First of all let’s look at the most famous resort in Canada, Whistler. The Whistler Blackcomb Mountains are located in British Columbia, in Western Canada, just two hours away from Vancouver. With more than 8,100 acres of skiable terrain, this resort boasts over 200 different runs, and is generally considered as the coolest destination for skiers and snowboarders. The terrain itself offers plenty of variety from gentle slopes to steep bowls for the more experienced snowboarder. The accommodation and facilities are outstanding with a huge variety of bars, restaurants and shops, especially Whistler Village which has an electric atmosphere. Overall this resort is justifiably the most popular one in Canada, and there’s a reason for that, it’s awesome!

Staying in British Columbia, the nest on our list is Whitewater Ski Resort. Recently voted one of North America’s Best Ski Resort by Lonely Planet, this outstanding resort hosts a number of different terrains suitable for all snowboarding abilities. If you’re looking for a resort that has rustic charm then Whitewater is the one for you. It’s simple and relaxed atmosphere gives this resort a retro charm, and with a huge amount of snowfall each year, it’s perfect for the purists.

In Quebec, the pinnacle of any snowboarder’s wish list is to snowboard at Mont Tremblant ski resort. With a much more European style, this resort attracts plenty of foreign visitors as well as North Americans. Charming with a high calibre of facilities, you’ll be amazed at how much this place has to offer; 625.5 acres of terrain, 94 runs and 13 state of the art lifts. Suitable for abilities, there’s even an ice skating rink for those that want a bit more out of their visit.

Finally, there is Red Mountain. Located in British Columbia, this resort can be located near Rossland quite close to the Canadian border. Now, we understand that snowboarding can get a tad bit expensive, so this resort has been chosen because it’s a resort that boasts the best value for money. This is actually Canada’s oldest resort but don’t let that fool you as it has some fantastic facilities; 1,585 acres of land, 88 runs and 2,99 feet of vertical terrain, an excellent choice for the more experienced snowboarder due to its difficult terrains.

During the early 17th century the region of New France that was located along Saint Lawrence River as well as the northern parts of the Great Lakes was called Canada. This area was later divided into two major British colonies known as lower and Upper Canada. These two parts were united in 1841 and named the province of Canada.

In 1867 upon confederation, the name “”Canada”" was legally adopted and the title “”Dominion”" was conferred upon the country. Till the 1950s the term “”Dominion of Canada”" was used. After that when Canada started to assert its autonomy from United Kingdom, only “”Canada”" was used in the treaties and the state documents. Since then this has been the name of the country.”

Another fundamental ingredient you will need to start a small business in Canada is to have some sort of idea for the foundation of your business plan. What do you want to market? What do you want to bring into the world? Is your business going to be local or national? How will you market your product or service? What are your expenses and when do you anticipate making a profit? Those are just a few of the important questions you must answer. Local banks and libraries can help you with getting the info you need to put together a strong business plan. Be prepared to modify and enhance your plan as you involve investors, lenders, and/or partners. Then be prepared to further modify it as you begin to run your business and see what works and what doesn’t.

Once you establish what services and/or products you will be offering, next step is to decide on a business name and register the business legally. In Canada, the process is very simple. The easiest way to register a new business is as a sole proprietor. However, as mentioned, you will need to establish citizenship or a Canadian address. If you reside outside of Canada, you might consider partnership with a Canadian living in Canada and use their address. Each province has their own business registrar office. You can find a list of address and websites at the Industry Canada website where you can register your business online.

If you are not terribly wealthy, as few starters of small businesses are, you will need to seek financial help. In Canada, most banks will offer financial services and help you get a loan. However, it can be very difficult to get a loan, especially if you do not have a perfect credit history or don’t have any credit history in Canada at all if you are not a Canadian citizen. What you need to do is assure the bank that you are prepared. This is where having a plan comes in. You have to know what you are going to do with the money, and you have to have a plan to pay it back. If you don’t live in Canada but have a partner in Canada, he or she can co-sign the loan. By giving the loaner the confidence that you can put the money to good use and make the investment worth their time, you will be able to secure the loan. Banks or family are not the only solutions for financial backing. Government of Canada offers loans and grants to new businesses to stimulate growth. Industry Canada website has up-to-date information on available loans, grants and financing. You can also check local municipal government websites for any assistance offered to grow business in their localities.

