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Home » About Us » Investment Fund

Investment Fund

How to Invest!

2010 Offering Document

Investing in an Self-Directed RRSP

Shares are eligible for a self directed RRSP. For investors wishing to purchase shares for the first time within an RRSP the following forms will be required to be filled out. The following is a list and also required spaces to be filled out.

Forms

Requirements

1. Self-Directed Retirement Savings Plan - Application

Name, address, phone number, SIN, date of birth, signature of Annuitant (Shareholder), date

2. Designation of Beneficiary

List one beneficiary with SIN number, estate of the shareholder can also be used, signature of shareholder, date

3. Small Business and Venture Capital Corporation Shares Supplemental Agreement

Name, signature of shareholder, witness, date

4. Payment Authorization Form

Signature of shareholder, date

5. Self-directed RRSP and Small Business Shares

Signature of shareholder, date

6. Self-Direct Registered Plan Fee Schedule

Signature of shareholder, date **

7. Deposit Form

Check “Contribution in kind” for Deposit Detail, Deposit Amount, Signature of Annuitant (Shareholder), date

** Note that the annual fee of $50.00 for the RRSP will be billed to and paid by Just Us! for each year the investments remain in Just Us!

The RRSP tax receipt is issued by the CWCF, and will be mailed out towards the middle of the March.

Investing Outside an RRSP

Shares can be purchased outside an RRSP, and the shareholder will still be eligible for the 35% Equity Tax Credit, a non refundable provincial income tax credit. When the shares are purchased, information is collected from the investor and then reported to the Province of Nova Scotia. The tax receipt is issued by the NS Department of Finance and will be mailed out towards the middle of March. To purchase shares outside an RRSP we require the shareholders SIN, and the payment.

Investing By Transferring Existing RRSP’s

Another form of investing is by transferring existing self-directed RRSP’s. The shareholder provides us with the information on the existing RRSP and the transfer is processed between the RRSP companies. By transferring the RRSP, the shareholder will be eligible for the Equity Tax Credit, a non refundable provincial income tax credit. To complete this process a new RRSP must be set up, a list of these forms can be seen under “Investing in a Self-Directed RRSP”. There is also an additional form that is required called the “Direct Transfer-In” form. The shareholder is only required to fill out Part 1. Ensure that it is completely filled out, and signed.

After reviewing the offering document cheques are made out to “Valley Credit Union in Trust”. All original signed forms along with the cheque, should be mailed back to the following address to arrive no later than March 1, 2010:

Just Us! Coffee Roasters

11865 Hwy 1, RR3#

Wolfville, NS B4P 2R3

Attention: Melissa Stewart

This CEDIF offering is made through an offering document, which can be obtained from an authorized sales agent or finder, Melissa Stewart, (902) 542-7474, ext. 248, Email: accounting@justuscoffee.com

Investors should read the offering document before making an investment decision.

Downloadable Forms

Offering Document - January 8, 2010

CWCF Self Directed Retirement Savings Plan - Application

CWCF RRSP Designatation of Beneficiary

Small Business and Venture Capital Corporation Shares

Payment Authorization Form

Self-directed RRSP Letter

CWCF Plan CEDIF Fee Schedule

CWCF RRSP Deposit Form

CWCF Direct Transfer In

CWCF Direct Transfer In

FAQ CEDIFS - 10 pages

    

 

Just Us! Coffee Roasters [JUCR] was founded in the fall of 1995 and, in March 1996, was formally incorporated as a worker-owned co-operative - to import, roast and market organic coffee on a fair trade basis".

Early on, JUCR wanted to take advantage of the provincial government’s Equity Tax Credit program which gave tax breaks to investors in Nova Scotia businesses. This program was open to JUCR employees as well as people acquainted with the business but it could not be promoted "publicly." A small number of people, who were not workers, invested in JUCR which lead to there being ‘worker owners’ and ‘investment owners’. A condition of the equity tax program was that investors in a co-op must become members with equal standing. Therefore, a definitional problem arose in that the workers no longer formed the majority and could not technically control the co-op. In fact, some argued that JUCR was no longer a worker co-op.

The solution was simply to set up a separate co-op for "investor owners", now known as the Just Us! Fair Trade Investment Co-op [JUFTIC]. This was done in 2002 under the provincial Community Economic Development Investment Fund Program. It allowed the Equity Tax Credit program to be used by independent Investment Funds, which could also promote the investments publicly.

So now there are two co-operatives, JUCR and JUFTIC, each with its own Board of Directors elected by and from among their members. To facilitate co-operation and communication between the two Boards, two of the JUFTIC directors also sit on the JUCR Board. The two co-operatives are intended to work closely together to promote Just Us! as a Nova Scotia business, and Fair Trade as a model for doing business.

 

JUCR

JUFTIC

Purpose or Objectives

To be a viable business that promotes fair trade commerce

To secure capital to invest in common shares of JUCR and to provide a return to the members on their investments

Members

Worker owners

Investment owners (until 2006 only)

Community investors

Worker/owner investors

Shares

$500.00 (minimum of four)

$1000.00 (no minimum)

Directors of the Board

* elected by members

* currently 2/3 worker owners and 1/3 investment owners (investment owners until 2006 only)

* policy, not management, board

* no less than 6, no more than 9

* elected by members

* no less than 6, no more than 9

* policy

A Tale of Two Co-operatives

There were many people who believed in what Just Us! was doing and wanted to help us grow the Fair Trade Market. So we decided to set up a separate co-op for “investor owners”, now known as the Just Us! Fair Trade Investment Co-op [JUFTIC]. This was done in 2002 under the provincial Community Economic Development Investment Fund Program. It allowed the Equity Tax Credit program to be used by independent Investment Funds, which could also promote the investments publicly.

So now there are two co-operatives, JUCR and JUFTIC, each with its own Board of Directors elected by and from among their members. To facilitate co-operation and communication between the two Boards, two of the JUFTIC directors also sit on the JUCR Board. The two co-operatives are intended to work closely together to promote Just Us! as a Nova Scotia business, and Fair Trade as a model for doing business.