In yesterday’s blog, we began to take a look at a few ways that employers can make a good impression in the work place. Doing so is of prime importance, not only to please customers but to excel at your job and impress your employer. At the end of the day, it will make your work life experience all the more better.

On About.com, Dawn Rosenburg McKay discusses a number of ways that workers can impress their bosses, co-workers and customers. In addition to the points made yesterday, McKay notes that it’s important for employees to know what topics to avoid discussing. There are particular things that are better left unsaid at work.

For example, McKay notes that “subjects that do not make for good workplace conversation include politics, religion, and health problems and other personal issues.” You may want to tread very lightly in these areas unless you have developed the kind of rapport with your co-workers and employer that would allow for these topics to be discussed.

The whole point, of course, is not to offend your co-workers. Showing respect is the best way to receive it in return. Not to mention, one of the last things that an employer wants to hear about an employee is that he or she has been disrespectful to another member of the staff.

Manage your time effectively, says McKay. Demonstrate that you manage time well by handing in projects before the deadline. Never assume that you can procrastinate with a task because you have “enough time” to complete it. You never know what other responsibilities may come up that may prevent you from missing a deadline.

Don’t forget to dress appropriately, by the way. “If you aspire to be a leader at work,” writes McKay, “dress like one”. This should be an easy tip to follow. On day one of your job, the dress code should be clearly outlined. Be sure to follow it and you will be easily making your first step to making a good impression.

Finally, represent your company well at business meetings. Writes McKay: “When you represent your employer at a business meeting making a good impression on other attendees will in turn help you make a good impression on your boss. Dress appropriately, network on your employer’s behalf, and bring back information.”

Earlier this week, the Synergy Merchant Services Blog discussed the importance of having rude behaviour as a non-existent factor in the workplace. As we wrote about, studies have shown that when customers bare witness to rudeness of any kind at a place of business, it becomes highly likely that it will cause them to never again visit that store.

Providing excellent customer service is of paramount importance. Any company looking to be successful will have to have this as a top trait. This requires all employees to be on their best behaviour when at work. Of course, this impacts not just the customer experience, but the employee experience as well.

On About.com, Dawn Rosenburg McKay writes about the various ways that employees can make a good impression at work. Not only will this help for your company to be represented well, but following her tips are bound to assist you in excelling up the ladder at your place of work.

One way to do this, says McKay, is to use proper office etiquette. Now, this should be a no-brainer, right? Good manners always make for good impressions. And good office etiquette means knowing how to speak to your co-workers and when to responsibly use your cell phone or the internet.

Keep in mind, however, that nobody is perfect. That means, you may be bound to make mistakes. The key is to face up to them. McKay reminds us not to ignore our errors or place blame on others for them. Instead, take responsibility and figure out a solution that will repair your mistake. Your employer may not be happy at first, but will appreciate your initiative and efforts to making corrections.

The practice of calling in sick to work is a major concern for practically every employer out there. It’s important to call in sick when it is necessary. However, this isn’t a practice to abuse. But it also shouldn’t be overlooked. McKay writes that coming in to work when you are sick only serves as a detriment to your co-workers. Don’t make others sick if you are. Stay home!

Coming through during a crisis is a great way to make a good impression at work. As McKay writes: “When the unexpected happens at work, who will make a better impression on the boss — the employer who wrings his hands and does nothing or the one who springs into action? Of course it’s the employee who deals with the crisis quickly and effectively.”

We’ll take a look at a few more ways to make a good impression at work in tomorrow’s blog.

At Synergy Merchant Services, our clients are all accepters of Visa, MasterCard and Interac payments. As a result, they have the advantage of being able to sell their future credit and debit receivables to get themselves cash advances that help them invest back into their businesses.

When a cashier accepts credit and debit cards, it allows for the merchant to open his or her store up to more opportunities to make sales. One way that some merchants have continued to give themselves chances to process more sales is by having automated, self-serve check outs.

