Changes to Employment Insurance (EI) Waiting Period Begin January 1, 2017

Alarm Clock and Calendar

UPDATE: Changes to Employment Insurance (EI) Waiting Period Begin January 1, 2017 The 2016 Federal Budget introduced significant changes to Employment Insurance eligibility and benefits in response to fluctuating unemployment rates. Most notably, the waiting period for EI benefits, including sickness benefits, has changed from 2-weeks (14 days) to 1-week (7 days). The benefit payment […]

3 reasons why 2017 won’t be typical for life insurance.

standing at a cross-roads

New taxation rules slow down life insurance product introductions in 2017. As the end of the year arrives and, with it, the new taxation rules for life insurance, we are starting to receive information on the new life insurance products. The reasons for the carriers’ slow introduction of new products: #1. New life insurance tax […]

UPDATE: BC MSP Premium Changes Arriving in 2017

graphic of different kinds of families

With a bold headline, Strong economy pays dividends, the BC Provincial Government announced on September 15, 2016, that it would be scrapping the proposed 4% BC MSP premium rate increase that it had announced earlier this year. “B.C.’s strong economic growth and better-than-forecast revenues” are Finance Minister Mike de Jong’s reasons for the government’s decision […]

Funding Capital Gains Tax with Life Insurance?

Take advantage of current and favourable CRA rules to fund capital gains tax liabilities. It has been a long time since major changes were made to life insurance legislation in Canada that negatively impact your ability to fund capital gains tax. That’s all about to change with the introduction of new exempt test rules for life insurance […]