Confusion surrounds the federal privacy law that takes effect today, with many small businesses unprepared or unaware of the new rules and Quebec threatening a constitutional challenge.

CICA to be small firms' privacy aide
The Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants is assuming the role of mentor to small business in regard to the country's new privacy laws.

Small business shying away from training
Most Canadian small businesses are still not offering formal training to employees for a variety of reasons, including high costs, un-co-operative workers and the fear that employees will want a raise after it's over, according to a survey released yesterday.

Self-employment blues
Independence has its rewards, but easy credit isn't among them. Here are some tips for couples dealing with the vagaries of working on their own

Innovation gives small businesses competitive edge
Canada's small and medium-sized businesses have been slow to shift processes to the Internet: they typically lack IT skills, don't have much money to invest, and are rightly nervous about making technology choices that could be out of tune with the future. This is a problem, because our economy relies, much more than the United States, on small business.