This memo outlines important dates for the upcoming year-end (as at March 31, 2021) by which pertinent information needs to be submitted to Finance and/or appropriate action needs to be taken. We need your strict adherence to these dates to complete the financial statements, external audit, Board and Ministry reporting in a stipulated and tight timeframe.

DEADLINES ARE TO BE INTERPRETED AS 4:30 P.M. OF THE DATE SPECIFIED

a) Procurement – Friday, January 15, 2021

It is strongly recommended that all Request for Proposal and related purchasing activities be initiated by the above date to ensure adequate time is allotted to complete the procurement cycle by year-end date. Reminder that goods must be received, and/or services must be rendered by March 31 to be recorded against the 2020-21 fiscal year budget.

b) Revenue Deferral – Friday, February 26, 2021

Requests for unearned revenue deferrals should be based on the anticipated year-end balance and must be made by submitting a Revenue Deferral Request Form to Hongliu Mo by the above date. Requests will be approved in accordance with accounting principles. The form identifies eligibility criteria.

c) New Fund, Org or Reporting Hierarchy Changes for the new fiscal year – Tuesday, March 23, 2021

Requests for new fund or org codes, or reporting hierarchy change requests should be submitted by March 23 to your Finance Liaison to be ready for the new fiscal year. This year, no new or change requests will be processed in Banner during the period from April 1 to April 30 as Finance completes year-end activities.

d) Accounts Receivable – Wednesday, March 24, 2021

All requests to invoice (external) customers for current fiscal year activities must be made by submitting a Request to Invoice form to accounts.receivable@humber.ca by the above date.

e) Interdepartmental Charges – Wednesday, March 31, 2021

All interdepartmental charges (i.e. Capital Works, Telephone, Graphics etc.) or journal entry requests for the current fiscal year must be submitted by the above date.

f) Purchase Card (MasterCard) – Wednesday, March 31, 2021

All purchase card transactions must be processed and approved in Chrome River by the above date.

It is important to note that until transactions are APPROVED in Chrome River, they are not transferred to and recorded in Banner. It is imperative that transactions are approved by the deadline to ensure they are recorded in Banner against the Fiscal 2020-21 budget. Any unapproved transactions will be recorded against next year’s budget. Please visit the Finance website Chrome River training documentation for a Job Aid on How to Approve P-Card Transactions.  

g) Banner Purchase Order Receiving – Wednesday, March 31, 2021

Banner receiving is an online acknowledgement that goods ordered or services rendered have been appropriately received and vendor invoice is approved for payment. Banner receiving must be completed for goods or services received by the above date.

If Banner receiving is not complete by the above deadline, expenses will be recorded against next fiscal year’s budget.

h) Vendor Invoices – Thursday, April 1, 2021

Vendor invoices must be emailed to Accounts Payable accounts.payable@humber.ca by the above date. Please note that Banner receiving must be complete by the date specified above (g); otherwise, the expense will be charged against next fiscal year’s budget.

Note:  Purchase orders with remaining balance of $100 (or less) and all standing orders for current year will be closed as of March 31, 2021 (i.e. not rolled over into the new fiscal year).

i) Travel & Expense Claims – Thursday April 1, 2021

Travel & expense claims must be emailed to Accounts Payable accounts.payable@humber.ca by the above date, otherwise they will be processed in the next fiscal year. Please visit our website www.humber.ca/finance for guidance on Travel & Expense Claims and the form.

j) Prepaid Expenses

As per accounting principles, payments made in the current fiscal year that relate to goods being received or services being rendered beyond March 31, 2021 date will be automatically charged to next fiscal year’s budget.

k) Payroll Timecards and Vacation Approval (HRMS) – Wednesday, March 31, 2021

All timecards for work performed in the current fiscal year and vacation planned for up to and including March 31, 2021 must be approved by the above date.   Further communication will be provided in March from HR/Payroll.

2021-22 Fiscal Year Readiness

Please note that effective March 1, 2021, the fiscal 2021-2022 budget will be available in Banner to process procurement related activities. Purchasing will host two refresher training sessions on Friday, February 19, 2021 from 10 a..m to 12 p.m. and Thursday, February 18, 2021 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. to review items such as creating standing orders. Please email purchasing@humber.ca to register for one of these two sessions.

Summary

We appreciate and thank everyone in advance for their cooperation. Please contact anyone on our Finance team if you have any questions on the above, or year-end activities in general.

