Month: July 2017

maWebCenters Websites Now Come With Full Site Encryption

Security is a very important component when you have digital assets on the Internet – and that includes your website.

You definitely do not want your website visitors to be exposed to cyber eave-dropping or worst still, even identity theft, cyber attacks and those bad things happening.

If this is so, why then are all website encrypted? Simple, because they cost money and while there are ‘free’ solutions, not all business owners are tech savvy enough to understand and implement them as there are many steps involved and can easily overwhelm even inexperience IT professional in this field.

In fact, from 2017, Search Engines (Google, Bing, Yahoo etc.) insist that website must implement site encryption in order for website to be included in search results. This is to protect the general public and also to hold the search results to higher standard of safety and integrity.

What is the point of having a website but not being able to have it found by people searching for your products and services? That will be a total waste of resources, wouldn’t it. It’s like you do not have a web presence in any meaningful way.

GREAT NEWS! Our maWebCenters websites now come with Full Site Encryption- without additional cost of our website customers.

For details, see  :   maWebCenters Blog

Updated Canada Food Guide coming in 2018

Think you are eating healthy these days?

Health Canada certainly would love for you to be!

As new information is available, there need to be adjustments made to the established guideline for the population. Think about it, just to name a few, there are issues of these changes :

  • nature of how food is grown
  • how food is processed and packaged for transportation and storage
  • marketing trend
  • changing population demography – age, sex, race or country of origin

Towards this objective of making Canadian updated, lots of effort have been put into this effort.

Some draft “guiding principles” have been posted by Health Canada in June 2017. These broad-based guidelines will serve as baseline for more specific advice in the final document.

So far, the recommendations cover :

  • The regular intake of vegetables, fruit, whole grains and protein-rich foods, especially plant-based sources of protein
  • Eating foods that include mostly unsaturated fat instead of saturated fat
  • Eating more plant-based foods
  • Limiting the intake of processed and prepared foods
  • Avoiding processed beverages that are high in sugar (soft drinks, fruit drinks, etc.)
  • Sharing meals with family and friends
  • Planning and preparing healthy meals and snacks
Public Consultation

What do you think are important to be included in the guideline?

Health Canada will love to have your feedback at their website – until August 14, 2107

 

 

 

 

 

Canadian Consumers, Retailers And NAFTA Negotiation

There have been lots of talks (threats?) from President Donald Trump to tear up NAFTA in his zeal to put “America First”. This has resulted in lots of nervous moments for the Canadian government and citizens.

After all, it will affect the economy and in turn, their livelihood.

As of yesterday ( July 17, 2017), President Trump finally released the NAFTA Objectives 2017. ( see  https://ustr.gov/sites/default/files/files/Press/Releases/NAFTAObjectives.pdf )

There was immediately a wave of release, as the ‘demands’ seems more palatable then before the official documents was published. Of course, there will be some hard bargains but not the ‘winner takes all’ that was fearfully envisioned.

There will nevertheless be lots of coverage in the press in the upcoming weeks and months as negotiation progress.

In this blog post, I will like to focus more on the business impact on retailers in Canada.

There’s already some quarters putting forth scenarios where ‘Canadians should cheer”. ( see  http://globalnews.ca/news/3605878/trump-asked-canada-to-drop-duties-on-internet-imports-under-nafta-canadians-should-cheer-say-experts/

This is taken from the context of USA putting forth the position fro Canada to raise the value of goods that Canadians can buy online without paying import duties and taxes to US $800 (C$1,011) as against the current C$20.

It has been said that Canada has the strictest allowance according to world standard, even if the raise is not exactly at C$1,011, but to say, C$200, it represents a 10 times increase from the base level of C$20!

Sure, if you are a Canadian consumer, you can now shop more at US online stores.  There’s tons of deals down south and it will mean open shopping season for Canadian online shoppers. Even those who are not accustomed to online shopping will quickly catch on once they see the savings enjoyed through the online shopping adventure.

So, how about retailers operating in Canada?

That’s going to be much tougher scenario.

As our market size in general is smaller and the country physically not smaller than USA, the population density is not there as compared to the States. Now, with the US retailers encroaching into the home turf, many retailers have reason to be wary of what comes before them. Many will have to brace for the onslaught of customers flocking online to the make purchase from US stores which previously would not be a viable option.

The trend points to increased acceptance of online shopping and the use of other related enabling technology partners to bring goods and services to customers.

Hence, Canadian retailers have better start developing plans to counter this onslaught of US retailers taking over market share which previously were not accessible to them. For traditional businesses and especially off-line ones, it will auger well for them to find way to modernize and implement e-commerce where feasible. Who knows, they may find a niche and flourish.

Let’s see Canadian businesses meet these challenges head on and succeed.

Are you prepared for Bank Of Canada Interest Rate Increase?

For the last week or so, one of the hottest item in the finance section of Canadian news has to be this: Anticipation of Bank Of Canada announcing officially that the era of low interest rate is over!

Headlines read, for example :

Be prepared for Bank of Canada to raise interest rates

GDP is rising and the bank seems to feel it will continue to do so, despite weak oil prices and trade
uncertainty with the U.S.  – Toronto Star

Interest rates are about to go up in Canada — no, for real this time

Bank of Canada may hike interest rate for 1st time in 7 years next week  –   CBC

 

It has been 7 years that the interest rate in Canada has been kept low. This has somewhat become the ‘new normal’ for many household.

Spending habits, risk tolerance have been mentally adjusted for the low interest rate to stay. Just look at the increase in debt load of the average Canadian will show that this mentality has settled in.

So, the more important and pressing issue is this – what happens when the Interest rate is raised.

The news networks have also touch on this issues:

House prices and debt loads a growing concern, Bank of Canada says

CBC News

 

For you and me, who now has to shoulder the reality of higher interest rate, it means less money to take home and more to the bank. This amount can be considerable.

What if you can find a way to pay down debts faster? The faster you pay down means paying less to banks and borrowing institutions and more money in your pocket.

However, most of us feel the pinch of not being able to maintain the current standard of spending(living?). We want to keep the status quo for our lifestyle. For some, it is already cut to the bare bones just to survive. For some, job security can even be an continuous issue to content with.

What if you can pay down your debts faster – by doing what the banks do and not what the banks tell you to do? Yes, by turning the game on the banks.

Do you know that there are algorithms for strategic payment (amount and timing) that can work to your advantage without changing your current lifestyle?

Actually there is a system that can do that – and even more.

If you will like to learn about this system, just fill your contact information and we can get in touch with you to run through the numbers and see if this system works for you.

 

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