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Canadian tech firms think capital gains policy change will hinder industry: survey

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A new survey of Canadian tech companies reveals 90 per cent of respondents think the federal government’s changes to its capital gains policy will have a negative effect on the industry.

The finding is part of a survey released Thursday of 143 tech leaders conducted by the Council of Canadian Innovators, an organization representing and advocating on behalf of the sector.

The survey adds further to the outcry that came from the highest echelons of the sector as well as the country’s startup community after the federal government presented the change in its April budget.

The hike raises the portion of capital gains on which companies pay tax to two-thirds from one-half (it also applies to individuals on capital gains above $250,000). The change took effect in June but accompanying legislation still has to be introduced and debated, steps expected to happen in the fall.

A spokeswoman for the office of Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said the government designed the changes to make the tax system fairer while spurring investment.

“With the increased Lifetime Capital Gains Exemption and the new Canadian Entrepreneurs Incentive, a Canadian entrepreneur will be better off with up to $6.25 million in capital gains,” Navpreet Chhatwal said in a statement.

“It is important to note that even with these tax changes, Canada retains the lowest marginal effective tax rate in the G7 and remains below the OECD average.”

CCI’s members feel the change is a detriment to the sector and the country.

Sixty per cent of the members who responded to the organization’s online survey carried out between June 18 and July 9 feel the capital gains changes will have a “very negative” impact on investment.

Some 86 per cent feel the capital gains changes will hinder their ability to attract and retain talent, especially in a Canadian tech environment that 50 per cent characterized as “unhealthy.”

Benjamin Bergen, the group’s president, said he’s seen data showing the number of Canadians that moved south of the border in 2022 was 122,000— a figure that likely included tech workers seeking higher salaries and entrepreneurs looking to take advantage of the U.S.’s easier access to funding. (Some 67 per cent of survey respondents said their top challenge is accessing capital.)

“That’s really just an indication that it was bad before this capital gains piece came in and now it’s only going to make it worse,” he said.

That sentiment was echoed by several top tech names, including Shopify Inc. president Harley Finkelstein.

Hours after the budget’s release, he wrote on the social media site X, “What. Are. We. Doing?!?”

“This is not a wealth tax, it’s a tax on innovation and risk taking,” he later added. “Our policy failures are America’s gains.”

Tech workers are particularly affected by capital gains changes because they tend to be well paid and many own stock options or their own companies.

Research released by The Dais, a public policy organization based at Toronto Metropolitan University, in June showed the median Canadian tech worker had $84,000 in equity gross value that has not yet been sold. About 1,960 tech workers declared more than $250,000 in capital gains in 2021.

Based on those numbers, the report said 0.20 per cent of tech workers would be affected by the change, compared with 0.15 per cent of non-tech workers.

CCI has been trying to fight the tax since April, when it drafted an open letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Freeland urging them to rethink their decision. The letter has been signed by more than 2,000 tech workers including Lightspeed Commerce Inc. chief executive Dax Dasilva and 1Password founder Roustem Karimov.

Bergen is hopeful change could still happen.

“There is opportunity for us to try and make it less bad,” he said. “But how do you take something from being a punch in the gut to a slap maybe across the face?”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 18, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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Toronto residents brace for uncertainty of city’s Taylor Swift Era

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TORONTO – Will Taylor Swift bring chaos or do we all need to calm down?

It’s a question many Torontonians are asking this week as the city braces for the massive fan base of one of the world’s biggest pop stars.

Hundreds of thousands of Swifties are expected to descend on downtown core for the singer’s six concerts which kick off Thursday at the Rogers Centre and run until Nov. 23.

And while their arrival will be a boon to tourism dollars, it could further clog the city’s already gridlocked streets.

Swift’s shows collide with other scheduled events at the nearby Scotiabank Arena, including a Toronto Raptors game on Friday and a Toronto Maple Leafs game on Saturday.

Some locals have already adjusted their plans to avoid the area.

Aahil Dayani says he and some friends intended to throw a birthday bash for one of their pals, until they realized it would overlap with the concerts.

“Ultimately, everybody agreed they just didn’t want to deal with that,” he said.

“Something as simple as getting together and having dinner is now thrown out the window.”

Dayani says the group rescheduled the birthday party for after Swift leaves town. In the meantime, he plans to hunker down at his Toronto residence.

“Her coming into town has kind of changed up my social life,” he added.

“We’re pretty much just not doing anything.”

Max Sinclair, chief executive and founder of A.I. technology firm Ecomtent, has suggested his employees stay away from the company’s downtown offices on concert days, since he doesn’t see the point in forcing people to endure potential traffic jams.

“It’s going to be less productive for us, and it’s going to be just a pain for everyone, so it’s easier to avoid it,” he said.

