Businesses in North Shore communities that want to learn about returning to PST are invited to take part in seminars being held in partnership with local chambers of commerce.

Finance Minister Michael de Jong is inviting Fraser Valley residents to participate in a regional telephone town hall on balancing the 2013-14 provincial budget and supporting affordability for B.C. families.

Businesses looking for help with the transition back to the PST can sign up for one-hour webinars covering the general principles of the PST, registration and the new online services option, eTaxBC.

Businesses in interior communities that want to learn about returning to PST are invited to take part in seminars being held in partnership with local chambers of commerce. These seminars will cover the general principles of the PST and the new eTaxBC online business registration service.

Updated projections from the private sector economic experts who advise the B.C. government show the provincial economy is expected to continue to grow modestly this year and next year.

The B.C. government has released a draft consolidation of the provincial sales tax statute that would take effect April 1, 2013, subject to approval of the legislature, to help British Columbians and B.C. businesses with the re-implementation of the provincial sales tax.

More than half of all unionized public sector workers have new contracts under the 2012 Cooperative Gains Mandate in time for the holiday season, and more than one-quarter of collective agreements up for negotiation have tentative or ratified settlements in place.

A tentative agreement has been reached between UBC and its Association of Administrative and Professional Staff under the 2012 mandate.

Two tentative agreements have been reached between the BC Oil and Gas Commission and the BCGEU, and BC Hydro and the IBEW Local 258 under the 2012 Mandate.