take-out, and Gidget's also offers their own compostable take-away containers. Her future plans for the restaurant include getting more involved with the community and other local businesses and artists to showcase local singers at her restaurant, Yoga on Wednesdays, and an upcoming open mic night.

Gidget's
101, 125 Carleton Drive
http://www.gidgetsbistro.com/

Restaurant Hours:

Monday - Thursday: 8:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Friday: 8:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Saturday: 10:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.

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.

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New Businesses in St. Albert

Find local companies in our St. Albert Business Directory

Commercial/Industrial Businesses

Bento Inc. 780-886-4664

700 St Albert Trail

Grab & Go Sushi Inside Walmart