Renee Sylvestre-Williams

3 weeks ago | thewalrus.ca | Renee Sylvestre-Williams

This election, the biggest issue for many voters is how the government will tackle affordability. Expectations are high for immediate and tangible relief to Canadians’ wallets. The parties know this. Both Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre and Prime Minister Mark Carney have promised a tax cut to the lowest income bracket.

1 month ago | thespec.com | Renee Sylvestre-Williams

Tax season is here. You’ve been collecting your T4 employee tax slip, your registered retirement savings plan statement and getting ready to file. Tax season isn’t just about gathering receipts and crossing your fingers for a refund, it’s a financial check-in for everyone from businesses, singles, married couples and common-law couples.

2 months ago | thespec.com | Renee Sylvestre-Williams

Danica Nelson hit burnout from her first job as a marketer at a major telecom in 2019, and knew she had to take some time off. She was able to negotiate an unpaid, six-month leave — a “micro-retirement” — with her company. “I planned what I call my liberty leave, or career break. I called it the liberty leave because it had a double meaning,” Nelson says. “I was living in Liberty Village at the time, so I was leaving Liberty Village to make it happen, and I needed a break badly.

2 months ago | thewalrus.ca | Renee Sylvestre-Williams

I recently looked up the difference between “Made in Canada” and “Product of Canada.” According to the Competition Bureau, a product of Canada requires it to be 98 percent Canadian, while one made in Canada has a threshold of only 51 percent. So in the latter case, it could be an American company with a Canadian presence making the product. Now that shopping has become a scavenger hunt, that distinction, once eye-rollingly dull, is suddenly urgent.

Jan 20, 2025 | pentictonherald.ca | Renee Sylvestre-Williams

Putting on a show involves plenty of logistics, and it’s even more challenging without funding. When representatives from the Northern Indigenous Artist Alliance (NIAA) received $12,000 from the Ontario Arts Council’s Indigenous Projects grant, they knew it was possible. They could host Zikwaadan // Spit on It!, an online event featuring Indigenous clowns from across Northern Ontario. Even better, they could pay the artists. The show will be live on YouTube on Jan. 26, starting at 6:30 p.m. ET.