Getting Started with Online Services & Databases

The Library’s series of guides, Starting a Business, follows the City of Toronto’s 9-step guide, How to Start a Business:

Step 1: Conduct Market Research
Step 2: Prepare a Business Plan
Step 3: Create a Marketing Plan
Step 4: Choose a Business Structure
Step 5: Register Your Business
Step 6: Secure Your Financing
Step 7: Choose Your Business Location
Step 8: Apply for a Business License
Step 9: Determine Tax Requirements
Other Considerations

Table of Contents

If You Have Employees
Import & Export
Health Inspections & Regulations
Intellectual Property Rights
Ontario Accessibility Laws
Privacy Protection
Insurance

If You Have Employees

According to this subsection of the City of Toronto’s guide, How to Start a Business:

If you have employees, you are required to comply with all employment regulations including the Employment Standards Act, the Occupational Health and Safety Act and the Pay Equity Act (for over ten employees).

The subsection also refers business owners to the Employee Health Tax, Ontario Health Premium and the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board.

Employment Standards Act
Occupational Health and Safety Act
Pay Equity Act
Employer Health Tax
Ontario Health Premium
Workplace Safety and Insurance Board

Websites

• Business Regulations, Licences & Permits (City of Toronto)
• Workplace rules and regulations (Gov. of Ontario)

Employment Standards Act

Books (and eBooks)

• Labor laws and legislation—Ontario

See also (call number, title):

• 344.71301 CON. Consolidated Ontario employment and labour statutes and regulations

Websites

Law and regulations

• Employment Standards Act, 2000, S.O. 2000, c. 41 (Gov. of Ontario > e-Laws)

Guide

• Your guide to the Employment Standards Act (Gov. of Ontario)

“This guide describes the rules about minimum wage, hours of work limits, termination of employment, public holidays, pregnancy and paren'tal leave, severance pay, vacation and more.”

See also:

• Employment and Work (Steps to Justice). For employees.
• Employment Law: Ontario (Legal Line)

Occupational Health and Safety Act

Books (and eBooks)

• Industrial hygiene—Law and legislation—Ontario
• Industrial safety—Law and legislation—Ontario

See also (call number, title):

• 344.71304 POC. Pocket Ontario OH&S Act & regulations [annual]
• 344.71304 ROB. Ontario Occupational Health and Safety Act: quick reference [annual]

Websites

Law and regulations

• Occupational Health and Safety Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. O.1 (Gov. of Ontario > e-Laws)

Guides

• Guide to the Occupational Health and Safety Act (Gov. of Ontario)

“This guide can assist you in understanding how to have a healthy and safe workplace. It explains what every worker, supervisor, employer, constructor and workplace owner needs to know about the Occupational Health and Safety Act […] and answers, in plain language, the questions that are most commonly asked about the Act.”

• Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) (Gov. of Ontario)

“Learn about the Occupational Health and Safety Act and supporting regulations and how they protect workers.”

Associations
For further information “on the OHSA and its requirements,” the above Guide refers users to:

• Health & Safety Ontario
• Workers Health & Safety Centre (Workers Health & Safety Centre) > Employers.

See also:

• Health and safety for small businesses (Gov. of Ontario)
• Health and safety in the workplace (Legal Line)
• Safety at work (Steps to Justice). For employees.
• Workplace health and safety (Gov. of Ontario)

“Find resources to help you improve your workplace’s health and safety and follow Ontario’s occupational health and safety laws.”

Pay Equity Act

Books (and eBooks)

• Pay equity—Law and legislation—Ontario

Website

Law and regulations

• Pay Equity Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. P.7 (Gov. of Ontario > e-Laws)

Employer Health Tax

Website

• Employer Health Tax (EHT) (Gov. of Ontario)

“Find out if you need to pay EHT and how to register for an account, pay instalments and file a return.”

Ontario Health Premium

Website

• Health premium (Gov. of Ontario) > For Employers.

