I would like to start off by introducing you to the new look of NorthBridge! In an ongoing effort to stay current, we have just finished going though a re-branding process. We have updated our logo, changed our corporate colours and the design of our website, newsletter and business cards. The one thing that remains unchanged is our commitment to you!

NorthBridge has been in the SR&ED consulting industry for over twenty years. In those twenty years, our first priority has been to help our clients achieve their priorities and goals. We have learned that the most important way to help you reach your goals is by building strong relationships and keeping your best interests at heart.

We want you to think of us as your partner in the SR&ED process; a partner who is working with you to help grow your business through achieving the highest possible return on your claim. We want you think of us, not only when it is time to prepare your SR&ED claim. We want to be there to help you from the moment you start thinking about a new business project - because you never know when a business project may become an SR&ED project! We do more than just prepare your claim – we help you in every step of the process, from the initial meeting, to the review with the CRA, to implementing tracking procedures for future claims.

Our new tagline, “You Deserve More,” was chosen because we truly believe that you deserve only the highest quality of service and largest return possible on your claim. It is only through providing high quality service while working with you to receive the highest return possible, that we build a strong and lasting relationship.

Part of this high quality service can be seen in our extensive knowledge of the SR&ED program. We have dedicated years to this program, keeping up-to-date with all changes made by the CRA. We know what qualifies for the program, and if we see anything in your business that is eligible for the program, we will work with you to include it in your claim. We don’t want you missing out on any portion of your potential for SR&ED tax credits – that wouldn’t be living up to our number one priority – helping you to reach your goals.

Help us to grow into a company of full transparency, integrity and trust. We ask you, as our clients, to hold us accountable to our promises so we can be sure we are serving you to our fullest!

Best Regards,

Sol Algranti, President & CEO
NorthBridge Consulting Services

"The Dairytown group of companies (Dairytown, Mrs. Dunsters, R&G Transport) is a leading processor of milk and food products in New Brunswick. We believe in responsible processing of dairy products for our global clients, and are continuously reinvesting in the future to surpass even our demanding standards.

I had the good fortune of meeting a group of NorthBridge Atlantic engineers at a seminar in June of 2009. The experts with NorthBridge quickly scheduled a visit since our deadline for claiming was only weeks away.

The practice of filing research claims cannot be simple but NorthBridge made the process easy and required little time on our part. From start to finish over the two week period we spent a total of 10 hours collecting data, meeting with the engineers and reviewing the reports. We were amazed at the amount of work completed by their team in such a short period of time to file for all three of our companies. All of our claims were accepted by the CRA without any reviews or audits within a 3 month period. Since then they have made several follow-up visits to help us with our tracking of projects and collecting information for the next year's filing.

The overall experience has been enlightening and extremely rewarding, not only monetarily, but professionally as well. We consider NorthBridge a friend which we can always count on to get the job done!

Jim Ryan, Vice President, Finance
Dairytown Limited, Mrs. Dunster's, R&G Transport

Position Account Manager
Years working in industry 30
Educational background Mechanical Engineering University of Toronto and Mechanical Engineering Technology at Seneca College.
Professional Memberships and Designations PEO (PEng), OACETT (CET)
Hobbies/Interests House renovation, boating, skiing.
Biggest non-work-related accomplishment Terry designed & built his family’s own house from start to finish.

Niagara Seminar

NorthBridge will be hosting a breakfast seminar on Thursday September 16th in Grimsby at the Casablanca Winery Inn. Please contact us if you or someone from your firm would like to attend. Seminar availability is limited and will fill quickly, so please RSVP as soon as possible.

CARI Regional Meetings

We will be attending regional meetings for the Canadian Association of Recycling Industries in September. Let us know if you would like one of our consultants to meet with you in the following cities:

• September 13th Vancouver
• September 14th Calgary
• September 15th Winnipeg
• September 16th Halifax

Canadian Greenhouse Conference

NorthBridge will be exhibiting & speaking at the Canadian Greenhouse Conference at Toronto’s International Centre on October 6th and 7th. Please stop by to ask any questions you have about your SR&ED claims.

Vancouver Office

We are pleased to announce that NorthBridge will be opening an office in Vancouver this month for our BC-area clients. Matthew Tse will be heading up the office and can be reached directly by phone (604.562.5209).

Dates to Remember:

September 30th: March 2009 FYE claims due

The typical NorthBridge Newsletter reader is already aware of the overwhelming benefits of the SR&ED program in relation to business cash flow, but there are other sources which should not be over-looked! A critical one for businesses who are importing production materials is Tariff Duty Refunds.

Businesses can apply for a refund of tariff duties under any of the following circumstances:

• Imported goods are damaged, destroyed or suffer deterioration from when first shipped to Canada up to the time that a customs officer releases the items
• The quantity of released goods is less than the quantity for which tariff duties were paid
• Imported goods turn out to be of inferior quality than the declared items on which duties were paid
• No claim for free trade preferential tariff treatment was made when the goods were first accounted for to customs
• A clerical, typographical or similar error was made when duties were first calculated
• The origin, tariff classification or value for duty for the imported goods was incorrectly determined
• Imported goods are disposed of before any other use is made of the goods in Canada.

The CBSA (Canadian Border Services Agency) has requirements for applying for the refunds. The best plan is for importers to physically visit a CBSA office and work together in keeping proper documentation for meeting all of the legal requirements.

Usually, you must apply for a refund within four years of the date on which they first accounted for the imported goods with customs. This, however, changes if the imported goods should have been covered under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) or are from Chile – in this case, the refund claim deadline becomes one year from the date of first accounting. Keep in mind that the CBSA does pay interest paid on the refunds. Interest calculated on a refund starts on the 91st day after the day they receive the refund application and ends on the date a refund is granted.

Feed-In Tariff Program

NorthBridge continues to bring you the latest updates and hot topics that are important to our clients. Some of our August highlights: