Trade News

26 March 2009 Ontario moves to soften blended-tax blow with consumer exemptions The following is excerpted from March 25th edition of "globeandmail.com". The Ontario government has moved to douse a firestorm of criticism over its plans to reform the provincial sales tax by exempting a number of…

26 March 2009 U.S. economy shows new signs of life The following is excerpted from the March 25th edition of "globeandmail.com". Orders to U.S. factories for big-ticket manufactured goods and new homes sales both rose unexpectedly in February, but economists said the gains were unlikely to last as…

26 March 2009 Canada's budget officer sees 8.5% drop in GDP The following is excerpted from the March 25th edition of "Financial Post". Canada's independent parliamentary budget officer forecast Wednesday the economy would deteriorate at a historic rate, and much faster than the government had…

26 March 2009 Proposed Amendment to Canada’s Energy Efficiency Regulations for Large Air Conditioners, Heat Pumps and Condensing Units The following bulletin was provided by NRCan. Large air conditioners, heat pumps and condensing units (large AC) with cooling capacities between 65,000 Btu/h and 240…

The following messages were sent on 26 March: 1. CANADIAN CUSTOMS ARTICLES Ontario moves to soften blended-tax blow with consumer exemptions Obama's message: Glory days of open border are gone Canada's budget officer sees 8.5% drop in GDP 2. CANADIAN FOOD INSPECTION AGENCY - AIRS Update to CFIA AIRS…

26 March 2009 Is US Housing on the Mend? The following was written by Peter G. Hall, Vice-President and Chief Economist, Export Development Canada. Three cheers! US housing starts rose 22% in February, the first monthly increase since June, 2008. In a market hungry for good news, this was well…

26 March 2009 [US] Senate approves Locke as commerce secretary The following was reported on in today's "American Shipper". The U.S. Senate on Tuesday confirmed former Washington Gov. Gary Locke as the next secretary of commerce. Locke, 59, was approved by a voice vote. At the department, his…

25 March 2009 CBSA Message: Sterling Direct Connect Update The following message is from CBSA (EDI09-024 Update). We are still unable to process inbound and outbound data for Sterling Direct Connect. Our IT are investigating. There is no ETA.

25 March 2009 CPR Message: Implementation of Revised Lacey Act Provisions The following notice is from Canadian Pacific. This is a reminder that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) will begin phased enforcement of the Lacey Act declaration…

25 March 2009 CBSA Message: Sterling Direct Connect Update (2) The following message is from CBSA (EDI09-024 Update). We are now able to process inbound and outbound messages for clients that use Sterling Direct Connect.

25 March 2009 Fish/seafood export certification requirements: Kazakhstan, Tunisia Members are advised that the fish and seafood export certification requirements for the following have been added to the CFIA website: Republic of Kazakhstan: http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/fssa/fispoi/export…

25 March 2009 BC Region Executive Meeting Minutes Members are advised that the minutes of the BC region executive meeting that took place on 5 March 2009 are now available on the CSCB member site under Regions > British Columbia Region. Please note, login is required.

25 March 2009 Update to CFIA AIRS website a) Chapter 04 was published to change the release recommendation from "Refer to CFIA-ISC" to "Approved" for the following HS Codes for China, Hong Kong, Sri Lanka, Macao, Malaysia and Taiwan. This created a requirement version change for all other countries…

25 March 2009 Global fix will take years, Dodge cautions The following is excerpted from the 25 March 2009 edition of “globeandmail.com”. It will take years and a fundamental reordering of international trade and consumption patterns to fix the flaws that prompted the worldwide financial meltdown…

25 March 2009 Ontario to forge ahead with sales tax reform This article is excerpted from the 24 March 2009 edition of “globeandmail.com”. The Ontario government will announce in tomorrow's budget that it will sign a tentative accord with Ottawa to harmonize the province's 8 per cent provincial…

25 March 2009 Enhanced drivers' licences bring privacy worries The following article is excerpted from the 25 March 2009 edition of the “Toronto Star”. Civil liberties groups concerned about privacy want a moratorium on enhanced drivers' licences until the federal government debates their merit…

25 March 2009 Business Barometer: Results of March 2009 Survey on SME Business Expectations The following report was produced by Ted Mallett, VP Research & Chief Economist, Canadian Federation of Independent Business. After having to deal with significant levels of economic uncertainty through the…

25 March 2009 GST/HST Administration Checklist, A self-assessment tool The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) has issued a GST/HST Administration Checklist, A self-assessment tool for the management of GST/HST Administration. This self-assessment tool has been prepared for managers and staff responsible…

25 March 2009 [US] DOT seeks new cross-border program The following is excerpted from the 24 March 2009 edition of “The Journal of Commerce”. Transportation Secretary Raymond LaHood, looking to quiet a furor over a cross-border trucking program that threatens to grow into a full trade war, said…