The Metro grocery store – formerly Dominion – is just one example of a store that allows for these types of do-it-yourself transactions. At these checkouts, customers may use Visa, MasterCard, Interac and even cash to pay for products without the assistance of a cashier. Seems pretty innovative, right?

Well, according to The Toronto Star business reporter, Francine Kopun, in an article published earlier this week, the innovative self-serve checkouts may soon become things of the past. Kopun writes that recent surveys have determined that the cashier-less checkouts may be presenting more problems than they are solutions.

She reveals that “an internal study by Big Y found delays in its self-service lines caused by problems such as customer confusion over coupons, payments, and intentional and accidental theft, including misidentifying produce and baked goods as less-expensive varieties.”

As far as Canadians go, they seem to be split when it comes to their opinions of self-serve checkouts. An online poll conducted by The Star found that just 42 per cent of respondents loved the automated checkouts, while 39 per cent hated them. 18 per cent of those surveyed claimed to be indifferent.

Either way, it seems as if a number of stores will be phasing out their automated checkouts, including Wal-Mart. The huge retail chain recently removed the self-serve checkouts at a Scarborough, Ontario location although they have not announced plans to do the same throughout the rest of their locations in Canada.

Felicia Feffer, a spokeswoman for Wal-Mart Canada remarked that “they definitely make sense in certain stores. But we look at it on a store-to-store basis.” IKEA‘s President and CEO, Anthony Longo added that the rising trend of using bar code-reading smartphones is likely to change things for supermarket shopping over time.

In yesterday’s blog, we touched upon the topic of rudeness in the business place, and how badly in can affect a company’s bottom line. The Toronto Star‘s Lesley Ciarula Taylor commented on this issue in an article published by the paper yesterday, indicating that when customers witness any type of rudeness in a store, it is very likely to cause them to no longer shop there.

It should go without saying that rude employees do not make for a well-respected company. But it’s important to note that even when employees are displaying rudeness towards each other, customers may still take offence. Taylor notes that a recent study published by the Journal of Service Research confirms this.

She writes that the research found that “a staggering 92 per cent of customers who see rudeness in a store, restaurant or service industry will tell their friends and family…And most of those people said they would stop shopping at a store or eating at a restaurant as a result.”

The types of business where rudeness was most commonly noticed was restaurants. Gyms were the least likely place of business where one would experience rudeness. Taylor notes that the study also found that even when customers overhear back room arguments, they are likely to think less of the company.

Christine Porath teaches at Georgetown University. Her own research has found that customer dissatisfaction has been growing over the past decade or so. And a lot this unfortunate trend revolves around witnessing employee rudeness. Some of it has to do with the way they treat customers, and some of it has to do with how the employees treat each other.

Said Porath: “I don’t think people realize sometimes how they come across…People claim it’s the worst in academia. Attorneys have a reputation for it. The entertainment industry is just brutal.” Evidently, much change is needed in industries that involve dealing with the public.

Taylor notes that the researchers in her article suggest that companies develop programs that better train their employees in managing civility. Getting along with co-workers and being able to treat customers with respect is of prime importance. Remember, it’s all about the customer experience. Better make it a good one!

At Synergy Merchant Services, we do a lot of talking with Canadian business owners. Quite often, the discussions revolve around ways to attract more customers into their stores. Of course, a great marketing plan backed by our merchant cash advance program always works to help these owners to increase sales.

After all, making sure that you get as many customers as possible is a key to being successful. What is a business without customers, right? Considering that, it’s always important to note that it is not just your products that make people visit your place of business. It’s also not just the type of advertising you do.

Customer service, as we all know, is at the top of the list when it comes to things that people consider when choosing where to shop. Treating your customers as valued and appreciated individuals is imperative, especially considering how much competition is out there in each respective marketplace.

Remember that, for most people, the customer experience – not just the product being purchased – is what brings customers back into your store for repeat visits and continued business relationships. The slightest bit of a bad experience could mean the end of those relationships for good.

