Calgary Openings, Closings, and Developments

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

To the first bold, you are making (repeating) a claim that no one has presented any evidence to support - again, people are being accused of prejudice here, simply because some of you don't see, or won't recognize, the claims they are making about costs. Go ahead and back up the claim that they 'don't like Quebec', if you think you can.

To the second bold, you are claiming that (Locke and) I haven't explained why it doesn't make sense to deal in Quebec. But I literally did. I said the regulators have made it onerous. Would you like me to paste all of the regulatory requirements that my business would face to deal with Quebec? (because I am not going to).

I didn't simply decide not to operate in Quebec, I WAS operating in Quebec, and walked away from it, because it simply wasn't worth it, as it has gotten increasingly onerous in the last few years. You can choose to accept that or not, I really don't care. But my point is not lessened, simply because I didn't post a massive wall of text explaining what exactly all those regulations are.

As to the condescension, it wasn't started by me, I was simply responding in kind. It really pisses me off when people casually call other people racist, as a matter of course, simply because they don't understand, or don't care to understand where those people are coming from - iggy called people racist, and then became condescending when challenged on it.

Anyway, this is the last I'll post on this conversation.

For me its real simple. Quebec is the only Province in Canada that has their own Revenue Agency, which means they require an additional Tax Return.

1. Despite being fluent in French, dealing with Revenu Quebec...I've done it a couple of times and in those instances I learned how to tie a noose with own shoelaces.

2. To file electronically I have to get a separate registration with QRA, you can imagine how much fun that is.

3. I'd have to lay out a significant amount of money on additional software for electronic filing that I just do not have the volume of Quebec clients to support the cost.

I'd sooner start doing US taxes, at least the client volume would support that cost, but registering with the IRS is not something I look at with any sort of glee.

And we think our Tax System is brutal? Its a cuddly little kitty-cat compared to QRA and the IRS.

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by Locke

For me its real simple. Quebec is the only Province in Canada that has their own Revenue Agency, which means they require an additional Tax Return.

1. Despite being fluent in French, dealing with Revenu Quebec...I've done it a couple of times and in those instances I learned how to tie a noose with own shoelaces.

2. To file electronically I have to get a separate registration with QRA, you can imagine how much fun that is.

3. I'd have to lay out a significant amount of money on additional software for electronic filing that I just do not have the volume of Quebec clients to support the cost.

I'd sooner start doing US taxes, at least the client volume would support that cost, but registering with the IRS is not something I look at with any sort of glee.

And we think our Tax System is brutal? Its a cuddly little kitty-cat compared to QRA and the IRS.

Just wait until we are all filing Alberta and Federal taxes.

[timun]

Originally Posted by Locke

For me its real simple. Quebec is the only Province in Canada that has their own Revenue Agency, which means they require an additional Tax Return.

Eeeyyyyyy, look at me calling it:

Originally Posted by timun

Locke at least I can kind of extrapolate why he'd not bother doing taxes for people in Quebec, because there is the added complication of dealing with Revenu Quebec separately from CRA

[timun]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

Just wait until we are all filing Alberta and Federal taxes.

Yeah somehow this hasn't occurred to our provincial government, even though there's a Minister of "Red Tape Reduction"...

Anyway, we're way way off topic.

[Bigtime]

I believe they've had a smaller pop up shop in the city but Sweet Rice Donuts is opening up a permanent larger space on 12th Street NE next to Zero Issue Brewing:

https://www.instagram.com/sweetriceyyc/?hl=en

[blankall]

Originally Posted by timun

With respect to iggy_oi's remark that "It’s usually just used as a talking point by people who don’t like Quebec," the operative "it" in question is the baseless idea that bilingual packaging requirements are a "subsidy to Quebec" and something that materially increases the costs of doing business in Canada in general. In reality, as I pointed out earlier, we have other national standards that have to be met, so packaging for consumer products is (usually) unique for the Canadian market anyway. And, in point of fact, many if not most manufacturers would end up spending more money on unilingual packaging because they'd need separate sets of Canadian English and French packaging anyway.

