Has this happened to you?

A prominent spa in Edmonton, Alberta reported an incident involving Environment and Climate Change Canada. According to the spa, they were visited earlier this year by two “Enforcement Officers”. The two officers arrived unannounced and in uniform demanding to do an impromptu inspection of the retail and back bar products being used and sold at the spa. More products were confiscated for “testing” purposes.

What constituted this search?

Months prior, officers from Environment and Climate Change Canada purchased a skincare product online from the spa in question. The product was an exfoliant developed by a manufacturer of a recognized skincare brand often found in medical spas and dermatology clinics throughout Canada.

Unbeknown to the spa, this particular exfoliant violated the Microbeads in Toiletries Regulations put in place in 2018. Plastic microbeads that are greater than or equal to 5mm in size are not permitted in Canada. However, so many years had gone by it did not occur to the spa managers that products available today containing microbleads would still be sold on the market.

“Had we been aware this exfoliant was harming the environment we would have discontinued selling it voluntarily.”

Spa representative

The penalties?

Small revenue corporations can face between a $75,000- $4,000,000 fine for a first offence. According to the spa, no warning or effort to contact them was made prior to the unannounced search.

The lesson?

Be aware of all the ingredients in the skincare/beauty products that you retail. Health Canada has an online resource called the Cosmetic Ingredient Hotlist. This resource mentions all of the ingredients that are either restricted or prohibited for use in cosmetic products.

In conclusion, don’t rely on the manufacturer. Don’t rely on border patrol. Do your due diligence when purchasing your products, otherwise, you’ll be surprised when uniformed officers show up at your door!

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EXECUTIVE SPA GROUP
(780)604-2772
info@executivespagroup.com

Do you need a license to do nails in Alberta?

You do not need to be certified to work from home as a Nail Technician in Alberta.

Yes it’s true, regulations are relaxed for this particular branch of the beauty industry in Alberta. In fact, esthetics as a whole is not regulated in Alberta. There are pros and cons to the lack of regulation.

Professionals who invested time and money attending licensed programs tend to be more concerned with the cons. We get that. But we also understand other personalities that will choose the self-taught route. Some people are born with talent in this field.

We encourage individuals on it to learn Alberta’s personal services regulation and standards to ensure safety, more specifically, the prevention of injuries and infection control. Because let’s face it- the influencers on social media, for example, Tik Tok or YouTube, are not going to bore you with those details! And most professionals who share content on social media will never reveal their real secrets. Finally, remember that at the end of the day, talent is 50%, the other fifty is understanding the science behind your craft.

Learning on social media is better suited once you yourself are a professional that can understand what is going on behind the scenes in particular videos, which parts they skipped, etc.

Home Business License

While you do not need to be certified to work from home as a Nail Technician in Alberta, you do require a home business license. These are granted municipally. In other words, you have to apply for a home business license through your city. This isn’t always a quick process, so give yourself at least 3 months for your application to be processed post submittal.

How do you get a license to be a nail technician in Alberta?

Licenses are issued by regulatory bodies that are able to dispense legal punishment for breaking regulations. In the case of Nail Technicians, such an organization does not exist. However, a nail technician certificate can be granted by beauty educators in Alberta. Do your research when choosing your training provider.

As mentioned above, nail tech instruction is not regulated. As a result, there is no “checklist” of what all instructors need to include in their curriculums.

However, licensed beauty educators are vetted by Alberta Education as private career colleges. They go through a rigorous process of getting their curriculums approved by industry leaders and peers.

While certification may not be as important to some people, it will be to others. For example, most employers want to see certification. Similarly, most clients will want their professional to be certified.

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EXECUTIVE SPA GROUP

EXECUTIVE SPA GROUP offers Beauty Industry Resources for business, career, and employment services to Albertans. Contact us to speak with our Career and Employment Consultant who can help you develop a career path that is right for you.

A little background information

Did you know that Alberta has over 50 designated trades? What sets these trades apart from other occupations is that they are directed by a board of directors who use the Skilled Trades and Apprenticeship Education Act to regulate the involved trades. This board consults with industry experts, for example, schools and employers, to establish and update certification requirements to meet the needs of employers (Tradesecrets, 2024).

The coolest amongst this group of trades is Hairstyling 😉  In the case of hairstylists, the board identifies the particular activities that hairstylists do, for example, cut, colour, perm, etc. These are called “restricted activities.” In other words, only people in the trade can perform those activities. Anyone performing or wanting to perform those activities must identify themselves either as a certified journeyperson, or as a sponsored apprentice with Apprenticeship and Industry Training (AIT).

This is done by either passing an exam to confirm that you meet industry standards, or registering as an apprentice after securing employment under the direct supervision of a certified journeyperson. You can also complete a designated occupational program, but then you still have to work the required hours, plus pass the exam.

Red Seal Endorsement

In Alberta, Hairstyling is considered a Red Seal Journeyman Trade. This means that hairstylists can earn a red seal certification after successfully passing an exam. The Red Seal Exam can be taken after proven certification based on education and hours worked in a salon.

Benefits of the Red Stamp of Approval

The Red Seal endorsement is recognized in Canada. Because it signifies higher standards have been met, employers look for it as an indication of the skill and competency level of potential employees.

Did you know?

In some trades uncertified individuals whose employers deem them to have the skills and competencies expected of a journeyperson are also authorized to perform restricted activities- hairstyling IS NOT one of them!