There are also all sorts of places you can go that specialize in helping small businesses, and more than just financially. These programs and services can help you have a logo designed, help you start up a web site and with advertising. At this point, you need to start attracting customers, especially repeat customers who will come back to use your service or purchase your product regularly. Internet advertising can be very cheap and effective, if you advertise in the right place. Many services can help you find the advertising you need to kick off your small business. The Internet offers a wealth of information on small business advice and services such as advertising and promotion. A good place to start is Canada Small Business Directory for promotional business services in Canada.

Site of the Month for June 2011 is about Canada information. Directory of Canada on the web including art and entertainment, business and economy, real estate, shopping, transportation, tourism and travel, insurance, health and beauty, recreation and sports, and more.

Overall the long term trends show that the prevalence of smoking in Canada is decreasing from a high of 35% of the population in 1985 to less than 18% of the population in 2008.

The province of British Columbia has the lowest rate of prevalence for smoking across the country (14.7%) with all prairie provinces having the highest prevalence at 20.8%. Remaining provinces were slightly above the national average, hovering around 19-20%.

Here is how the Canadian smoking statistics break down by age groups. This data is from the 2008 CTUMS database. Complete data sets for 2009 are not yet available.

* 15-19 yrs old. – 15% of this population classify themselves as smokers. While unchanged from the previous year, this figure is the lowest since Canada began collecting and monitoring smoking statistics. Some provinces such as Newfoundland and Labrador have shown a decrease of 3% in this age group from the previous year.
* 20-24 yrs old. – 27% of this population are smoking. Among this age group males continue to smoke at a higher rate and smoke more cigarettes per capita than the female smokers in this age group.
* 25 – 45 yr old age group has the highest number of people who are giving up smoking. Between 25 and 45 yrs of age the number of people who classify themselves as former smokers increased by just over 16%.

Canada has been engaged in smoking reduction efforts for over ten years. There has been a consistent effort to get the message out about the health risks of smoking. Laws have been passed in many provinces to prevent smoking in public buildings and municipalities have implemented smoking bans that prevent smoking in any building, even bars and restaurants. Recently the smoking bans in Vancouver, BC and surrounding areas have been extended to included a restriction on smoking cigarettes within 7 meters of a building entrance.

Some communities are considering smoking laws to create smoke free outdoor patios, parks, and beaches. These types of measure reflect a change in the attitude of the public that welcomes regulation to protect the health of all citizens.

Since the smoking statistics show a clear drop in the prevalence of smoking in Canada it is clear there are a significant number of people who are giving up smoking cigarettes. But more importantly, less and less Canadians are being influenced to take up the habit in the first place.

So of those people who are still in the smoking minority who are they? An examination of the social epidemiology reveals some interesting statistics.

The highest prevalence of smokers is among the unemployed, poorly educated, and low income populations. The very people who have the least amount of disposable income purchase the majority of cigarettes. For this population at least, it would appear that the economic impact of cigarette smoking is not important enough to motivate a change in smoking behaviour.

Location: Land that is close to where people live, work and play is worth more than land out in the middle of nowhere.

The approval to build: The reason that land is developed is so that it can generate more income. Land that is used for farming brings in much less than land that has an office building or townhouses on it. When you change the zoning or take a piece of land through the approval process, it becomes more valuable simply because you now have the ability to build and create more income from the land.

Availability of utilities: in order for land to be improved, you need to make sure that the water; electricity, gas and sewer systems are available.

Land that is several kilometers away from these services will nee hundred of thousands of dollars spent on additional costs to develop the property. So, land that is next to existing utilities or has them in place is worth much more.

Are you in the right market?

When you are looking for the right place of land to develop, you need to pay attention to what surrounds the piece of land that you are interested in.

