New Tax Changes for Caregivers: Alberta Budget

Alberta Finance Minister Nater Horner delivered his second consecutive deficit budget on February 26. The deficit is large at $9.4 billion, which the government attributes largely to declining oil revenues. The document is called Fiscal Plan 2026-2029 meaning that this is a three-year fiscal pan, rather than the typical one-year projection.

Introducing the Business Builder Summit. . .we are excited to launch a new continuing education and professional development program of special interest to independent financial advisors and tax accountants, as well as up-and-coming entrepreneurial team leaders who are striving to build a high-growth financial services practice, but may be struggling to scale it cost effectively. 

Seniors don’t take kindly to the clawback of their OAS (Old Age Security) especially in these inflationary times, but this can happen, especially if there was an unusual receipt of income during the past calendar year.  Here’s what you need to know to explain the consequences for 2025 and 2026:

T4 and T5 slips must be issued by the last day of February, which this year falls on a Saturday. Therefore the deadline is March 2, 2026. Failing to do so attracts penalties for issuers.  However, there is another important aspect of this common compliance issue: the CRA My Account. Are your clients aware of it and checking it regularly for messaging and copies of the Tslips CRA has downloaded? If not, you are in the best position to educate taxpayers on their active use of this important portal to manage their relationship with CRA. Here’s a tip sheet on how to orient your clients:

Canada’s tax and financial services professionals are facing a pivotal moment. As client expectations evolve and advisory practices become more complex, success requires more than technical expertise, it requires leadership, strategy, and a clear vision for growth to evolve from practitioner to CEO of a growing public practice. That is the focus behind the new Business Builder CE Savvy Summit, a collaborative program from Knowledge Bureau and The Personal Coach, designed to help professionals shift their mindset from independent practitioner to CEO of a high-performing advisory business.

Knowledge Bureau, a highly acclaimed national post-secondary educational institution, offers training solutions that are customizable to your office training requirements.  Ideal for public practices of one to five team members, mix and match programs to roles and always receive a group discount.  Study terms and timelines are flexible and your firm can start 24/7, even today.  Here’s an overview of opportunities to customize your workplace training programs on a turnkey basis, affordably, starting with an education mapping process.  

As tax professionals, you are keenly aware of the constant changes our federal government makes to the Income Tax Act. Adjustments are made, and you must adapt. Not often, though, is a tax eliminated altogether. But in the case of the Underused Housing Tax (UHT), that is exactly what has happened – it was cancelled in the federal budget of November 4, 2025, but Canada’s underused housing taxes have not been eliminated. Here’s what you need to know for tax season 2026.