Earlier today, The Toronto Star‘s Lesley Ciarula Taylor published an article discussing the importance of maintaining optimum customer service levels to encourage repeat business. In fact, Taylor noted that many customers are willing to stop shopping at a store where they experience any type of rudeness.

According to Georgetown University’s Christine Porath, the occurrences of customers experiencing uncivil employee behaviour is growing. Taylor notes that Porath’s studies of this matter have determined that between 1998 and 2005, the percentage of employees who were targeted by rudeness jumped from 20 to 48.

Said Porath: “There is a moral argument against employees being uncivil…From a customer standpoint, it isn’t just about how you’re being treated. The fact is that you don’t like to witness this kind of behaviour.” Clearly, it doesn’t pay to be rude to either customers or co-workers!

We will explore this topic a bit more in tomorrow’s blog.

In yesterday’s blog, we began discussing a very important way that business owners can increase their sales. While it is always important to make your customers feel valued, it is just as important to give the same feelings of value to your employees. Boosting employee morale is a key ingredient to running a successful business.

Taking a look at a Ragan.com article by Joy Powers, we began looking at ways that you can make your staff feel appreciated. It is often said that a happy employee is a productive employee. And especially with summer saying its official goodbyes this month, now is the perfect time to find new ways to cheer your summer-loving employees up.

Treat your employees like people, insists Powers. Simple enough concept, right? Extend small gestures to them like always calling them by name and acknowledging certain events like birthdays. Send flowers or at the very least, a kind phone call when they are sick. Make each person on your staff feel like you care about them and make these feelings genuine.

Be sure to offer proper training. It is very frustrating for workers to be told to do a job that they were not adequately trained for. As well, Powers notes that a major reason for employees to leave a company is the lack of development opportunities. This means giving your best people added responsibilities when they are deserving of them. If your employees see personal growth, your company will see growth as well.

Don’t forget about the small perks. Rewarding staff members with certain perks make a huge difference in how they feel about working for you. For example, if an employee has done an exceptional job, you may want to offer them a special bonus. Perhaps, the ability to leave work early on Friday will be enough to make them extremely happy.

Keep your staff in the loop, reminds Powers. She writes: “When employees don’t know what is going on in the company, productivity can give way to redundant or otherwise unnecessary efforts on the part of the staff. Worse yet, when employees are given only part of the story, they are left to fill in the blanks with gossip, rumors and worry.”

Finally, make the office fun. Workers will be eager to arrive at the job each day if they know that the time spent there will be enjoyable, as opposed to depressing. One way to do this is to ask your workers what motivates them and give them incentives.

Feel free to make friendly games and competitions part of the work atmosphere. Remember, happy employees will help your business to run like a well-oiled machine. We’re sure that’ll make you happy too!

We talk a lot about boosting business around here, at Synergy Merchant Services. After all, that’s what we’re in the business of doing. Our unique merchant cash advance program has helped Canadian business owners of small and medium-sized businesses grow tremendously over the past several years.

Our blog has often revealed many different ways that entrepreneurs can use the money we provide them to take their companies to the next level. Renovations, expansion, advertising, buying new equipment or inventory – the list of things to do with a merchant cash advance is literally endless.

This past week, the Synergy Merchant Services Blog has focused primarily on encouraging business owners to take advantage of the new fall season, which is practically upon us. To boost sales over the coming months, it will be very important for retailers to spruce up their shops to make them festive and more inviting to customers.

Boosting sales should always be a priority in your company. But there is a way to increase sales that often goes overlooked. Investing time in employee morale is a key ingredient to running a successful business of any kind. We often say that a business cannot run without customers – but how can it function without your employees?

On Ragan.com, Joy Powers lists a number of ways that you can boost employee morale to make your company more productive. We figure she knows what she’s talking about. After all, is there a better name for a person to talk about morale boosting than “Joy”? She writes, that happy workers are more productive, so let’s make sure your workers are happy, shall we?

