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Zane Caplansky speaks to reporters outside Caplansky’s, located on College Street in 2016. The location is now shuttered after a dispute over who should pay for repairs in various areas of the building.Fred Lum

How the tables turned on Zane Caplansky, Toronto's deli king

In May, 2016, when the new location of Caplansky's Deli opened in Toronto's upscale Yorkville neighbourhood, restaurateur Zane Caplansky heralded it as the next step in his ambitious quest for "global deli domination." The Yorkville restaurant, a spinoff of his College Street location, featured a self-serve mustard and pickle bar and a vintage meat slicer for cutting the deli's signature smoked meat.

Following the humorous branding of Mr. Caplansky's other endeavours, the floor tiles had kitschy sayings on them like "Don't forget the chutzpah" and "Be the sandwich you want to eat."

The new Yorkville location was intended to be the start of a national roll out of Caplansky's franchises. In partnership with retail branding legend Joe Jackman, Mr. Caplansky was offering franchises for $350,000 to $500,000, and estimated he would sell 10 that year. The timing seemed good. In the weeks that followed, the deli got buzz when TV personality Anthony Bourdain visited a Caplansky's outlet at the airport, and again when the touring pop star Beyoncé ordered $3,500 worth of food. Full story

Budget 2018: top takeaways for small businesses

Here are the key items in the 2018 federal budget to which small businesses should pay close attention, as well as a couple of areas in which the government decided to remain notably silent. Full story

Small businesses with large passive investment income to be taxed more

The federal government is overhauling the way it taxes investment income generated inside small businesses - changes that will eventually raise almost $1-billion a year in additional tax revenue. Full story (Globe subscribers)

Federal budget 2018: Ottawa boosts support for female entrepreneurs

Ottawa is boosting support for female entrepreneurs in a budget that also boosts aid to innovative early-stage firms – despite slashing the number of related federal funding programs. Full story (Globe subscribers)

MasterCard taps Toronto startup's technology to accelerate insurance-claim payments

Dream Payments Corp. is teaming up with MasterCard International Inc. to speed up the long wait for insurance-claim cheques and clearances faced by people making claims. Full story (Globe subscribers)

NWT entrepreneur aims to keep toes warm, give Indigenous youth jobs and protect nature

Chipewyan Dene founder of Aurora Heat had parents who were trappers. When her father died, she started the fur hand and foot warmer company in part to continue the trapper tradition Full story

'An unmitigated, long-term disaster': Toronto start-ups fearful of potential Amazon HQ2

The announcement of Toronto being shortlisted in one of the most lucrative competitions in the tech world has sent waves across Canada's largest city. Full story

'Whopping new payroll tax' a burden to B.C. businesses, says CFIB

The budget  unveiled by the provincial government on Tuesday is a mixed bag for businesses, according to the Canadian Federation of Independent Business. Full story

Federal budget's simpler plan to tax passive income likely to calm small business outcry

The small business tax revolt that rocked Canadian politics for much of last year has resulted in a simpler and scaled-back proposal for taxing passive investment income, and it appears likely to calm the concerns from tax experts. Full story

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