- Is the area growing and population coming in?
- What kinds of residences or businesses are already in place?
- What are the demographics of the area?
- If you there a demand for what you intend to do?

In other words, assess the local economy; it needs to be strong for you to make the venture profitable. What you are looking for is the right spot to put up houses, units or apartments etc. To be successful it is also important to know your exit strategy before you get in. Typically for land development, your exit strategy would be to sell to another developer or a builder.

The three Ps for successful projects

If you want to be successful in your land development, you need to follow what I call the three Ps.

HERE THEY ARE:

1. POSITION

What is your position in the market place? Is there a demand for the type of development that you are contemplating? You can have the best project in the world, with the prettiest architecture, but if you can’t sell it over time, you are wasting your time buying it at all.

2. PROFITS

What profit is the land likely to make? This includes making a great return on your time, energy and personal capital that you contribute to the project. In addition to money in your pocket, most good-sized land development projects end up using bank financing, private investors or a combination of the two. Both entities want back good rates of return.

1. POLITICS

What does politics have to do with land development? Well, almost everything. Why? Because before you even break the ground to build anything, you will need the approval of several governmental entities, including local council, department of housing, department of lands and main roads.

Before you jump in with any real estate development project make sure that you understand what you will eventually do with the property. You can sell it to another builder, hire a builder and manage the project or build it yourself.

A couple of good places to invest in land is either right in town or even in the direction in which the town is expanding and wait for the town to come to you! The path of progress is often determined early in the towns’ development.

So consider the path of progress points, migration and new construction when deciding whether to pursue a project. One way to reduce your risk with land development is to look for where businesses are going because every other piece of land that is developed helps to attract more people to the area. If you change a property zoning you can dramatically increase its value. The challenge is making sure you meet the community requirements enforced by the local council and/or state agencies.

When trying to decide what to build on your land, be sure to look at the surrounding neighborhoods to see how your project will fit in. The value of the land is directly related to the income that it produces.

The Canadian stock and bond markets offer many advantages over the United States at the moment. The Canadian banking system is stronger and more fiscally conservative than U.S. banks. In addition, the Canadian government has been moving in a conservative, business-oriented direction for several years, which makes Canadian capital markets a great opportunity for investors to flee the turmoil in the American capital markets.

In terms of specific instruments, aside from bonds there are some great dividend-paying stocks available for purchase. In particular, the stock of the Bank of Nova Scotia has been looking very attractive for some time. The Bank of Nova Scotia’s investment banking arm, Scotia Bank, was ranked as the number one investment bank in the world in the infrastructure sector by Global Finance magazine.

The Toronto Stock Exchange, which goes by the initials TSX, is the third largest exchange in North America and the eighth largest in the world in terms of total market capitalization. The exchange lists companies in Canada, the United States and even in some European countries. Notably, the exchange represents several Canadian energy companies, such as Canadian Oil Sands Trust. Most importantly, the exchange represents all of Canada’s Big Five banks, which makes it the central hub for banking stocks in the country.

Canadian bonds and other fixed-income securities come in many varieties for every flavor of investor. The bond market offers exposure to corporate debt in a financial system hailed as the soundest in the world for two years running by the World Economic Forum, based in Geneva, Switzerland. Next to government debt, which is sold through the Bank of Canada as well as other large banks such as the Royal Bank of Canada and the Bank of Nova Scotia, provincial and municipal debt represents the second-largest sector of the Canadian bond market. Recently, investors seeking to flee an impending sovereign debt crisis in Europe have come to Canadian bonds in droves.

The island of Montreal boasts upward of 4,000 restaurants, some of which have received golden reviews from famous international food critics. Perhaps the most elegant and romantic choice is Chez Queuz, located at 158 St. Paul East. A trip to the restaurant really is like taking a journey back in time. It was built in 1862 and has velvet curtains, crimson carpet, and old-fashioned chandeliers. The fireplace is always burning in the main dining room and the service is great. All of the tables are adorned with fresh orchids and the silverware is finely polished. The restaurant’s wine list is anything if not extravagant, carrying as many as 300 titles. And if that’s not enough, the famous restaurant has won the Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator since 1996. Expect to pay upward of $45 per person, but the elegance and delicious dishes from the kitchen will make your experience well worth it.