All I said was "the idea of ditching bilingual packaging 'to save costs' usually is just used as a talking point by people who don’t like Quebec." (And I'm right!) It seems you've concocted an idea that by extension iggy_oi (/me) was implying you baselessly "don't like Quebec" and are "racist" as such, because your business decided to pull out of the Quebec market for whatever reason. I don't know why you did this, because neither iggy_oi nor I ever implied the sort. You were not in any sort of "cross-fire" with respect to this discussion until you inserted yourself into the discussion to say "businesses aren't prejudiced; it's about costs." Yeah, no ####, but the idea that bilingual packaging totally ruins the profitability of a consumer product is complete and utter nonsense as explained before and above. You dove off into this otherwise tangentially-related point about how "onerous" it is to do business in Quebec in general.


That said, with respect to your assertion that people—you in particular—"explained" to iggy_oi (/me) why they/you pulled their businesses out of Quebec: you did so in the most superficial and inadequate way possible.

Re-read what you wrote: "I didn't simply decide not to operate in Quebec, I WAS operating in Quebec, and walked away from it, because it simply wasn't worth it, as it has gotten increasingly onerous in the last few years." YOU DID "simply decide to not operate in Quebec," precisely because "it simply wasn't worth it"!

If you don't want to "paste all of the regulatory requirements that your business would face to deal with Quebec": fine. But don't be surprised that someone like me comes along, reads your comment, and says you need to provide something more substantial than "it's too onerous" to qualify as an "explanation". I have no ####ing clue what it is you even do for a living. Do you sell widgets? Do you offer professional services? (Like Locke?) Locke at least I can kind of extrapolate why he'd not bother doing taxes for people in Quebec, because there is the added complication of dealing with Revenu Quebec separately from CRA and frankly if Locke doesn't speak French it's kind of pointless and stupid for him to even attempt to woo a predominantly French-speaking clientele with tax docs in French. And if he would require a membership in the provincial professional accountants' association—which undoubtedly requires knowledge of French as a prerequisite to membership—then I can see that being a practically insurmountable hurdle. I get it: I'm an engineer and I don't have membership with L'ordre des ingénieurs du Québec, even though I do speak French (poorly, at this point). There's no point in me hanging my shingle in Quebec; I wouldn't win any business out there anyway.

But, conversely, the Quebecois engineers I know don't do business out here either, for essentially the very same reason: they'd have to prove proficiency in English to be registered with APEGA in the first place. It's as much an "onerous" hurdle for them as proving French proficiency is for me, and it would be arrogant presumption for me to pretend Alberta's "hurdles" are more justifiable. And they also face a client base that has far too many kooks who froth at the mouth at the very idea of Quebecois people being here, or Quebec-based companies trying to do business here in the first place.

I can't tell if this grammar is so good that I don't get it, or so bad I don't get it. Either way, it was difficult to read.

Anyways, I think you'll find that most business owners would easily put whatever prejudices they have about Quebec aside if it meant making more money.

Quebec not only has it's own language system but it's own legal system. They use the French civil law system. So for a significant business enterprise to fully comply with Quebec's standards they're likely to not only require their own set of translators, but also a set of lawyers fully qualified to practice law in Quebec.

It's most certainly become onerous to do business in Quebec.

[Shazam]

* its.

Also is Calgary opening their own Quebec? Sounds good.

[Gravitykillr]

Originally Posted by Bigtime

I believe they've had a smaller pop up shop in the city but Sweet Rice Donuts is opening up a permanent larger space on 12th Street NE next to Zero Issue Brewing:

https://www.instagram.com/sweetriceyyc/?hl=en

They had a deal with Nordstrom's before they closed down.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

Just wait until we are all filing Alberta and Federal taxes.

No way man...I'm all in on the grift.

If Alberta gets its own Revenue Agency? I'm going to run it.

[Shazam]

Originally Posted by Bigtime

I believe they've had a smaller pop up shop in the city but Sweet Rice Donuts is opening up a permanent larger space on 12th Street NE next to Zero Issue Brewing:

https://www.instagram.com/sweetriceyyc/?hl=en

Sir, this is the Quebec laws thread.

[Bigtime]

Originally Posted by Shazam

Sir, this is the Quebec laws thread.

I had to try and derail the thread. Sorry!

[Wormius]

Originally Posted by Bigtime

I believe they've had a smaller pop up shop in the city but Sweet Rice Donuts is opening up a permanent larger space on 12th Street NE next to Zero Issue Brewing:

https://www.instagram.com/sweetriceyyc/?hl=en

Mmm. Mochi donuts are delicious. O just wish they were less pricy. Amaido is like $3. You’re paying $1 per bite.

