Businesses worry about contracts as trade missions are halted

By Daniel Huot

The current Asian economic crisis has disturbed trade with most countries visited by Team Canada trade missions and has raised questions about the missions’ effectiveness, according to one of the North-South Institute’s top researchers.

Ted Paterson, director of finance and special projects at the North-South Institute in the Byward Market, says many of the deals signed by businesses accompanying Prime Minister Jean Chrétien during the Team Canada missions to Asia in the past four years could be in jeopardy. read more

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The Business Beat

Cindy MacDougall

OC Transpo is trying to woo the white-collar worker to the bus.

The transit commission is lobbying the federal government to declare transit passes a non-taxable benefit. Companies could include a bus pass in their benefits packages, reducing pollution, parking problems and road decay. And ridership would increase, allowing OC Transpo to offer more efficient service. read more

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Competition welcomes mega-chain

By Daniel Huot

Ottawa’s businesses and municipal authorities are worried a new provincial legislation could remove millions of dollars from the region’s economy.

The proposed Fairness for Property Taxpayers Act could remove some of the federal payments in lieu of taxes (PILs) from the municipality’s coffers because of a new provision limiting property tax increases at 10 per cent for 1998 and at five per cent for 1999 and 2000. read more

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Bitter PILs for region to swallow

By Daniel Huot

Ottawa’s businesses and municipal authorities are worried a new provincial legislation could remove millions of dollars from the region’s economy.

The proposed Fairness for Property Taxpayers Act could remove some of the federal payments in lieu of taxes (PILs) from the municipality’s coffers because of a new provision limiting property tax increases at 10 per cent for 1998 and at five per cent for 1999 and 2000. read more

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