Quick Reference Table of Year-end Deadlines

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in many Humber employees working from home to help minimize the spread of the virus, raising questions about how salaried employees affected by the new work conditions can claim work-space-in-the-home expenses and supplies deductions on their 2020 tax return.

In the past, one of the requirements by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) is that a T2200 form, Declaration of Conditions of Employment, must be completed and signed by an employer. This form enables the employee to claim certain employment related expenses (including workspace-in-the-home expenses and supplies deductions).

On December 15, 2020, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) announced new temporary COVID-19 guidelines regarding work-space-in-the-home expenses and supplies deductions for the 2020 tax year.

Employees can claim a deduction for work-space-in-the-home expenses and supplies deductions for the period that they worked from home, if they meet all of the following criteria:

• The employee worked from home in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, or the employer required the employee to work from home. Of note, even if the employee could have worked at their regular work location but chose to stay at home (with permission of their employer), the employee will be considered eligible for the deduction;
• The employee worked more than 50% of the time from home for a period of at least four (4) consecutive weeks in 2020;
• The employee has obtained a completed and signed form T2200S or form T2200 from the employer. This form is only applicable if the detailed method is used;
• The expenses were used directly in the employee’s work during the period.

Should you be eligible to claim work-space-in-the-home expenses and supplies deductions, and wish to do so, CRA has developed two (2) methods for you to choose from.

1. There is a Temporary Flat Rate Method, which does not require you to obtain a form T2200S from Humber. Using this method, you can claim up to a maximum of $400 in expenses. Click here to learn more about this method.
2. There is also the Detailed Method, which will require a form T2200S from Humber. Click here to learn more about this method.

For eligible employees who would like to choose the second (2.) option for Detailed Method to claim your expenses and deductions, we will be providing more information and instructions on the process to request a form T2200S by mid-January.

Please contact the HR Support Center if you have any questions regarding this communication.

Recipe from Erin: Creamy Mushroom Soup

Erin and is a first-year Food and Nutrition Management student. After working for the past five years in the QSR (Quick Service Restaurant) industry, she decided to return to school to transition to working in the healthcare foodservice industry.

Mushroom soup has been a staple in Erin's diet for years. She was first drawn to the recipe due to its simplicity and low cost but now she makes it often because her friends and family love it. It's rich and creamy and full of fibre and vitamin D. The hardest part of the recipe is waiting for the mushrooms to brown!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 stick of unsalted butter (1/4 cup)
• 2 packages of 454g of whole cremini mushrooms
• 2 small cooking onions
• 1 1/2 tbsp of all-purpose flour
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 8-10 sprigs of thyme or rosemary
• 1 carton of chicken broth (900 ml)
• 1 cup of water
• 1/2 cup of milk or cream (I used 18%)
• Black pepper and salt 
• Optional: Truffle Oil

Method:

1. Thoroughly wash mushrooms and onions under cold running water
2. Slice mushrooms, onions and garlic. Set aside
3. Melt butter in a large pan over medium-high heat
4. Add mushrooms and a pinch of salt. Mushrooms will give off a lot of liquid - our goal here is to let the water evaporate and then let the mushrooms brown in the pan. Turn the heat to medium once the liquid has evaporated. Stir throughout cooking
5. Once the mushrooms are golden brown, add in onions and cook till translucent
6. Stir in flour, cook for 1-2 mins
7. Add garlic, broth, water, and stir. Add thyme. Lower temperature to medium-low and allow to simmer for 30 mins. Remove thyme
8. Transfer to a blender and blend until smooth
9. Return to the pan and stir in milk/cream and add salt and pepper to taste
10. Ladle into bowls. Optional, drizzle with truffle oil

A Ministry of Colleges and Universities directive issued on December 4, 2020, placed limits on the number of students permitted in a learning space to 10 students. As a result of this and yesterday’s announcement regarding the provincial shutdown beginning at 12:01 a.m. on December 26, Humber, like other Ontario Colleges, has had to make scheduling changes in order to comply with the directive. This may include a date and/or time change to a class(es) or how a course is being delivered. 

Students, faculty and staff impacted by the 10-student limit have been notified by their respective program or faculty or will be notified by January 8, 2021. 

The 10-student limit and revised class schedules will remain in effect for the Winter 2021 semester, unless otherwise required by government or public health directives. 

The health and safety of our students, employees and the Humber community remain paramount. We are committed to working with the provincial government and local health authorities and adhering to health and safety requirements. 

Thank you for your understanding. Please email Andrew Leopold at andrew.leopold@humber.ca if you have any questions.