Perhaps that includes some fees for lawyers and things of that ilk? You can go to a lot of those web sites and get incorporated for much cheaper.

Never having done this before, though, I don't know what the difference is between an el cheapo site, an expensive law firm, or much of anything else.

That must be it. I incorporated my dad's company as a sole-proprietor and it was dirt cheap. I am guessing the process gets complicated when more than one founder is involved. Blood thirsty lawyers!

If you're in Canada, and you set up a sole proprietorship for your dad, then you didn't incorporate it. Corporations and sole proprietorships are mutually exclusive categories of companies. Setting up a sole proprietorship is as easy as going to a business kiosk and filling out some forms.

Setting up a sole proprietorship is as easy as going to a business kiosk and filling out some forms.

I think in BC you don't even need to register if you use your own name, so it's completely free (money/bureaucracy).

That is also true in Ontario, Canada; you are not required to incorporate if you're using your own name for the business.

You're using the word "incorporate" incorrectly, which was my original point. To incorporate means to start a corporation. Therefore, registering a sole-proprietorship is, by definition, not incorporation.

The more general term is "register", which applies to the three forms of business: sole-proprietorships, partnerships, and corporations.

What you're thinking of is a business name registration. If you do business as your exact name, you don't need to register a name. If you make more than, $30k (I think), then you do need to register for a GST number.

I'm curious about that whole aspect of things. At this point, they must have it down to some sort of a formula. What kinds of variables are there? Stock, board of directors? They've got to have something of a cookie cutter by now...