Spring is a time of year when new life starts to grow not just for plants but for companies and governments alike. Whether it is the hiring of new employees or an annual federal budget, spring brings out a wide… Read more »
Extension of Accelerated Capital Cost Allowance (ACCA) Provides Tax Relief for Manufacturers
The recent federal budget of 2013 highlighted several initiatives aimed at strengthening the competitiveness of the manufacturing sector. New sources of Canadian business funding and renewal of previous initiatives provides extra incentives for manufacturers to advance their business to the… Read more »
Canada Posts First Trade Surplus in a Year
Rising US demand has generated an increase in Canadian exports, allowing for the first trade surplus in a year. Statistics Canada reported a 5.1 % increase in exports in March 2013 to $40.5 billion, with only a 1.7% increase in… Read more »
Repeal of Industrial Exception Means Professional Engineers Required for Production Equipment Modifications
A recent press release by the Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO) indicated that the Government of Ontario has approved a change to the Professional Engineers Act that will remove the so-called industrial exception starting on March 1, 2013. This means that… Read more »
Decline in Manufacturing Sales for December 2012
A recent survey completed by StatsCan indicated a 3.1% decline in sales for the manufacturing industry in the month of December 2012. The total manufacturing sales in December was $48 billion. The chart below illustrates Canadian manufacturing sales since 2007… Read more »
Improving Canada’s Fuel Economy Standards with the Automotive Innovation Fund
Environmentally-friendly vehicles have come a long way in terms of technological advancement and efficiency, but as with anything, there’s always room for improvement. The Automotive Innovation Fund (AIF) is a new program that aims to do just that by providing… Read more »
R&D Spending On Upward Trend
StatCan recently released a report indicating the direction research and development (R&D) spending by businesses in the industrial sector has been going over the past several years. With anticipated spending of $15.5 billion in industrial R&D in 2012 (an increase… Read more »
Canadian Manufacturing Outlook 2012: Optimism
A recent study indicates a sense of optimism within Canada’s manufacturing sector. The survey, “Canadian Manufacturing Outlook 2012: Push and Pull – Reducing Costs and Investing in Innovation,” is based on input from senior Canadian manufacturing executives and indicates a… Read more »
Summer SR&ED activities
In a recent article, Ross Cooper of Excellence in Manufacturing Consortium (EMC) discussed how the slow days of summer are ripe for SR&ED activities as companies are slowing or shutting down production and attending to pesky ongoing production, machinery and… Read more »