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Mover’s Edge, May, 2010
CAM Activities
As you will see in the following activity update, April was a very busy month for your association. Topping the list were the production of the membership directory, informing members about application of the HST, and addressing an advertising challenge in Alberta.
CAM Directory
CAM’s spring 2010 issue of its magazine and member directory, The Canadian Mover, is in the mail to you. It has articles that include a member profile, hiring practices and social networking. Have a look. Let us know what you think. And check your listing – it may need some updates.
Harmonized Sales Tax
CAM received and circulated some recent information on the implementation and application of the Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) in British Columbia and Ontario. Movers should be well practised in its use as the rules are similar to those for the eastern provinces that already have it in place.
- For moves, GST or HST is applied based on the province of delivery.
- For storage, GST or HST is applied based on the province where the goods are stored.
A few complications exist for services invoiced before May 1 and for moves that take place over the July 1 transition date. A chart (pdf) related to the application of HST has been posted.
Inclusion of GST/HST in Estimates
CAM had a member query regarding whether or not tax must be included in an estimate. In Ontario, the Ministry of Small Business and Consumer Services advises that the Consumer Protection Act requires that taxes must be disclosed in an estimate. It’s probably the same across the country, but including the applicable tax on an estimate eliminates any possible surprises for the consumer when it comes to getting paid for a move.
Alberta Treasury Branch
Early in April, the Alberta Treasury Branch (ATB) began an advertising campaign that members felt demeaned the moving industry. CAM wrote to the president of the ATB and received an immediate response from Nolan Berg, the ATB’s vice president of marketing. Mr. Berg stated that the ad campaign was an attempt at humour and there was no intent to demean the moving industry. He stated that the following remedies would be implemented immediately:
- The print campaign would be stopped and ads in other media would not continue when contracts expired.
- A poster with the ad and a tagline (attached) would be placed on the community bulletin boards in all 165 of the ATB’s branches. The tagline reads:
To make sure these aren’t your movers, call a professional.
Call the Canadian Association of Movers at 1-866-860-0065 or visit mover.net - A sticker would be applied to all existing posters with a message similar to the one above.
The members who were involved in the process felt that the ATB and its staff had made an excellent and timely effort in correcting the situation and providing a remedy.
Employment
CAM’s online database of job applicants is available in the members-only area of the website. Here you can find the following:
- Applicants for your driver, helper and staff positions arranged by position type and postal code. We have received over 1,000 applications from EI offices across Canada.
- Job ads for sales staff and other operations staff are also posted. It currently contains a few postings for sales staff.
We have been overwhelmed with the response to our EI postings and are trying to process the incoming résumés. We will add to the data online over the next two weeks, so check back periodically.
Job Posting on CAM’S Website
A leading van line agent in the Toronto area is looking for a new general manager. If you are interested, look at the ad on CAM’s website and apply in confidence to CAM. Your résumé will not be forwarded if the company is your current employer.
A Little Irony
Do you know about that website in The Netherlands that advertises moving services to consumers? It might surprise you to know that membership in CAM is one of their criteria for recommending Canadian moving services. You never know what your membership in the association will bring!
New Members
CAM welcomed three new members in April. Check them out in our online database. You will find they are good folks to do business with.
Movers
- Jay's Moving & Storage, Regina, SK
- Premiere Van Lines, Barrie, ON
International Mover
- Avram Worldwide LLC, Greenwood, IN, USA
Moves Online
CAM has had 116 requests for referrals between February 1 and the end of April. The program will be continued at no cost to the end of May, at which time we will evaluate its costs and operations.