[blankall]

Originally Posted by Shazam

* its.

Also is Calgary opening their own Quebec? Sounds good.

It's is an abbreviation for it is or it has. I was using it as an abbreviation for it has.

My posts are often riddled with grammar issues, although I do make an effort to make them easily readable in the forum format. Just thought I'd point this out, because I'm bored.

[Shazam]

Originally Posted by blankall

It's is an abbreviation for it is or it has. I was using it as an abbreviation for it has.

My posts are often riddled with grammar issues, although I do make an effort to make them easily readable in the forum format. Just thought I'd point this out, because I'm bored.

"Quebec not only has it has own language system but it has own legal system."

Right...

[flamesfever]

I sure hope the Mayor and City Council don't start blanket upzoning.

Upzoning for the purpose of increasing the density comes with downsides. For example, increased street parking, traffic congestion, lower child safety, increased housing cost, increased water use, less green area, fracturing of communities, increased pollution in adjacent lower areas e.g. Calgary's downtown area.

You just have to take a look at the communities around the Marda Loop area to see what I am talking about.

Although it does make the developers rich.

[lazypucker]

What is the deal with the packaging language law that drives businesses away from offering prodcuts in Canada?

You go to Superstore and walk down the international food aisle. All their products are in their native language with a sticker in English and French. Can't this solve the problem?

[iggy_oi]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

To the first bold, you are making (repeating) a claim that no one has presented any evidence to support - again, people are being accused of prejudice here, simply because some of you don't see, or won't recognize, the claims they are making about costs. Go ahead and back up the claim that they 'don't like Quebec', if you think you can.

To the second bold, you are claiming that (Locke and) I haven't explained why it doesn't make sense to deal in Quebec. But I literally did. I said the regulators have made it onerous. Would you like me to paste all of the regulatory requirements that my business would face to deal with Quebec? (because I am not going to).

I didn't simply decide not to operate in Quebec, I WAS operating in Quebec, and walked away from it, because it simply wasn't worth it, as it has gotten increasingly onerous in the last few years. You can choose to accept that or not, I really don't care. But my point is not lessened, simply because I didn't post a massive wall of text explaining what exactly all those regulations are.

As to the condescension, it wasn't started by me, I was simply responding in kind. It really pisses me off when people casually call other people racist, as a matter of course, simply because they don't understand, or don't care to understand where those people are coming from - iggy called people racist, and then became condescending when challenged on it.

Anyway, this is the last I'll post on this conversation.

You’re really doing a lot of mental gymnastics here. No one said(or at least I didn’t) that there were no reasons why doing business in Quebec can be more expensive/onerous than in other jurisdictions.

My point was that claiming that the bilingual labelling requirements were making it too expensive to do business in Quebec specifically(as the poster I was responding to did) is ridiculous. Which it is because literally the rest of the country has to do it too.

If you want to pretend as though my comment that people who complain about bilingual packaging usually just don’t like Quebec is insinuating that people are being racist without anything to support your baseless accusations then fill your boots. Quebec is a province, not a race and there are a number of other political motives people can have for making those claims beyond not liking French speaking people if that’s what you’re implying I was suggesting.

I think what you really wanted for me to have said was that people who complain about bilingual packaging usually just want to complain about people who speak french, which I clearly did not say and I am happy to clarify that it was not my intention to suggest/insinuate that at all.

Knowing that now, are you going to hold yourself accountable and acknowledge that your accusations of me of calling people racist are completely unfounded?

[iggy_oi]

Originally Posted by flamesfever

I sure hope the Mayor and City Council don't start blanket upzoning.

Upzoning for the purpose of increasing the density comes with downsides. For example, increased street parking, traffic congestion, lower child safety, increased housing cost, increased water use, less green area, fracturing of communities, increased pollution in adjacent lower areas e.g. Calgary's downtown area.

You just have to take a look at the communities around the Marda Loop area to see what I am talking about.

Although it does make the developers rich.

Please clarify how you’ve came to the conclusion that up-zoning reduces child safety

[PepsiFree]

Upzoning makes transit unsafe and is impossible because of Quebec language laws.

[timun]

Originally Posted by blankall

I can't tell if this grammar is so good that I don't get it, or so bad I don't get it.

I choose to believe the former and reject the latter!