Making your workers happy doesn’t have to be expensive, Powers reminds us. One of the first things you can do is simply recognize individual employees. This simple acknowledgment of a job well done can go a long way. Use your staff meetings to offer praise to those deserving of it. Take the time to write handwritten thank you messages as well.

Another way to show your employees that you value them is to show them the results of their hard work. Give examples of the direct impact that their efforts have caused. Reward those who have shown improvement. Highlight the accomplishments of those who may be new to your staff and make them feel welcome.

We’ll be sure to take a look at a few other ways to boost employee morale in tomorrow’s blog.

In yesterday’s blog, we began discussing ways that business owners can increase their sales during periods when sales are slow. Obviously, it is the objective of all business owners to boost business at all times of the year, but we took a special look at the upcoming fall season to suggest ways that store owners can use it to their advantage.

On About.com, Shari Waters writes of the various ways that entrepreneurs can increase retails sales during slow periods. For the most part, her tips appear as common sense rules to follow in the world of business. However, a deeper look at her suggestions reveal that it is all about how her tips are implemented.

Success is found when you stand out from the crowd. Or in this case, your competition. It’s important to generate a buzz, writes Waters. So with the fall season approaching, business owners should think of ways to help their companies shine. Are there community events that your business could sponsor?

Perhaps, you can create a unique promotional event of your own. Would a Halloween costume contest work in your store? Could you run a contest of some kind where you’ll be giving away a prize to a customer on Halloween? Maybe each time a purchase is made in your store, it can count as an entry into this contest.

It’s all about making connections with your customers. This is Waters’ final and probably most important point. There is nothing that beats excellent customer service. Remember that your customers are the reasons that you have a company to begin with. Making them feel connected your business and providing them with enjoyable experiences each time they visit plays a huge role in your success.

Writes Waters: “Excellent customer service is the key to increasing sales. Listen to your customer to understand their needs and wants. Then educate him/her about the products. Finally, let the customer know you appreciate their business. Offer value-added services and products.”

As always, we are here to help you at Synergy Merchant Services. Our merchant cash advance program was become the quickest and easiest way for Canadian business owners to get money to grow their businesses. If you have some ideas that you would like to implement this fall, call one of our licensed funding specialists today to discuss ways that a cash advance may help you with your plans.

With Canadians counting down the days left until fall begins (sadly for many of us), business owners across the country are already prepared for the upcoming season. In yesterday’s blog, we discussed how Halloween is expected to boost sales for many retailers.

Store owners taking advantage of the season by “spooking up” their shops with Halloween decorations are more likely to attract customers this fall. Clearly, it is the objective of all business owners to increase business, no matter what season it is. And while we have plenty of time until Halloween, there is no time for you to waste to get more customers through the doors.

On the often-helpful About.com, Shari Waters writes of the ways that business owners can increase sales when a sales slump has occurred. As we mentioned yesterday, Canadian retailers experienced somewhat of a lag in summer and back-to-school sales this year, so they are depending on a strong fall.

We’d like to share some of Waters’ ideas in today’s blog. Some of these tips may appear obvious. But it’s all about how one implements them that will determine their success. For example, Waters recommends that you increase your advertising. Easier said than done, right?

Most retailers are concerned about the money that needs to go into the advertising campaign before thinking about the money that can be generated as a result. Waters suggests, however, to advertise during periods when sales are slow “because there is more competition and fewer consumer dollars.”

At Synergy, we are well aware that many business owners feel that it is too difficult to afford a new advertising campaign. Naturally, this is where our licensed funding specialists come in. And, as always, we recommend you speak to one of them for an absolutely free consultation about how a merchant cash advance may solve your dilemma.

Design your store for sales, says Waters. This is exactly the point of making sure your store screams “Halloween” this year! You’ll want to take advantage of as many lighting techniques and attractive displays as possible to encourage more visits to your store. In addition, it helps for your customer service staff to upsell.

