Step 11: Investigate Additional Business Registrations and Requirements
Last updated on December 9, 2024
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Before you start your small business, you might have to think about some additional registrations or requirements, such as:
A. The Employment Standards Act and Employment Standards Regulation
- You should be familiar with this information if you are planning on hiring employees.
- These rules apply to most workplaces in British Columbia
- They cover important issues such as required wage rates, vacations and overtime rules.
For more information, contact the Employment Standards Branch at: Employment standards - Province of British Columbia (gov.bc.ca)
B. SkilledTradesBC
SkilledTradesBC is the crown corporation that advances British Columbia’s skilled trades training system. They are building the most diverse and sustainable workforce in Canada by supporting equitable access to skilled trades and helping British Columbians unlock their potential – creating a world-class workforce, one career at a time.
Together with employers and industry partners, they:
- Raise the profile of skilled trades in B.C.
- Uphold the highest standards for training,
- Issue credentials,
- Support apprentices on their pathway to certification,
- Fund programs,
- Lead the implementation of Skilled Trades Certification .
If you are planning to hire an apprentice, both you and your apprentice need to register with SkilledTradesBC and sign up for the customer Portal. Learn more about how to sponsor an apprentice.
Contact information:
Call toll free: 1-866-660-6011 (in B.C.)
C. Taxes
If your business is either a sole proprietorship or general partnership, you must report your share of gross and net profits (or losses) on your individual tax return (T1). If your business is an incorporated company, you must file a corporation tax return (T2) within six months after the end of the corporation’s financial year.
D. Patents, copyrights, and trademarks
Intellectual property refers to creations of the mind and it can include inventions, symbols, logos, pictures, designs, literary and artistic works and many other representations. IP rights, such as patents, trademarks, copyright and industrial design, constitute the legal protection for your IP. The Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) is a special operating agency of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada. CIPO delivers IP services in Canada and offers many resources for business owners on how to use IP as a business asset.
Contact information for the Canadian Intellectual Property Office is:
E. Pay Transparency Laws
Employers must also be aware of Pay Transparency Laws in B.C. These new rules mean that:
- Employers can no longer ask job applicants about what they have been paid at positions with other employers.
- As of November 1, 2023, employers must include the expected pay or the expected pay range for a specific job opportunity that they advertise publicly.
- Employers cannot dismiss, suspend, demote, discipline or harass an employee who:
- Asks their employer about their pay.
- Reveals their pay to another employee or someone applying to work with their employer.
- Asks the employer about its pay transparency report.
- Gives information to the Director of Pay Transparency about their employer.
Employers with a business above a certain size will be required to complete and post pay transparency reports. This will be implemented in stages:
- November 1, 2024: all employers with 1,000 employees or more
- November 1, 2025: all employers with 300 employees or more
- November 1, 2026: all employers with 50 employees or more
For more information on these laws, check out- Pay transparency laws in B.C. - Province of British Columbia (gov.bc.ca)
Email: PayTransparency@gov.bc.ca
Partnership - A partnership company is operated by two or more parties.
Sole proprietorship - A sole proprietorship is a business with only one owner.