Guides by Saliem Talash
Practical guides by Saliem Talash, a Toronto-based founder who builds practical tools for small businesses and edits ZELR. Everyday tech, small-business routines, websites and the city, in one place. Each guide is prepared with AI assistance and says so on the page.
The index27
- On this site
- 18 guides
- Tools
- 3, free and CA$9
- Toronto, practically
- 6 field guides to the city
The city, everyday tech and small-business routines.
Step-by-step guides built on the official pages from the City of Toronto, Toronto Public Library, the Ontario Energy Board, Canada Post, Apple, Google, Microsoft and the Government of Canada, with every source linked.
No. 19 · Toronto
Nuit Blanche Toronto 2026: plan the night
Saturday, October 3, 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.: the all-night subway, the road closures, the Event Centre on Bay Street, the quiet hours before dawn, and a simple plan for seeing more art and less queue.
No. 18 · Toronto
What a free Toronto library card gets you
Streaming films and newspapers, free tpl:map passes to museums and attractions, an Ontario Parks pass, recording studios, 3D printers and musical instruments: what the card unlocks beyond books, and the rules for each.
No. 17 · Toronto
Picnics, BBQs and permits in Toronto parks
The 25-person line, the barbecue and coal rules, the fire pits you can book all year, the 55 parks where you can bring a drink, and what turns a picnic into a special event, from the City of Toronto.
No. 16 · Household money
Read your Ontario electricity bill, pick a plan
What each line on the bill pays for, Time-of-Use, Tiered and Ultra-Low Overnight side by side with the Ontario Energy Board’s own prices, and how to switch with one form to your utility.
No. 15 · Small business
Shipping with Canada Post as a small seller
The free Solutions for Small Business program and its holiday discounts, labels from Snap Ship, the box-size rule that sets the price, the four parcel services side by side, tracking, pickup and packing.
No. 14 · Small business
Back up your business email and files
Why the trash folder is not a backup, the exact windows Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 give you to undo a deletion, how to export everything, and a 3-2-1 routine a small team can keep.
No. 13 · Everyday tech
Set up Medical ID and Emergency SOS on your phone
How to put your allergies, medications and emergency contacts where a first responder can find them on a locked iPhone or Android phone, and how the emergency call shortcuts actually work.
No. 12 · Household money
Find and cancel the subscriptions you forgot about
A one-hour year-end sweep: where Apple and Google Play hide your subscriptions, what cancelling actually does, and how to stop a pre-authorized debit from your bank account in Canada.
No. 11 · Small business
What the CRA allows for staff gifts and parties
A $500 gift limit, a $150-per-person party limit, a gift card rule most people get wrong, and the six-event exception for meals. What the Canada Revenue Agency says, in plain language.
No. 10 · Everyday tech
Let your inbox sort itself in Gmail and Outlook
Five rules that move receipts, newsletters and notifications out of the way before you see them, plus unsubscribe, block and Sweep, with the exact steps from Google and Microsoft.
Websites, reviews and handoffs.
Short guides for launching, checking and handing over a small website, and for writing the notes that go with it.
No. 09Website review
Give every website check a stop condition
Keep routine website reviews useful without turning them into endless, low-value checking.
Read →No. 08Website maintenance
When a website link stops working
A practical recovery review for missing pages, retired downloads and outdated bookmarks.
Read →No. 07Product documentation
Write a small release note worth reading
Explain a product change through the problem it solves, its actual behaviour and its limits.
Read →No. 06Field guide
From a loose brief to a usable website handoff
One small project, four clear records: a practical walkthrough of the Website Project Workbook.
Read →No. 04Worksheet
Leave the next person a clear starting point
A free, printable website handoff worksheet: account ownership, routine edits, verification, open work and support.
Read →No. 03Checklist
Six checks before publishing a website
Six practical checks for a website that is ready to use, not only ready to look at.
Read →No. 02Product review
How to write a product issue someone can fix
A small structure for turning an observation into useful evidence.
Read →No. 01Interface design
A contact form is the start of a conversation
Design the request, the acknowledgement and the handoff together.
Read →Tools to use, not only read.
Built at ZOME: a free toolkit, a CA$9 workbook and a launch check you can tick on the page.
Tool 01Free
Website Launch & Handoff Toolkit
Editable worksheets for a website brief, a launch check, a handoff and an issue log, with a fictional worked example.
Read →Tool 02CA$9
Website Project Workbook
A browser-based workbook for one small website project: brief, launch review, issue record and owner handoff, with JSON save and restore.
Read →Tool 03On this site
The launch check
12 checks before a small website goes live. Tick them for real, and print them.
Read →Field guides to the city.
Six guides to living and working in Toronto, on a companion site, Toronto, practically.
No. 01Recreation
Get a spot in Toronto’s winter recreation programs
Source: City of Toronto.
Toronto, practically ↗No. 02Heat
Not enough heat in your rental: the 21°C rule
Source: City of Toronto.
Toronto, practically ↗No. 03Renewals
Renew a licence, health card and plate online
Source: Government of Ontario.
Toronto, practically ↗No. 04Gift cards
Selling gift cards in Ontario: rules, tax, tracking
Source: Ontario and the CRA.
Toronto, practically ↗No. 05Fair prices
A Black Friday sale without a fake discount
Source: Competition Bureau Canada.
Toronto, practically ↗No. 06Everyday design
Why doors, taps and light switches confuse us
Source: Don Norman, NN/g.
Toronto, practically ↗