Perhaps you can group together various items in one special display to encourage customers to buy more than one. You may also want to consider playing videos or having special presentations (by staff members in costumes?) to display the uses of the products you are selling.

We’ll take a deeper look into these concepts in tomorrow’s blog.

Halloween is just over a month away! But store retailers across Canada are already setting up shop to frighten their customers into coming into their stores. Well, not exactly. Sprucing up their stores with Halloween decorations is a more accurate description of what many Canadian retailers are doing to drum up sales this fall.

As QMI Agency’s Stefania Moretti reported late last week, both summer and back-to-school sales were slower than expected this year. Store owners across Canada are hoping for somewhat of a boost this fall. With the fall season about to officially start in a little over a week from now, retailers are hoping the boost comes soon.

This way of thinking has made Halloween an even more important occasion than ever. Never considered an official holiday, the spooky fall tradition is one that brings about a lot of thrilling events for people of all ages. As always, it’s important for business owners to cash in on the excitement. And this true now more than ever.

John Torella certainly feels this way. He is a retail consultant at J.C. Williams who, when interviewed by QMI Agency, insisted that “Halloween continues to grow more and more important.” And since a recent Value Village shopping survey found that 90 per cent of adults polled won’t be reusing last year’s Halloween decorations, Torella feels that merchants need to “get in, in a big way.”

In other words, going all out to “spook up” your store with Halloween decorations is certainly the way to go, especially when selling Halloween-based items. The Value Village survey also found that the average Canadian plans on spending upwards of $300 on Halloween this year. Many retailers may be unaware of just how big the annual celebrations of thrills and chills really is.

Said Ken Alterman, the president and chief executive of Value Village: “Halloween is one of our biggest times of year at Value Village, and it keeps getting bigger. In fact, over the last five years we’ve seen Halloween sales increase more than 35%. It’s a holiday where you can escape from everyday worries, alter your ego and just have fun celebrating with friends and family. People love that.”

Canadian Tire certainly agrees. Moretti writes that Halloween has become the store’s third most important season category behind Christmas and “summer backyard living”. The retailer, known mainly for auto and home supplies, plans on bringing in over 40 different Halloween costumes for sale this fall.

And imagine, the day after Halloween will practically be Christmas for most retailers! Aren’t we still officially in summer? For business owners across Canada, summer is long gone and fall is already here. So if you haven’t yet, it’s time to get your store ready for the festivities that mark the new season.

It’s understandable for most business owners to be skeptical when they first hear of Synergy’s merchant cash advance program. Naturally, when thinking of getting money, one often thinks that an interest rate is an automatic part of the deal. Having dealt with bank loans and credit cards for so long, these owners have every right to assume that.

Because a merchant cash advance is not a loan, there is no interest rate at all. And as hard as that may be to accept as a reality, for some people, it is an actual fact. “So how do you get paid?” ask many of our potential clients. Of course, this is a sensible question to ask. After all, Synergy Merchant Services is a business too, so we can’t give away money for free.

We provide our clients with a one time fee when offering them a merchant cash advance. This way, they are aware of exactly how much it will cost them to take the advance. The major difference between this fee and an interest rate is that it will not accrue over time. That means that it doesn’t matter how long it takes for the advance to be paid back, the cost never changes.

With an interest rate, the longer one takes to pay back the loan, the more money it will cost that person. Synergy’s merchant cash advance program has no fixed repayment schedule. So whether it takes two months or two years to repay, the cost of the advance remains the same.

“So how do you get your money back?” is another very important question asked by many of our new clients. As mentioned, there is no fixed repayment schedule. So the money being paid to Synergy is never required on a weekly on monthly basis. Instead, payments are made automatically through a merchant’s credit and debit sales.

This means that payments are made only after a sale is made in a business owner’s store. Therefore, if sales are slow, payments are slow. If sales are going well, payments are made quicker. And if there are no sales at all, then there are no payments to make. Our clients are assured that they will never have to make a payment unless they are paid first!

