On December 1, 2022, Convocation approved a report proposing a Family Legal Services Provider Licence. The scope and training plan for the new Family Legal Provider License is outlined in the report. Details of the report are seen below.

In addition to the development of the proposed licence, the Family Law Action Plan includes the action items listed below.

Shevas Legal Services is committed to obtaining the Family Law License to assist clients obtain advice and support specifically for custody, access and child support.

It is the very beginning of tax season again. As of last week, the CRA opened up Net file for the year. So, lets review what you will be needing…. Everyone should have. Rent/mortgage payments amounts. Medical receipts for anything prescribed or referred by a health care professional and is not covered by your private insurance or OHIP. Charity receipts for any donations made to a charity in the US or Canada If you work from home, how many rooms of your house you/total number of rooms and any house expenses such as Wi-Fi, housing payments, or utilities If you have the disability tax credit to…

What Are Statutory Accident Benefits?

Statutory accident benefits are benefits available for an injured or killed person in an automobile accident, regardless of who was at fault during the accident; this is also known as "no-fault accident benefits." The person should be injured by an accident that arose directly out of the use or operation of the automobile, and then he may be entitled to these no-fault accident benefits. The Statutory Accident Benefits Schedule regulates it, a regulation made under the Insurance Act of Ontario (also called no-fault benefits).

Who Is Eligible for Accident Benefits?

Anyone injured in an accident may be eligible for benefits. An applicant's injuries must be caused by accident. The circumstances causing the impairment must meet the definition of the accident: "accident" means an incident in which the use or operation of an automobile directly causes an impairment or directly causes damage to any prescription eyewear, denture, hearing aid, prosthesis, or other medical or dental devices.

Bookkeeping is the process of recording your company’s financial transactions into organized accounts on a daily basis. It can also refer to the different recording techniques businesses can use. Bookkeeping is an essential part of your accounting process for a few reasons. When you keep transaction records updated, you can generate accurate financial reports that help measure business performance. Detailed records will also be handy in the event of a tax audit.

This guide will walk you through the different methods of bookkeeping, how entries are recorded, and the major financial statements involved. Methods of bookkeeping

Before you begin bookkeeping, your business must decide what method you are going to follow. When choosing, consider the volume of daily transactions your business has and the amount of revenue you earn. If you are a small business, a complex bookkeeping method designed for enterprises may cause unnecessary complications. Conversely, less robust methods of bookkeeping will not suffice for large corporations.

Overview:

In Canada, both the federal and provincial governments have jurisdiction over family law:

• The federal government presides over matters of marriage and divorce.
• The provincial government has jurisdiction over the solemnization of marriage, property, and civil rights.

(Sections 91 and 92, Constitution Act, 1867 R.S.C. 1985, App II., No. 5.) Custody, child support, and spousal support generally fall within the ambit of provincial legislation. However, where those issues arise in connection with a divorce, there is the jurisdiction for them to be considered under federal legislation. The Divorce Act (Divorce Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. 3 (2nd Supp.)) is federal legislation that governs divorce and corollary relief, including custody, child support, and spousal support for all of Canada's provinces and territories. In Ontario, family law involves both federal and provincial legislation. As such, jurisdiction over family cases in Ontario is divided between the Superior Court of Justice and the Ontario Court of Justice. Under federal law, the Superior Court of Justice has sole jurisdiction in all cases involving divorce and property division, while under provincial law, child protection and adoption cases must be

Income Tax Act s. 117, 117.1, 121
The Federal tax brackets and personal tax credit amounts are increased for 2023 by an indexation factor of 1.063 (a 6.3% increase).
See Indexation of the Personal Income Tax System for how the indexation factors are calculated. The federal indexation factors, tax brackets and tax rates for 2023 have been confirmed to Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) information.

After decades of disagreement between lawyers and non-lawyers, the Law Society of Ontario (LSO) agreed to regulate paralegals in the public interest, which was implemented in 2008. Paralegals are licensed to provide legal services directly to the public independent of lawyers, but they are regulated by lawyers. The Law Society has declared paralegal regulation a success and itself the right choice of the regulator. This article explores the paralegals' duty to the profession and how that impact the lack of respect paralegals have for the Law Society of Ontario.

Paralegal Rules of Conduct established the standard of professional conduct, and paralegals must know and comply with the rules. Failure to abide by the rules may result in disciplinary action by the LSO, and it may bring the reputation of the paralegal profession into disrepute.

The term bookkeeper dates to the 1500s when financial recorder was a book with figures, done in ink. Unless your company likes antique style, chances are you don’t have books. Even companies who don’t have online software like Sage, Xero, QuickBooks online. Use things like QuickBooks desktop, Wave, Cloud Books or the like. IF you are not a software person you use excel, but I do not think I have seen anyone use paper in at least a decade and then rarely. So, I decided to point out other names for Bookkeeper that are more modern.

For any modern business, accounts payable is one of the highest-stakes tasks there is. After all, every business needs to pay what it owes - you can’t afford to get this wrong.