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LIST OF REFERENCES

Tradesecrets 2024, accessed 21 May 2024, <https://tradesecrets.alberta.ca/trades-in-alberta/learn-about-designated-trades>.

Tradesecrets 2024, accessed 21 May 2024, <https://tradesecrets.alberta.ca/trades-in-alberta/profiles/0424>.

Tradesecrets 2024, accessed 21 May 2024, <https://tradesecrets.alberta.ca/trades-in-alberta/profiles/0424/scope-of-profession/#restricted>.

Tradesecrets 2024, accessed 21 May 2024, <https://tradesecrets.alberta.ca/become-certified/interprovincial-red-seal/>.

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EXECUTIVE SPA GROUP 
Beauty Industry Resource Centre 
(780) 604-2772 
info@executivespagroup.com

What is the difference between licensed and accredited beauty training?

Licensed beauty trainers have been vetted by the appropriate governmental bodies. Licensed programs are monitored to ensure they provide students with quality training that meets industry standards. Licensing also ensures student rights and money are protected because they must follow a set of standards. Licensing is synonymous with accreditation in the sense that they are vetted by the appropriate governmental bodies.

On the other hand, designated beauty programs have been licensed to teach, plus more. They have been deemed eligible to participate in government student loan funding. Also, accredited beauty programs can accept international students.

Are all beauty industry programs accredited and/or licensed in Alberta, Canada?

When it comes to esthetics and other specializations that would fall under esthetics, for example, lash extensions, the sad truth is most are not. Esthetics is not regulated in Alberta, Canada. As a result, many estheticians or other beauty experts unknowingly share their knowledge without having the proper license to teach.

Cosmetology is licensed however. This results in enough options of licensed and accredited training providers to choose from.

What about unlicensed beauty courses or programs?

Beauty programs and courses by unlicensed beauty trainers are not necessarily worse in quality. In fact, licensing bodies are very clear that licensing is not an endorsement of any particular trainer or program. However, it is also very clear that licensed beauty programs are vetted to an extreme by their licensing bodies.

There is a positive aspect to unlicensed trainers: They keep the costs of training down. Make sure you do the vetting if you are going to receive training from an unlicensed beauty trainer. Like we stated above, ‘unlicensed’ is not synonymous with ‘worse’.

Benefits of Licensed and Accredited Beauty Training

Licensing provides many advantages for training providers, for the students who graduate from your courses and programs, and industries themselves.

It’s pretty clear how accreditation benefits students; They attend a school that offers payment options.  As for the beauty industry, employers benefit when they hire graduates from licensed schools that they can trust. When schools produce well-trained students, the quality level in the industry overall rises.

Consumer protection

Students can take their complaints to the governing body and find a resolution. Unlike attending a course that is not licensed, the most the student can do is leave a negative review on yelp!

An added incentive for students related to consumer protection is that licensed trainers often help them find jobs as part of the licensing agreement. Last year, 79% of licensed trainers helped graduates find jobs as part of their training.

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EXECUTIVE SPA GROUP

Beauty Industry Resources

How to Pay Employees

Congratulations on being ready to employ staff! This is a big step for your company. While it can be scary to put your company’s reputation in the hands of others, knowing your responsibilities as an employer can help ease your transition.

The first step to paying employees is to register for a CRA payroll account. This account will be linked to your Business Number (BN). To open your CRA account, you will need to complete a
RC1B form.

As an employer, you will need to submit the following forms to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA):

• TD1AB
• TD1

These forms are Personal Tax Credits Return forms that you have to give all new employees to complete. These forms help you determine what deductions you need to make from their paycheque.

What if employee is being paid hourly + commission?

It is common to pay beauty industry employees by commission, unless your employee is claiming expenses, the forms above will suffice.

Additionally, Alberta Employment Standards Code requires you to keep the following records for every employee:

**NOTE: Payroll records must be kept for at least 3 years from creation date.

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PAY SCHEDULE

At the end of each pay period, you must provide each employee with a statement of earnings that includes:

• regular and overtime hours of work;
• wage rate and overtime rate;
• earnings paid that show each component separately;
• deductions from earnings and the reason for each deduction;
• time off in lieu of payment of overtime; and
• statement period.

FYI- cash shortages can only be deducted from an employee IF:
1. the employee is the ONLY ONE with sole access to the cash
2. the employee authorizes the deduction in writing with the amount and date of shortage being deducted

If you plan to reduce any employee’s wage rate, overtime rate, general holiday pay, vacation pay or termination pay, the employee must be notified before the start of the pay period in which the reduction is to take effect.
Keep in mind, these rates must always be at least the minimum required by the legislated standards.

REMITTING TO THE CRA

You must remit to the CRA all deductions you made from an employee’s paycheque (federal and provincial income tax deductions, E.I. premiums, and CPP) before the 15TH of the month AFTER the month in which you made the deductions.

All remittances must be made in bulk for all of your employees.

You can use the Payroll Deductions Online Calculator (PDOC) to calculate payroll deductions. Paying employees is made easy with this tool!

ISSUING T4s

You must provide a T4 form to your employees ON or BEFORE the last day of February for the previous calendar year. This T4 contains information on the total CPP, E.I. premiums, and income tax deductions you made on your employees behalf for the previous calendar year.

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‘Cultivating the Beauty Industry’

Executive Spa Group
(780) 604 2772
info@executivespagroup