Preparing Yourself and Your Business for the 2010 Olympics

Very shortly, Vancouver will celebrate the opening of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. This is an enormous event our city is hosting. Almost everyone will be impacted in some way during the two week event. Some businesses will benefit greatly from the Olympics, while others will face significant logistical challenges as the city welcomes the world to this once-in-a-lifetime event.

Arbutus Financial will be open as usual during the Olympic Games. There will certainly be transportation issues. If you are visiting the office please give yourself extra time. You may find it easier to connect with our office via phone and email during this time. Most transactions can be completed by phone, fax, email and mail.

We have put together a list of important dates, and things to consider as you plan for the Olympic Games.

Important Dates:

Things to Consider:

Family/ Coworkers

• Do any of your family or associates have tickets to the Games?
• Have any of your associates volunteered to work at the Games?
• Are any of your associates taking holidays during the Games?
• Does your employer offer flexible work hours during the Games?
• Will this create a staff shortage?
• Some schools are expected to close during this time. How will you and your family/ coworkers address childcare?
• If School is located close to Olympic venues, are there any logistical issues getting students to and from school?
• Stock supplies and non-perishable items well in advance

Transportation

• History has shown transportation is one of the largest logistical hurdles to be addressed at any Olympic Games. Given it may take a few days to iron these out, how will your organization be affected if staff are significantly late for or absent from work?
• Given there will be security blackout zones, and transportation will be somewhat restricted:
• Will your customers have any problem getting to you?
• Will your staff have difficulty getting to/from work?
• Will suppliers and couriers have difficulty reaching you?
• Will there be problems getting products or services to your clients?
• To avoid transportation issues, some organizations are encouraging staff to work from home (where possible). If your organization is considering this:
• Is the technology infrastructure in place to accommodate this and has it been properly tested?
• Is there a backup plan in place if the technology does not work? (e.g. loss of internet access)
• Translink anticipates traffic will be very heavy from 7-9 am, and 2-7 pm.

- Click here to see Olympic Route Network Maps -

If You Run A Business - Financial Year-end Issues

• Will there be any concerns related to completing T4's and T5's given the March 1 filing deadline?
• Does your organization have any other important filing deadlines that fall during the Games?
• If you normally have audit staff attending your offices during February and March:
• Will your financial staff be on-site to work with them?
• Can the work schedule be adjusted, if necessary, to accommodate Olympic plans?
• Can any of the work be performed off-site given that there may be transportation issues as noted above?

A very informative website regarding transportation is www.travelsmart2010.ca

We hope this list will provide you with a starting point to make your Olympic plans. If you have any questions or if we can help in anyway please contact our office at admin@arbutusfinancial.com

Sources: Vancouver Sun, Wolrige Mahon LLP Chartered Accountants, City of Vancouver, Vancouver2010.com