If you are a Canadian business owner of a small to medium-sized business, we encourage you to contact one of our licensed funding specialists today. We offer FREE, no obligation quotes by reviewing your past year’s Visa, MasterCard and Interac transactions. Getting the extra working capital you need to grow your business may literally be one phone call away!

Restaurant owners are among our most important clients, here at Synergy Merchant Services. This is mainly because of their long history with having difficulties getting money from the banks. “We’re too high risk, so they say,” mentioned one of our restaurateurs earlier this week, when discussing his experiences dealing with his local branch.

By participating in Synergy’s merchant cash advance program, restaurant owners from all over Canada have had a much easier go at securing the extra capital needed for such large expenditures as new kitchen equipment and renovations. In Synergy’s home province of Ontario, however, things can still be tough for the restaurant industry.

Yesterday, The Toronto Star‘s business reporter Dana Flavelle wrote of the Ontario restaurant industry’s current issues with inflated energy costs, wages, red tape and sales tax. With a new provincial election on the way, restaurant owners are hoping that the next provincial government will take a stand and do something about it.

As members of the Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association, we here at Synergy, have long been aware of the organization’s dedication to assisting its members with such matters at various levels of government. Undoubtedly, the CRFA will be working to have the province tackle the obstacles that exist within the restaurant industry.

Garth Whyte is the president and chief executive officer of the Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association. Said Whyte: “The restaurant industry presents a huge opportunity for Ontario to create jobs, drive tourism and build vibrant communities…I’d like to see a blue ribbon group focused on our sector to develop an integrated plan for the restaurant industry.”

Flavelle points out that Ontario restaurants have lost 10,000 jobs over the past three years and that the industry’s profitability level in the province is at 4.4 per cent. This is significantly below the national average of 7.1 per cent. Meanwhile, Ontario’s restaurant industry generates upwards of $23 billion yearly and is the province’s fourth largest employer.

One of the major dilemmas faced by the industry is the Harmonized Sales Tax which took effect last year. As a result, restaurateurs have to pay more for such items as cheese. Up to 30 per cent more, writes Flavelle. As well, “licensed restaurants pay just as much as consumers for alcohol purchased from the Liquor Control Board of Ontario or The Beer Store as there is no wholesale pricing model for those products.”

At Synergy Merchant Services, we are firm believers in advertising. In fact, advertising is one of the most popular tasks that are undertaken by Canadian business owners who participate in our merchant cash advance program. There is, however, a line that should be drawn between what may be considered clever promotional tactics and what are downright annoyances. Let us ask you a question so you know what we mean.

Have you ever noticed that when you are watching television and the show that you are watching goes to break, that the commercials seem louder than the program? This may not be true in all cases, but the “loudness” of T.V. commercials has caused quite a stir in recent years.

As a result, regulators are now insisting that advertisers turn the volume down on their commercials when they go to air! According to QMI Agency, who released a report on this subject yesterday, Canadian broadcasters will be forced to lower the volume on commercials. That way, viewers should no longer have to reach for their remotes to turn the sound down during breaks.

You will have to wait an entire year, however, to take advantage of this new privilege. The QMI report notes that starting on September 1st of next year, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission‘s ruling will take effect. Essentially, it means that “broadcasters will have to ensure that both programs and ads are transmitted at the same volume”.

Konrad von Finckenstein is the CRTC’s chairman. Said von Finckenstein: “Over the years, we have seen a steady increase in consumer complaints about loud ads. Broadcasters have allowed ear-splitting ads to disturb viewers and have left us little choice but to set out clear rules that will put an end to excessively loud ads. The technology exists, let’s use it.”

Although this new law will make its way into regulating Canadian television next year, similar laws have already been passed in Europe and the United States. Apparently, complaints about loud ads in these two parts of the world have been coming in abundantly for a very long time.