A company's accounts payable (AP) ledger lists its short-term liabilities — obligations for items purchased from suppliers, for example, and money owed to creditors. Accounts receivable (AR) are funds the company expects to receive from customers and partners. AR is listed as a current asset on the balance sheet.

Paralegal Jurisdiction is italicized, underlined with a yellow background

A future article has a red comment after

FEDERAL

The top court is the Supreme Court of Canada judges of the Supreme Court have an equal amount of power as members of the cabinet or legislative assembly. The cases are the primary cases used as case law throughout the Country.
The Military Court is its own branch, other federal courts include the tax court, and federal court of appeal. In Canada, most jury trials are criminal and can be nullified but only caused by an error in law. Jury trials are only where a prison sentence of 5 years or more is in question.
The Federal Court of Canada deal with tax, military, marital, civil and tribunals listed below.
Federal tribunals include the listed one’s bellow and paralegals can practice in them all

Q: How much can a small business make without paying taxes in Canada??

A: If you operate your business as a pass-through, meaning the income is taxed as part of your personal income, then the tax-free threshold (also called the standard itemized deduction) for 2021 income is $12,550 for individuals and $25,100 for married couples filing jointly.

To quote from the Canada Revenue Agency (C.R.A.) Business income includes money you earn from a:

Profession trade manufacture or undertaking of any kind, an adventure or concern in trade, or any other activity you carry on for profit and there is evidence to support that intention. For example, income from a service business is business income. Business income does not include employment income, such as wages or salaries received from an employer on either a T4 or a T4A.

Q: What is mediation?

A: Mediation is a type of ADR also known as alternative dispute resolution. Mediation is an informal and completely confidential way for people involved in a dispute or a civil lawsuit to reach an agreement without going to court.

As a QuickBooks Pro Advisor I have been endlessly asked which software is preferable and which I advice using.

It is also important to note that there are different QuickBooks from different countries as the tax information is a large part of what QuickBooks does.

With that said, I have copied some information from QuickBooks.

Once upon a time, Human Rights were basic. The big ones were

1. sex (male/female)which basically dealt with female issues like pregnancy, maternity leave, breastfeeding,and such.
2. Religion
3. Race/colour
4. Ancestry/place of origin
5. And disability

Back in the day, Bookkeeping was about keeping the books which are entirely paper based. Today the closest equivalent would be Microsoft Excel or similar software. In this way what we do today would be more like financial analyst as the term bookkeeping is outdated. As well most Modern day “bookkeepers” do not need to have the level of knowledge as was needed in the older times. What is needed is extended knowledge in the software of choice.

Below is a list of software available in Canada.

1. Sage 50

Sage 50 cloud software is apt for all medium and small-size business who need accounting software for managing their business. One can efficiently manage their taxes, invoices, data management, e-commerce, budget, inventories, etc. using this software which is compatible with mobile phones making it an easy option for you to choose for your fiscal management. Another advantage of using this software is that it can combine desktop features with cloud enabling you to store data in the cloud simultaneously while performing other tasks.

Paralegals first became licensed in Ontario in 2008. Over the past fourteen years, Paralegals have worked hard and built many advocacy agencies to represent us before the Law Society. Some examples of things we have been given are.

1) Becoming a Commissioner of Oaths by appointment, by licensing status, a notary by appointment, and then by licensing.

2) Having the Lawyer Referral Service, become the Law Society Referral Service and include paralegals.

3) Giving Paralegals the same rights as lawyers in court.

4) Allowing Paralegals more areas of practice.

Q: What does CGA stand for?

A: Chartered General Accountant

Q: What does CPA stand for?

A: Chartered Professional Accountant

Q: What is the difference between a CGA and a CPA?

A: In Canada we refer to accounts as CGA in the US they are referred to as CPA. While for the most part they are the same there are different requirements and process to get the designation, however in the tasks performed they are the same.

Q: What things can only a CGA perform in Ontario?

A: The preparation of audited statements for publicly traded corporations, charities, condominium corporations and co-operative corporations. That’s largely because those statements must be relied on by investors and owner/members. Therefore, the standards are internationally recognized. As one of my professors liked to say, “The accounting rulers in the clouds”.

Q: Do you need to be a CGA to file taxes?

A: No, although corporate taxes are not generally undertaken by anyone other than an accountant.

In recent days I have had calls from people who need help with CRA. I have also had people who need a tax lawyer to take CRA to court.

I suppose this is partially because I do personal returns and am a licensed paralegal. The simplest conclusion would be to combine these services. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way.

It’s been a while since we reviewed what makes a good bookkeeper so lets revisit the 4 Characteristics of a Good Bookkeeper

Every small business needs a good bookkeeper. The finances of any business, regardless of size, can quickly get complicated, and a good bookkeeper can latterly make a business successful, your tax accountant will thank you as well. You can either employ one or hire an independent contractor.

However, what is it that makes a bookkeeper? How can you make sure that your accounts are being properly taken care of, so you do not have to worry about the business’s finances? Here, we are going to look at four of the top qualities you should be looking for and how you can better identify them when choosing your bookkeeper.