The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

Snowbirds, beware of tax liabilities in the U.S. Dollars S & Sense nowbirds who spend a signi cant amount of time in the U.S. or own investments, including American real estate, should be aware of your potential U.S. tax liability. The U.S. wants your money and they have incredible powers to make this happen. That was the message when Vinay Khosla spoke to a group of investors in Oakville last week. Khosla is an Oakville resident and a tax partner at the accounting rm Bateman MacKay with of ces in Burlington and Mississauga. He has many years of advising Canadians on cross-border tax issues. Change in enforcement of rules There have always been fairly strict rules governing the U.S. government's ability to tax Canadians. Now, there is a change in how those rules are enforced. The Canada/U.S. Border Entry/ Exit Initiative (established June 30, 2014) effectively means "big brother" is watching. Canadians' entry to and exit from the U.S. is monitored. When you have your passport scanned, that information is collected so the American government knows exactly how long you have been in their country. Partial days count as one day, so that three-hour shopping trip to Buffalo counts as one full day. De ning a `Substantial Presence' One test of having a "Substantial Presence" in the U.S. is the number of days a year you are visiting. If you are more than 183 days in one year you are deemed to be there long enough to potentially be required to pay U.S. income taxes. It can be a little more complicated. There is a formula that covers three-year periods so the previous two years of days in the U.S. are included in this year's total number of days. Khosla said you can be in the U.S. up to 120 days a year on an ongoing basis to be onside with the substantial presence calculation. If you have a "substantial presence" based on the formula, you have until June 15 of the following year to complete and submit a form proving you have closer connections to Canada. Closer connections to Canada are based on several factors, including the country of your home, Guest Contributor 29 | Thursday, June 11, 2015 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com NOTICE OF PUBLIC INFORMATION CENTRE Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW) and Highway 403 Structures Trafalgar Road to Winston Churchill Boulevard G.W.P. 2163-10-00 THE PROJECT The Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO) is undertaking the Detail Design for rehabilitation or replacement of several structures within the vicinity of the QEW and Highway 403, QEW and Ford Drive and Highway 403 and Dundas Street. The following structures will be rehabilitated: · Dundas Street underpasses; Upper Middle Road underpass · QEW-Ford Drive east-to-north/south off-ramp underpass, at Highway 403 · Highway 403-QEW, east-to-west ramp overpass, at Upper Middle Road · Highway 403-QEW, east-to-west ramp overpass, at Ford Drive · Joshua's Creek culvert; including an extension to the west · Ford Drive north-to-west on-ramp, over Joshua's Creek · Ford Drive west-to-north/south off-ramp, over Joshua's Creek The following structures will be replaced: · QEW eastbound and westbound overpasses, at the Highway 403 ramp, on a new alignment · QEW westbound and eastbound overpasses at Ford Drive The project also includes pavement rehabilitation of the QEW lanes and ramps within the project limits from Trafalgar Road to Winston Churchill Boulevard, and other improvements such as illumination, retaining/concrete barrier wall, pavement rehabilitation, overhead signs, and drainage improvements. The work will be undertaken in two construction contracts. THE PROCESS The project is being carried out in accordance with the Class Environmental Assessment (EA) for Provincial Transportation Facilities (2000) as a `Group B' undertaking. The MTO completed a Preliminary Design Study for the proposed improvements as part of a larger study that included the future expansion of the QEW and Highway 403. The study was documented in a TESR that received environmental clearance in the Fall of 2013. Upon completion of the Detail Design study, a Design and Construction Report (DCR) will be completed for each contract and made available for a 30 day public review period. Notices will be published at that time to explain the process and identify the locations where the DCR is available for review. PUBLIC INFORMATION CENTRE The Public Information Centre (PIC) has been scheduled to provide an opportunity for interested parties to review and comment on the proposed improvements and the construction staging/traffic management requirements. The PIC will be held as a drop-in style, open house format, to allow members of the public to review display materials and discuss the project directly with members of the Project Team. The PIC will be held on: Date: Wednesday, June 24, 2015 Location: Hilton Garden Inn, 2774 South Sheridan Way, Oakville, Ontario Time: 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. COMMENTS Comments and information regarding this project are being collected to assist the MTO in meeting the requirements of the Environmental Assessment Act. This material will be maintained on file for use during the project and may be included in project documentation. Information collected will be used in accordance with the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. With the exception of personal information, all comments will become part of the public record. If you wish to comment on this project, have your name added to the project mailing list or have any questions about this project, please contact one of the individuals identified below: Dave Emery, P.Eng. Consultant Project Director Stantec Consulting Ltd. 200-835 Paramount Drive Stoney Creek, ON L8J 0B4 tel: 905-385-3234 (+0 to call collect) fax: 905-385-3534 e-mail: dave.emery@stantec.com Moin Khan, P.Eng. Senior Project Engineer Ministry of Transportation 1201 Wilson Avenue Building D, 4th Floor Downsview, ON M3M 1J8 tel: 416-235-5271 fax: 416-235-3576 e-mail: moin.khan@ontario.ca Donna Madden, CPT Senior Environmental Planner Stantec Consulting Ltd. 200-835 Paramount Drive Stoney Creek, ON L8J 0B4 tel: 905-381-3217 (+0 to call collect) fax: 905-385-3534 e-mail: donna.madden@stantec.com Peter Watson where your family lives and club memberships. Estate taxes Many high-net-worth Canadians own property and other assets in the U.S. that can prove costly to their estate. If your worldwide estate is above the current U.S. Estate Tax Exemption of $5.43-million (U.S.) then you may be liable for estate taxes. U.S. estate tax is 40 per cent of what is referred to as U.S. situs property. Common forms of U.S. situs property are American real estate and company stocks. Do not get U.S. estate tax confused with the Canadian tax laws, which tax an estate on the capital gain of an asset. For example, if you own a U.S. property with a value of $1 million and your estate was subject to U.S. estate tax, the tax on that property would be $400,000. If you also own Microsoft shares through your Canadian investsee Consult on p.30 CONCRETE EXPOSED AGGREGATE (Pebble) · DRIVEWAYS · STEPS · FRENCH CURBS · WALKWAYS · PATIOS · GARAGE FLOORS If you have any accessibility requirements in order to participate in this project, please contact one of the Project Team members listed above. Version française disponible en composant le 905 381-3224 (Tim). uality At Its Best! Call Fernando 905-844-5518 1-888-944-5518 www.concretetrimmings.com FREE ESTIMATES