Canadian small business grants

Visit the Centre for Small Business Financing for everything you want to know about grants and loans to expand your business. Take a look at the different types of programs and the federal and provincial programs available to it. Do you need funding in the form of grants and subsidies? Loans, tax breaks? Depending on the size and the kind of business you are in will determine whether you qualify for a grant or loan funding up to $10 million.

Types of funding programs

·         Low-interest or no-interest loans, Government Guaranteed Loans.

·        Grants and subsidies; one-time and renewable, Conditionally Repayable Contribution, Equity financing.

·        Tax Refunds or Tax Credits.

Business advantages

·        Access to Resources: Government Insurance against business risks, government relocation incentives and government information and services.

Various programs

Go online for a list of funding programs offered by the federal and provincial governments. The list is a long one and includes recipients such as Aboriginal Business Canada, BizPal, Business Services Canada, Business Immigration Program, Business Solutions Consulting Group and many more names. The Centre wants you to know that they are not connected with funding programs and no claim can be made that funding is due to the Centre unless so stated. For advice and personal experiences go online to read success stories and advice from recipients who have benefited.

Grants and loans facts

While a grant can be a good option and source of funding, you have a better chance of accessing programs which provide small Canadian businesses through loans – meaning that if you do not get lucky with the banks, you should not throw in the towel. It is said that government loans are better than bank loans. They may offer highly competitive rates or be non-repayable. Government loans are also more likely to be unsecured which means you do not have to put up collateral. To see how much you might be eligible to receive take a minute and fill out an online form for the results. Where is your business located? What business was generated in the last two years? Complete the short form giving your personal and business information, type of industry and financing needs and you have an idea of how much money you might qualify for. Do not give up. Go online and apprise yourself of the facts. 

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Is your au pair depressed?

Having an au pair makes sense when you are working parents and need someone to look after the kids but it should not be forgotten that au pairs are people too and should not be looked upon as maids to pick up after your children. They are mostly exchange students or young adults taking a gap year and are there to learn another language, enjoy the culture as well as care for the children. If your au pair becomes morose it is because she misses home and longs for her family. Make her feel comfortable and ask her if she wants to call home. Here is an easy way to integrate her into the family.

Introducing her to the neighbors

Finding a good au pair takes a little time as it involves research and registration as most au pairs are from Europe and other parts of the world. She has her own bedroom and is there to learn and look after the kids. Meeting the neighbors is important for her as she makes new friends and can go out and visit the sites in her spare time. Give her the phone number in the event she gets lost, and also a time by which you would like her to be home.

Feeling depressed

It is very normal for an au pair to feel down. She misses her family and her own surroundings. Let her call home once a week and speak for five or ten minutes. This will do her the world of good because she is in a strange country and far away. She needs to hear their voices and know how the family is doing. She will feel much better after the call.

Duties and responsibilities

Treat her like your own child and give her a list of duties to perform. Make sure that everything you agree upon is in a contract. An au pair’s duty for the most part is the care of the children; taking them to school, picking them up, cleaning the dishes and light duties to keep the house clean. She is not there to paint and wash the floor; her duties do not include washing dishes repeatedly.

Integrate her into the family

When you are at home, give her the evening off. Be generous with her free time. Going out with friends and having fun must be part of the deal. If she is good with the kids it is a huge plus. Go out as a family, introduce her to relatives, take her with to the park, and give her time to study. Have her understand that the kids are your first priority. Make her feel important and part of the family. If she appears sad and depressed, let her call home.  Always think of how you would like your own kids to be treated, and treat her with the same love and respect. Having a happy au pair in the house is a blessing when you have kids.  

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Signs that your child been tampered with

This is a hard one to prove and even harder when it involves a family member. Molesting a child is an evil act as besides the physical and emotional scarring it is a deep betrayal and loss of innocence. The child will never be fully recovered as you cannot heal intangible wounds with a pill. Therapy will help and must be applied, but the best resolution of all is to prevent the child from being molested in the first place. In South Africa it is estimated that four girls and one in eight boys are sexually abused before the age of sixteen.

Signs that your child has been tampered with

• The child's personality changes and she wets her bed and is afraid to go to sleep for fear that something will happen; she never had the problem before.
• The child becomes clingy at the sight of a male family member.
She always has money and sweets she got from an uncle.
Her eating pattern has changed her from healthy to thin and frail.
The child is withdrawn and has nightmares and screams in her sleep.
She is afraid to go to a certain relative’s house.

This does not mean, however, that if you have some of the above symptoms that you have been molested. The signs are merely to alert you that something is remiss and that you should look deeper into the matter. Children who have been molested are not talkers and suffer in silence. Not all perpetrators strike immediately; some nourish their victims for years, until the time is right.

Facts about perpetrators

• More often than not the child knows the molester.
*Most perpetrators have no criminal record.
*Perpetrators can be members of the child’s family.
*Pedophiles sit on park benches and watch the children at play.
*Sexual offenders love reading porn.
*Offenders always appear innocent to children and offer them money and sweets to help find the dog. There is no dog.

Protecting your kids

Talk to them about strangers bearing gifts.
Don’t be graphic and speak in a calm voice.
Don’t evoke unnecessary fear although you would like them to be aware of strange people coming up to them in the street.
Teach your child to say NO. This is one instance where the child must use whatever knowledge and words he has in his power and vocabulary to get away.
Don’t make a big deal out of this but have the safety talk without frightening your children. A motto you can have in your house is: say NO to pedophiles and run!

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