“We’re a hybrid company, so we can be flexible. It just makes sense.”

Toronto Transit Commission spokesperson Stuart Green says the public agency has been preparing for over a year to ease the pressure of so many Swifties in one confined area.

Dozens of buses and streetcars have been added to the transit routes around the stadium, while the TTC has consulted with the city on how to handle potential emergency scenarios.

“There may be some who will say we’re over-preparing, and that’s fair,” Green said.

“But we know based on what’s happened in other places, better to be over-prepared than under-prepared.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 13, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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EA Sports video game NHL 25 to include PWHL teams

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REDWOOD CITY, Calif. – Electronic Arts has incorporated the Professional Women’s Hockey League into its NHL 25 video game.

The six teams starting their second seasons Nov. 30 will be represented in “play now,” “online versus,” “shootout” and “season” modes, plus a championship Walter Cup, in the updated game scheduled for release Dec. 5, the PWHL and EA Sports announced Wednesday.

Gamers can create a virtual PWHL player.

The league and video game company have agreed to a multi-year partnership, the PWHL stated.

“Our partnership with EA SPORTS opens new doors to elevate women’s hockey across all levels,” said PWHL operations senior vice-president Amy Scheer in a statement.

“Through this alliance, we’ll develop in-game and out-of-game experiences that strengthen the bond between our teams, players, and fans, bringing the PWHL closer to the global hockey community.”

NHL 22 featured playable women’s teams for the first time through an agreement with the International Ice Hockey Federation.

Toronto Sceptres forward Sarah Nurse became the first woman to appear on the video game’s cover in 2023 alongside Anaheim Ducks centre Trevor Zegras.

The Ottawa Charge, Montreal Victoire, Boston Fleet, Minnesota Frost and New York Sirens round out the PWHL. The league announced team names and logos in September, and unveiled jerseys earlier this month.

“It is so meaningful that young girls will be able to see themselves in the game,” said Frost forward Taylor Heise, who grew up playing EA’s NHL games.

“It is a big milestone for inclusivity within the hockey community and shows that women’s prominence in hockey only continues to grow.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 13, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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Maple Leaf Foods earns $17.7M in Q3, sales rise as it works to spin off pork business

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Maple Leaf Foods Inc. continued to navigate weaker consumer demand in the third quarter as it looked ahead to the spinoff of its pork business in 2025.

“This environment has a particularly significant impact on a premium portfolio like ours and I want you to know that we are not sitting still waiting for the macro environment to recover on its own,” said CEO Curtis Frank on a call with analysts.

Frank said the company is working to adapt its strategies to consumer demand. As inflation has stabilized and interest rates decline, he said pressure on consumers is expected to ease.

Maple Leaf reported a third-quarter profit of $17.7 million compared with a loss of $4.3 million in the same quarter last year.

The company says the profit amounted to 14 cents per share for the quarter ended Sept. 30 compared with a loss of four cents per share a year earlier. Sales for the quarter totalled $1.26 billion, up from $1.24 billion a year ago.

“At a strategic level … we’re certainly seeing the transitory impacts of an inflation-stressed consumer environment play through our business,” Frank said.

“We are seeing more trade-down than we would like. And we are making more investments to grow our volume and protect our market share than we would like in the moment. But again, we believe that those impacts will prove to be transitory as they have been over the course of history.”

Financial results are improving in the segment as feed costs have stabilized, said Dennis Organ, president, pork complex.

Maple Leaf, which is working to spin off its pork business into a new, publicly traded company to be called Canada Packers Inc. and led by Organ, also said it has identified a way to implement the plan through a tax-free “butterfly reorganization.”

Frank said Wednesday that the new structure will see Maple Leaf retain slightly lower ownership than previously intended.

The company said it continues to expect to complete the transaction next year. However, the spinoff under the new structure is subject to an advance tax ruling from the Canada Revenue Agency and will take longer than first anticipated.

Maple Leaf announced the spinoff in July with a plan to become a more focused consumer packaged goods company, including its Maple Leaf and Schneiders brands.

“The prospect of executing the transaction as a tax-free spin-off is a positive development as we continue to advance our strategy to unlock value and unleash the potential of these two unique and distinct businesses,” Frank said in the news release.

He also said that Maple Leaf is set on delivering profitability for its plant protein business in mid-2025.

“This includes the recent completion of a procurement project aimed at leveraging our purchasing scale,” he said.

On an adjusted basis, Maple Leaf says it earned 18 cents per share in its latest quarter compared with an adjusted profit of 13 cents per share in the same quarter last year.

The results were largely in line with expectations, said RBC analyst Irene Nattel in a note.

Maple Leaf shares were down 4.5 per cent in midday trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange at $21.49.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 13, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:MFI)

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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