Carol Edwards, CPA, CGA
18 - 700 Dovercourt Drive R3Y 1X5 Winnipeg, MB, Canada

What would it mean to our Manitoba community if we all supported local businesses whenever possible? Studies show that every dollar you spend locally cycles thr...ough our Manitoba small businesses at least seven times. Local businesses hire Manitoba youth to help at their farms and bakeries and studios. They purchase local products to produce their jams and jellies and baked goods. They spend the money they earn on home needs, local lessons and gifts. The more we each spend with our local businesses, the stronger we make our Manitoba economy. Even more important, supporting one another creates community in a time when we have never needed each other more. This video is produced by the fine team at Folks Films, graphic animation by Ayla Manning, made with the financial support of Assiniboine Credit Union and Direct Farm Manitoba. Please share on your social media!

The office staff are slacking off a bit today

On July 2, 2020, Thompson RCMP was notified that the detachment's phone number was "spoofed" and being used by a scammer to coerce a local resident into sending... a large amount of money through the mail. Spoofing is when a caller deliberately falsifies the information transmitted to your caller ID display to disguise their identity. Scammers often use neighbor spoofing so it appears that an incoming call is coming from a local number, or spoof a number from a company or a government agency that you may already know and trust. If you answer, they use scam scripts to try to steal your money or valuable personal information, which can be used in fraudulent activity. In this instance, the scammer claimed to be from the CRA, and told the victim his SIN number had been compromised and there was now a warrant for his arrest from Thompson RCMP. The scammer then called back and spoofed Thompson’s RCMP phone number and identified himself as an RCMP officer. The scammer told the victim in order to avoid arrest, he would have to send a large amount of money through the mail. The victim was told to wrap the package to look like a birthday present and to send it in the mail. Thankfully a family member of the victim noticed something was off, and questioned the victim. The victim explained what had occurred and the family member recognized that this was a scam. They were able to stop the parcel from being sent and reported everything to the RCMP. The RCMP and all Government agencies, including Service Canada, will never call asking for, or demanding money for any reason. If you should receive a call such as this, hang up the phone and call the police back yourself using publically-accessible contact details. Anyone who receives these types of calls or believes they may have been the victim of fraud, is asked to contact their local detachment or the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501. For more tips and information regarding current scams and how to protect yourself visit The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) website.

I support the decision made by MMJS and advise that all appointments made with me at their offices in March and April are now postponed until further notice. I will be contacting clients individually to make other arrangements for information transfer. Please adhere to the recommendations of Manitoba Health, be abundantly cautious and stay safe.