Mazier CPA Prof. Corp.

10/26/2026

Behind a lot of success stories is someone who showed up and cheered them on. In the newest Rooted Here episode from Bamboo Shoots, Kim Megyesi of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Saskatoon and Area talks about why having someone in your corner matters. A great local story to pass along.

10/26/2026

Microsoft offered voluntary buyouts today to about 60,000 employees, and Canada is one of the four countries included. People who take it leave on Dec. 31.

Whether it's Microsoft or an employer here in Saskatoon, the tax on a severance cheque catches a lot of people off guard.

When a lump sum is paid as a retiring allowance, the withholding is a flat rate: 30% on anything over $15,000 (outside Quebec). Your actual tax depends on everything you earned that year, so a big payment on top of a full year's salary can mean a bill in April.

Hypothetical: a $60,000 payment has $18,000 withheld. If your marginal rate is higher than 30%, the difference comes due at tax time.

Two things I'd ask before signing. Can part of it go straight into your RRSP? No tax is withheld on an amount transferred directly, within your available room. And when exactly will it be paid? It's taxed in the year you receive it.

Would you take a buyout if one was offered?

Sources are in the first comment. General information only.

10/26/2026

A cause is only as strong as the people and resources behind it. Kim Megyesi of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Saskatoon and Richard Kies of Kies Communications & Fundraising sit down with Dale Botting in Episode 2 of The Leadership Lab from Bamboo Shoots, now out. A worthwhile listen for local board members and volunteers.

The mission matters. So do the people and resources that keep it moving.

Episode 2 of The Leadership Lab is now live! Dale Botting joins Kim Megyesi of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Saskatoon and Richard Kies of Kies Communications & Fundraising to explore the realities of nonprofit leadership.

From funding uncertainty and donor trust to supporting staff without burning them out, they discuss what it takes to sustain an organization and its community impact.

📍 Watch the whole episode on Youtube: https://youtu.be/bljL2TSXHRo

📺 Subscribe to YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/
🔔 Follow ‘The Leadership Lab’ on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts!

10/26/2026

Gas on 51st Street in Saskatoon ranged from 159.9 to 184.3 cents a litre on Friday, according to SaskToday's check of the stations along that stretch.

That's a 24.4-cent gap on the same road, on the same day.

Hypothetical: a 60-litre fill at the lower price saves about $14.64. Fill up once a week and that's roughly $760 a year, which is real money in a household budget.

A couple of things before you chase it. A detour burns fuel too. If your vehicle uses about 10 litres per 100 km, an extra 10 km round trip costs roughly a litre, so you'd still keep about $12.80. And prices move fast. GasBuddy listings that afternoon showed 174.9 to 184.3, so last week's cheap sign may not be today's.

The quickest win is knowing your number. Most banking apps will total last month's gas spending in a minute.

How far would you drive to save 20 cents a litre?

Sources are in the first comment. General information only.

10/25/2026

Saskatchewan's harvest was 97% done as of last week's provincial crop report. For a lot of farms it was a long fall after a wet September.

If your 2026 numbers came in well short, the AgriStability interim payment can help cash flow before year-end. For Saskatchewan producers this year it's 75% of the estimated final benefit, up from 50%. You need a margin drop of more than 30% from your reference margin to qualify.

The tax piece: for cash-method farms, CRA treats AgriStability payments, interim ones included, as farm income in the year you receive them.

Hypothetical: a $30,000 interim payment lands in December 2026. That's 2026 income. If the final benefit later works out to $20,000, you pay back $10,000, and that repayment is claimed in the year you repay it, not back in 2026.

So have a rough 2026 tax number in hand before you apply.

Is your farm looking at an interim payment this year?

Sources are in the first comment. General information only.

10/25/2026

About 2,040 health-care workers in northern and central Saskatchewan now have a tentative contract. SGEU and SAHO announced a six-year deal on Friday, running from April 1, 2023 to March 31, 2029.

The terms stay private until members vote. But a contract that reaches back to 2023 can mean back pay, so here's the tax piece worth knowing ahead of time.

Back pay from a negotiated contract is taxed in the year you receive it, on that year's T4. CRA's special calculation that spreads a lump sum over earlier years doesn't cover normal bargaining back pay. It's for things like arbitration awards and court orders.

Hypothetical: $2,500 owed for each of three years arrives as one $7,500 payment. All $7,500 counts as income that year, and it can trim income-tested benefits like the Canada child benefit the following July.

If you have RRSP room, a contribution can soften it.

Has back pay ever bumped up your tax bill?

Sources are in the first comment. General information only.

10/24/2026

Prairie Spirit School Division, based right here in Warman, is raising the rate it pays staff to drive their own vehicles for work from 58 cents a kilometre to 73 cents, starting Nov. 1. Trustees pointed to the jump in fuel prices.

That new rate matches CRA's 2026 rate for the first 5,000 work kilometres (67 cents after that).

If you drive your own vehicle for your job, how you're paid matters at tax time:

- A reasonable per-kilometre allowance for work driving generally isn't taxable.
- A flat monthly car allowance that isn't tied to kilometres is taxable and goes on your T4.
- Driving from home to your regular workplace counts as personal driving.

Hypothetical: 3,000 work kilometres at 58 cents is $1,740. At 73 cents it's $2,190, or $450 more.

Keep a simple log of work trips (date, where, why). Without records, CRA says the allowance is generally taxable.

Does your employer pay you by the kilometre, or a flat amount each month?

Sources in the first comment. General information only.

10/23/2026

Friday night football in Regina! The Rams host the UBC Thunderbirds at Leibel Field tonight at 7, and Bamboo Shoots Media Production is bringing the live broadcast to fans with SaskTel and Canada West. Great to see Saskatchewan crews behind the cameras.

The UBC Thunderbirds are coming to Regina to face the Regina Rams at Leibel Field. 🏈

Catch the game on Friday, October 23, at 7:00 PM.

Bamboo Shoots is proud to produce the live broadcast in partnership with SaskTel and Canada West, bringing the action from the field directly to fans watching from home.

Watch live on SaskTel maxTV Live Local channel 48 or stream it on maxTV on your devices.

10/23/2026

Strong leadership matters just as much in the nonprofit world as in business. Kim Megyesi of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Saskatoon and Richard Kies of Kies Communications & Fundraising join Dale Botting on Episode 2 of The Leadership Lab from Bamboo Shoots, premiering Monday, October 26.

Doing good takes strong leadership. What does it take to keep that work going?

In Episode 2 of The Leadership Lab, Dale Botting sits down with Kim Megyesi, Executive Director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Saskatoon, and Richard Kies, Founder/Owner of Kies Communications & Fundraising, to explore the challenges of leading a nonprofit.

📍 Premiere: Monday, October 26 at 6 AM

📺 Subscribe to YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/
🔔 Follow ‘The Leadership Lab’ on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts!

10/23/2026