QMI reveals that, as a result, “in 2009, the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC), the internationally recognized technical standards body for digital TV, set a standard for measuring and controlling TV signals in order to minimize fluctuations in volume between programming and commercials.”

Canada has long been heralded as a worldwide leader in economic recovery. At Synergy Merchant Services, we are proud to call small to medium-sized business owners our clients, as they have helped to make up the bulk of the nation’s ability to bounce back after the recession.

We have kept our eye on a number of reports, over the past year or so, that have highlighted the various achievements of businesses across Canada and their roles in rebuilding the economy. And just yesterday, QMI Agency released a report naming one province the country’s leader in this area.

Congratulations go out to Saskatchewan! Reported to be “the fastest-growing Canadian province this year thanks to its potash and agricultural products, expanding at almost twice the national rate” by the Royal Bank of Canada, the prairie province’s economy is expected to expand by 4.3 per cent this year and 4.1 per cent next year.

Craig Wright is RBC’s chief economist and senior vice-president. Said Wright: “2011 is shaping up to be a golden age for Saskatchewan’s economy as it rides the tidal wave created by strong global demand for its various natural resources. We expect to see a positive ripple effect on incomes and capital spending in the province.”

Known on maps as a giant rectangular land mass in the middle of Canada, the province of Saskatchewan is still a relatively small place when you think about it. It’s 588,276 square kilometres is home to just over one million people, according to Wikipedia. That’s approximately a fifth of the population of the Greater Toronto Area.

Nevertheless, Saskatchewan has the strongest financial outlook in the country. QMI notes that the outlook for the rest of Canada is uncertain even though economists are optimistic that the nation will not soon face another economic downturn. Growth is still expected throughout the country in the coming year.

QMI Agency also reveals that the RBC report found that “after Saskatchewan, Alberta and Newfoundland and Labrador will be the next best performers.” At the bottom of the pack, however, are Quebec and the Atlantic provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.

As the world knows, yesterday marked the ten year anniversary of one of the worst tragedies in North American history. The day infamously known as 9/11 will forever be remembered as the day that terrorists took the lives of nearly 3,000 people in the United States. It’s hard for most to believe that ten years have already passed.

With most of the loss occurring in New York City, what used to be the World Trade Center is now known throughout the world as the symbol of the horrific day that took place exactly ten years ago yesterday. The area now known as “Ground Zero” was visited by many to pay their respects and commemorate those who were taken by the tragedy.

In Canada, there were also a number of tributes taking place. As Chris Doucette reported in The Toronto Sun, one of those tributes took place at Millennium Garden, in Toronto to honour the 24 Canadians who died in the World Trade Center. Even ten years later, and in another country, it was evident that the pain caused by the 9/11 attacks was still being felt.

Michael Prue, the MPP for Beaches-East York attended the ceremony at Millennium Garden. Said Prue: “I can see the pain etched on people’s faces. It doesn’t go away. We have to come to grips with it. But we will never forget.” The Toronto tribute has taken place yearly ever since the attacks of 2001. Doucette notes that it is the only one in Canada that specifically honours the Canadian victims of 9/11.

Clearly, even though it is often said that “time heals all wounds”, there is an undeniable mark left on the hearts of people throughout the world due to the attacks that took place ten years ago. It is, however, time to start shifting sorrow towards optimism, according to Toronto Police Supt. Frank Bergen.

Remembering the events of ten years ago quite vividly, as most do, Bergen spoke about the way he hopes people will be able to carry on moving forward. Said Bergen: “The last decade has been called a decade of fear, a decade of terror. Let’s work together to make the next 10 years a decade of hope.”

We, here at Synergy Merchant Services, would like to offer our deepest sympathies to all those who lost loved ones in the 9/11 attacks. We would also like to echo the sentiments of the Toronto Police Superintendent by saying that we wish for all those affected to be comforted by the fact that they have the support of people worldwide who live everyday working towards a brighter future.