“We have known Pam Toutant for 11 years. She has been on the board as Secretary-Treasurer since our beginning in 2009. Her help in preparing the application for our Charitable Number was greatly appreciated.
Through her company, Toutant Business Services, she provides regular monthly bookkeeping and administrative services to our Outreach. As Secretary, she takes the minutes at our monthly board meeting. As Treasurer, she provides comprehensive financial statements to our members. At year-end, we rely on her preparation of our Charity Return (T3010) and the HST rebate from CRA. She also does our personal tax returns. In the past, Pam would help people with their tax returns and tax problems free of charge to those in need. This year she will be responsible for correspondence to local businesses in order to tell them about our ministry. Local Grant applications for funding are also part of her service to Living for Jesus.
I can tell you that she is one of the most loving, reliable and caring people we know. She has always been a phone call away. We do not worry about anything knowing that she has everything under control concerning our books and our Outreach Ministry. We highly recommend Pam for accounting, tax preparation and many areas of business.”
Rev. Jim and Pat Woolcott,
Living for Jesus Outreach Ministries, Orillia, ON
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“I first met Pamela in 2007 through the Self Employment Benefits Program. Pamela shone above the rest, due to her bubbly personality, and her eagerness to do well at her business. Her business slogan “Your lifesaver in a sea of paper” said it all. I would only trust my bookkeeping and tax preparation to Pamela. Since that time, we have developed a wonderful trusting business relationship, while she has guided and helped me with my business taxes and bookkeeping for my business called Lake of Bays Travel.
Pamela has also used my travel services and has also sent other clients to me over the years. Even though Pamela went through some severe health issues, she continued to manage her clients and did not let anyone down. Through the years she has given back to the community by offering free tax clinics to those who could not afford to pay, and also has helped in the religious community in Orillia.
When you meet Pamela, she is always hosting a smile, and she is always there to help.”
Carol Campbell,
Lake of Bays Travel
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“My first memory of Pamela Toutant was the excellent presentation she gave to our SEBs group on simplifying small business bookkeeping, back when I too was going through the SEBs program (as it was called back then). I was struck by her warmth, positive attitude and obvious desire to help her fellow small business classmates succeed – something I now know is a consistent part of her generous personality. This was no ordinary presentation – she shared her best tips and secrets with a packed conference room with clarity and enthusiasm, and we left the room inspired, educated and encouraged.
I was also struck by her motto: “Your Lifesaver in a Sea of Paper “. It made me think of the average small contractor in our area, with a truck stuffed and littered with random receipts. I was impressed that she had so perfectly identified her target market and fitted her services easily and exactly to their lifestyles, habits and needs rather than doing what 99% of all bookkeepers do in my experience (demand the client conform).
When I began using Pamela as my bookkeeper in 2007, it did not take me long to realize that she really IS a lifesaver for clients who feel they are floundering in oceans of paper (particularly at tax time!) My area of expertise is on the creative end of the scale, so she was certainly my lifesaver. The nature of my business has changed twice since I joined SEBs, and Ms. Toutant has had no difficulty keeping up with that.
She is also the most organized, focused, shrewd and knowledgeable businesswoman I have ever met. She has continued to provide tips, advice and services and is the most reliable financial professional I have ever dealt with. She is as knowledgeable as a chartered accountant, with a broad area of business expertise, and I wish I had known of her effective collection skills back when I was general manager of The Independent News in the 1980s.
I have especially appreciated the breadth and depth of Pamela Toutant’s knowledge as I have dealt with the tax nuances and contradictions of freelance work, particularly dealing with U.S. clients. During my dealings with Pamela Toutant, I have also been struck by her flexibility and generosity. In the midst of battling cancer, she was busy helping non-profit agencies but always provided a friendly, knowledgeable ear to clients.
In short, Pamela Toutant began “paying it forward” before she ever graduated from SEBs. It is a joy to see her healthier than ever, back to her regular outgoing, glowing self.”
Marya Miller, copywriter
MaryaMiller.ca
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