“In most cases the premium is automatically deducted from your pay or pension. […] Employers can use the CRA’s payroll deductions online calculator and the payroll deductions formulas for computer programs to calculate the correct payroll deduction.”

Workplace Safety and Insurance Board

Books (and eBooks)

• Ontario. Workplace Safety and Insurance Act
• Workers' compensation—Law and legislation—Ontario

See the following title (call number, title):

• 344.71302 KNI. Ontario Workplace Safety and Insurance Act: quick reference

Website

• WSIB Ontario > Businesses > Small business

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Import & Export

Import
Export
Additional websites
Additional guides

Import

Websites

• Importing goods into Canada (Canada Border Services Agency). Pages include:

Importing goods for personal use—Prohibited and restricted weapons, cannabis, animals and food, vehicles, boats, duties and more
Step-by-step guide to importing [=Importing commercial goods into Canada]—Preparing to import, classifying your goods, determining duties and taxes, shipping, examining, reporting, getting your goods released
Commercial importing reporting requirements—Regulatory requirements, D-Memoranda, customs notices, forms, resources

• Importing commercial goods into Canada [=Step-by-step guide to importing] (Canada Border Services Agency). The steps are:

1. Preparing to import
2. Classifying your goods
3. Determining duties and taxes
4. Shipping and reporting your goods
5. Getting your goods released
6. After your goods are released

See also:

• Starting an importing business—8 tips for dealing with foreign suppliers (BDC)

Export

Websites

• Export from Canada (Gov. of Canada). Headings on this page link to:

Advice programs for exporters; and, filtered differently, Export financing programs > Business Benefits Finder (Gov. of Canada)
Business loans and financing solutions > BDC Business loans
Get support from business consultants > BDC Advisory services 
Managing risk abroad > EDC (Export Development Canada) > Our solutions
Selling to foreign governments > Canadian Commercial Corporation > For Canadian Businesses
Support for exporters > Trade Commissioner Service 

• Exporting commercial goods (Canada Border Services Agency). Pages include:

Exporters' guide to reporting—How to ex-port commercial goods from Canada and submit export declarations to the CBSA.
Goods that may require export permits—List of goods that may need export permits, certificates or licences from other government departments.

See also:

• About exporting (EDC). Page organized by steps:

Am I ready to export?
Build an export plan
Identify target markets
Finding customers
Entering target markets
Identify finance requirements
Managing risk
Sustaining growth

• Export and import controls (Global Affairs Canada). “Find information about exports and imports of controlled products.”
• Trade Commissioner Service. Pages include:

Get help exporting—Apply for funding, join a trade mission or event, and learn how to export.
Know your markets—Research your next market and learn about our trade agreements, tariffs and sanctions.

Additional websites

The Import & Export subsection of the City of Toronto’s guide, How to Start a Business, provides links to information on a number of topics:

Importer/Exporter Number: Business Registration Online – What you can do (Gov. of Canada)
Export and Import Controls: Export and import controls (Global Affairs Canada)
Duties, Tariffs, Quotas and Restrictions: Canadian customs tariff (Canada Border Services Agency)
Intelligence and Advice on Foreign Markets: Trade Commissioner Service 
National Import Service Centre (Canadian Food Inspection Agency)
Customs and E-Business – Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) System: Overview of applications (Canada Border Services Agency)
Export Development Canada 
New Substances Program (Gov. of Canada)

Additional guides

• Export (BDC) > Filter by topic. Topics:

Choosing a market
Entering a market
Exporting 101
Exporting online
Financing

• Exporting to the United States (FedDev Ontario, Small Business Services)
• Exporting to world markets (FedDev Ontario, Small Business Services)
• Importing & Exporting, in Entrepreneurship (Toronto Metropolitan University Libraries)
• Importing guide (FedDev Ontario, Small Business Services)
• Learn how to sell outside of Canada (Gov. of Ontario)

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Health Inspections & Regulations

This subsection of the City of Toronto’s guide, How to Start a Business, refers entrepreneurs to Toronto Public Health:

• Health & Wellness (City of Toronto)

See also:

• Health and safety for small businesses (Gov. of Ontario)
• Health Information for Businesses (City of Toronto)

Books (and eBooks)

• Industrial hygiene—Law and legislation—Canada
• Industrial hygiene—Law and legislation—Ontario
• Industrial safety—Law and legislation—Canada
• Industrial safety—Law and legislation—Ontario

See also these titles (call number, title):

• 344.047 C. Canadian employment safety and health guide
• 344.71304 POC. Pocket Ontario OH&S Act & regulations
• 344.71304 ROB. Ontario Occupational Health and Safety Act: quick reference

Websites

• Occupational health and safety inspections and investigations (Gov. of Ontario)

“What to expect when a health and safety inspector from the Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development visits your work-place, their powers and what to do if you disagree with their decision.”

See also:

• Guide to the Occupational Health and Safety Act (ontario.ca)
• Occupational Health and Safety Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. O.1 (Gov. of Ontario.ca > e-Laws)
• Ontario’s occupational health and safety system (Gov. of Ontario)
  “Learn about the organizations and commit-tees that work to keep Ontario workers safe.”
• Workplace compliance initiatives (Gov. of Ontario)
  “Get the schedules for proactive health and safety and employment standards inspections.”

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Intellectual Property Rights

This subsection of the City of Toronto’s guide, How to Start a Business, refers entrepreneurs to:

• Canadian Intellectual Property Office (Gov. of Canada). Pages include:

IP rights and services
Copyright
Industrial designs
Integrated circuit topographies
Intellectual property databases
Patents
Services for patent and trademark agents
Trademarks

Education, tools, and resources
IP resources and financing
Learn about copyright
Learn about industrial designs
Learn about other types of IP
Learn about patents
Learn about trademarks
Manage and commercialize your IP
Stop IP infringement
Your IP abroad

Books (and eBooks)

• Intellectual property—Canada

See also:

• Copyright—Canada
• Industrial design
• Patent laws and legislation—Canada
• Trademarks—Law and legislation—Canada

Websites

• IP agreements; Intellectual property (IP) [scroll down]; and IP strategy (MaRS Startup Toolkit)

University and college

• Intellectual Property Resources (University of Toronto Libraries)
• Intellectual Property, in Entrepreneurship and Innovation (Queen's University Library)
• Laws & Regulations > Intellectual Property, in Entrepreneurship (Brock University. Library)
• Legal Considerations > Intellectual Property, in Entrepreneurship – Starting Your Own Business (U of Western Ontario. Libraries)
• Patent Searching, in Entrepreneurship (Toronto Metropolitan University Libraries)
• Patents (U of Waterloo. Library)

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Ontario Accessibility Laws

This subsection of the City of Toronto’s guide, How to Start a Business, refers entrepreneurs to:

• About accessibility laws (Gov. of Ontario)

See also:

• Accessibility in Ontario: information for businesses (Gov. of Ontario). Guides and resources include:

Accessibility is Good for Business
Accessible Workplaces
EnAbling Change for Retailers: Make your Store Accessible
Factsheet: Hiring People with Disabilities
How to make customer service accessible
How to train your staff on accessibility
Tips to stay accessible for customers

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Privacy Protection

This subsection of the City of Toronto’s guide, How to Start a Business, refers entrepreneurs to:

• The Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) (Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada). Pages include:

PIPEDA in brief
Fair information principles
Legislation and related regulations
Which privacy law applies?
Investigations of businesses

The subsection also refers entrepreneurs to the following federal and provincial legislation:

• Canada's anti-spam legislation (Gov. of Canada)
• Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (Gov. of Ontario > e-Laws)
• Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (Gov. of Ontario > e-Laws)
• Personal Health Information Protection Act (Gov. of Ontario > e-Laws)
• The Privacy Act (Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada)

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Insurance

Websites

• Business insurance (Financial Consumer Agency of Canada)
• Consider business insurance (Gov. of Ontario)

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