Protect Yourself from Tax Fraud and Tariffs

March brings us the first days of spring, and with clocks changing March 9, we are all looking forward to longer days and more sunlight. In closing the winter season, I am pleased to share a few pieces of news and updates at CUA.

As I mentioned in my February message, our 2025 Community Investment Grant Program recently closed its application window, and we received over 380 applicants from across Nova Scotia. I want to thank all applicants who submitted, and it’s inspiring to see the incredible work Nova Scotians are doing to strengthen and uplift their communities. Our team has been carefully reviewing the submissions and are excited to announce the recipients for the five categories towards the end of this month. You’ll be able to find them on our website beginning March 25. In the meantime, please explore our list of last year’s recipients on our website.

Along with spring flowers and sunlight comes tax season. Recent data from the Government of Canada’s Anti-Fraud Centre shows that there were over 49,000 reported cases of fraud in 2024. During this period, these scams are continuing to increase. To learn more about how you can protect yourself, please review our CUAdvice article this month. It outlines the ways the CRA will contact you and how you can identify a scam. I also want to remind our members that CUA uses phone or email correspondence for any important information regarding your personal or business accounts. Emails will come from a trusted CUA employee and if you have any doubts or suspect you might have been contacted fraudulently, please reach out to your local branch or call our Customer Contact Centre at 902.492.6500. We are here to help.

A hot topic that’s been on the minds of many Canadians in the past month is tariffs. Earlier this month, the first tariffs took effect, with some being quickly paused for another 30-day period. These fluctuations are leaving many people and business owners uncertain of the future impact. The Province of Nova Scotia has responded with a tariff information line for all individuals or business owners who have questions about how they might be impacted. The Province is also encouraging local product purchases through Nova Scotia Loyal to support Nova Scotia based businesses, particularly during this time of uncertainty. We’re proud to say that you’ll find many of our business members and previous grant recipients on this list. CUA continues to monitor tariff updates and will share any direct impact they may have on members. As we have said many times in the past, we are all in this together as a Nova Scotian community.

Finally, I invite you to save the date for our Annual General Meeting on April 29. The event will take place at 7:00 pm at St. Mary’s Boat Club, which is located at 1641 Fairfield Road in Halifax. Join us to hear about our accomplishments in 2024 and what’s planned for our upcoming year. All CUA members are welcome to attend.

As always, if you have any questions about one of CUA’s products or services, please reach out to a member of our team at 902.492.6500, book an appointment online or email us at info@cua.com.

Your CEO,