EXECUTIVE SUMMARY - August 2018

Sustainable growth and development in the Parksville/Qualicum Beach Region require that residents can obtain and maintain fulfilling, family-sustaining work, and that employers can recruit and retain workers who contribute to productivity, profitability and long-term viability.

In early 2018, The Parksville & District Chamber of Commerce (the Chamber) and its partner, the Career Centre, identified two interrelated needs in the region:

• A lack of current and local labour market intelligence.

• No clear strategy to assist the region in ensuring a healthy, balanced labour market.

To address these issues, early in 2018 the Chamber secured funding from the Province of British Columbia to complete a Labour Market Analysis and a Labour Market Strategy.

 

October 13, 2018 - Gala & Auction night!

Each year the gala brings the business community together for an evening of gourmet food, fun, dancing and a lively auction. The Chamber transformed the Parksville Community Centre with the theme 'All that Glitters'.  And Glitter we did, from the glittery decor to the sparkley outfits.... we definitely glittered! The Gala is our annual fundraiser for the Chamber and individuals and business community support the Gala in so many different ways.  There were fun games and prizes to be won, a wonderful 'Wall of Wine ' to win,  a lovely dinner by Spice of Life Catering, a unique silent auction and a very engaging live auction. Auctioneer Marc Bergevin from Adesa Richmond Public Auction was on hand to guide the live auction and did a great job! There were some fantastic items to bid on and such a variety. It really is through the generosity of our members and community partners that this event continues to delight our attending guests. 

Thank you to everyone who attended and to our special donors and volunteers a huge thank you from the Chamber Staff and Board of Directors.

 

The Parksville & District Chamber of Commerce and the Qualicum Beach Chamber of Commerce have been advised of a possible issue with the collection and remittance of PST by Real Property Contractors. PST is a complicated tax, and even more so for contractors.  Currently, there are situations where the provincial government is receiving two PST remissions from contractors on the same item.The contractors who are impacted by this situation are those who install fixed products into permanent structures.  They are called Real Property Contractors.   The term, “fixed product” refers to immoveable items such as toilets, flooring, cabinets, light fixtures, security systems, etc.  By law, contractors must pay PST when they purchase products to be installed.  Customers are then invoiced with the PST absorbed in the entire price of the completed project.  They are not charged PST separately.Unfortunately, some contractors are making honest mistakes by purchasing these products as PST-exempt items, as if they are purchasing for retail only and not for installation.  These contractors are then installing the product, charging PST to the customer and remitting that PST to the government.  In the latter case, the government has now received the PST remittance.  However, the government is assessing many contractors for their error and then, through an intensive PST audit, assessing penalties and requiring them to remit PST a second time on the purchase price of the product, stating that the contractors have collected PST incorrectly.  Essentially, the government is then receiving double PST on each of these incorrect purchases.  In many cases, businesses have overpaid by tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars. 

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