Another famous restaurant in Montreal is Rib’n Reef, located at 8105 Decarie. Though passersby who see its radiant, glowing sign outside might think it’s a simple steak house, they are surely wrong. The extra large tables make staying awhile not out of the question. And the meat is only of the highest quality USDA-approved cuts. The shrimp, some have said, is almost exotic with is tender texture and brilliant flavor. And the beverage and dessert selection will have you oohing an ahhing. Not only will you enjoy piling on the calories more than any other eatery, but you can enjoy a glass of port along with a fine cigar, all while having a conversation with bar staff who’ve been on hand for as long as three decades.

When it comes to Toronto, you really can’t go wrong with Truffles. The restaurant is pricey, but well worth it if you’d like to experience the best in Canadian fine dining. It’s even been voted Toronto’s most popular restaurant. The food is absolutely exquisite. The spaghettini with truffle foam, some say, is by itself worth a trip to Canada for. Another favorite is the famous potato-crusted halibut. But besides the food, the service really sets Truffles apart from others famous restaurants in Canada. The wait staff has been described as having an amazing sense of humor, as well as being extremely friendly.

When in Toronto, you also will not want to miss Rodney’s Oyster House in the city’s downtown district. Among a long list of shellfish choices, you simply have to try the -’Oyster Slapstick Chowder,’ which has been the delight of locals and world travelers for decades.

Franchisor uses your funds to continue to grow their franchise empire! That’s how franchisors prosper, grow, and build and sell more units. Many franchisors use funds received from your investment, build a company store, and then sell it as a franchise. This is a very strong and proven business model – so the bottom line is of course – You are on your own with respect to franchise financing.

It is important therefore for the business person to take some careful time and plan around how they will arrange their franchise financing.

Naturally at the same time you want to due a fair amount of due diligence around the basic finances of the franchise you are looking at. By that we mean that different franchises require different levels of capital. For example if it is a purely based ‘SERVICE ‘ franchise then you can expect that financing costs, and therefore your own investment will be significantly smaller than a business requiring more assets and capital expenditure .

As a prospective franchisee you have many legal rights around the financial disclosure that is made to you by the franchisor. You should therefore ensure that you use all options and information available to yourself with respect to understanding how the franchisor is financed, what type of financing is generally needed and recommended from yourself, and what affiliations or efforts a franchisor might make with respect to assisting you in financing the business. We have said very clearly that franchisors won’t provide you the financing, but based on their success and reputation in the market place they might be in a position to have set up a program with lenders in the marketplace such as banks or independent finance companies.

We strongly recommend that if business owners considering buying a franchise don’t feel 100% comfortable with financial jargon, current market financing conditions, etc, that they should engage the services and advice of a trusted financing advisor with expertise in Canadian franchising .

References with respect to financing should also be checked, by that we mean that in your discussions, negotiations, and disclosure made by the franchisor you should obtain a strong sense of what general financial performance you can expect from your investment. If you think you wish to grow a million dollar business and your investigations reveal that no other unit in the chain is close to approaching that revenue number, well, you get the picture, right?? Time to re think your investment and your proposed financing.

Every business and industry has an acceptable debt and equity ratio. By debt and equity we of course simply mean how much you are going to put in, and how much you will borrow. You want enough working capital and cash flow to grow your business, but you do not want to become over leveraged. That’s the balancing act in any business quite frankly.

In Canada franchises are primarily financed by your own investment in the business, as well as the Governments CSBF program. This is a solid
loan program used by a huge proportion of Franchisees in Canada.

Our firm has found that a combination of the entrepreneur investment, the CSBF loan, as well as some innovative leasing and working capital
strategies allow the franchisee to be adequately financed , therefore providing a much stronger chance of business success and profits!