The Canadian Jewish News (CJN) published an article today by reporters Ellin Besner and Jonathan Rothman, “Read about why JNF Canada lost charitable status after a decade of problems“. We received last week from CRA a copy of the Notice…
I recently noticed that the Charities Directorate has a privacy impact assessment dealing with information that the Charities Directorate maintains and uses. Needless to say, the Charities Directorate has some sensitive information, for example, relating to ineligible individuals and information…
It is very important that Canadian registered charities are on the CRA My Business Account (MyBA) and using the system. The first step is to get on the MyBA system. Some groups find it challenging. This upcoming CRA webinar may…
This new course, “Should Our Non-Profit Become a Canadian Registered Charity and if so, how?” discusses when it may be advantageous, or not, for a Canadian non-profit that has already been established to apply for registered charity status with the…
We have a new course, “Should Our Non-Profit Become a Canadian Registered Charity and if so, how?”. It discusses when it may be advantageous or not for a Canadian non-profit that has already been established to apply for registered charity…
The CRA has released an updated or “finalized” version of Guidance CG-032, Registered charities making grants to non-qualified donees (PDF)) today. As with all CRA guidance, it is subject to review and changes. We will be writing about and presenting…
Applying to be a registered charity in Canada is not just getting another number from CRA, like opening a payroll account or HST account. Many people know this, but unfortunately, many don’t. Having 10 lawyers who just work with non-profits…
CRA has new page dealing with incorporation documents. It is helpful in that it provides information on different options that are available in Canada. They also highlight “that some provinces have incorporation provisions or incorporation guidelines that may be problematic…
I recently was provided with a copy of a letter that a secular humanist group received from the Charities Directorate of CRA. I asked if I could post the letter anonymously, and they agreed. Essentially the secular humanist group, I…
Canada has a unique and generous system to help foreign universities fundraise in Canada. Unfortunately, most foreign universities are not aware of this system. Here is our article on Foreign Universities Applying to be Registered Universities outside Canada: What we…
As part of CRA’s online services for registered charities through the MyBA system, CRA had previously added an online progress tracker feature for certain online submissions. This feature was mostly inactive last year, but with the new year, it appears…
The list of municipal or public bodies performing a function of government in Canada registered as qualified donees has now increased to 555 entities. These groups, which are largely Indigenous bands but also other organizations, can issue official donation receipts…
As we have noted before in our blog on November 28, 2022, entitled Statement by the Canada’s Taxpayers’ Ombudsperson on CRA examination will be significantly hindered by the confidentiality provisions of the ITA relating to charities, Canada’s Taxpayers’ Ombudsperson will…
The Charities Directorate of CRA has released draft guidance for “Registered charities making grants to non-qualified donees“. (PDF) The CRA is requesting public feedback on the guidance by January 31, 2023. This guidance relates to the Federal Budget 2022 and…
Today the CBC published an article, “Mormon Church in Canada moved $1B out of the country tax free — and it’s legal“. Tonight on The Fifth Estate, there was a report on the same topic. The article reviewed gifts from…
We just launched a new course titled Objects/Purposes for Canadian Charities and Changes to Your Objects This course will discuss the importance of objects for a registered charity and will be particularly relevant in three circumstances: 1. When you are a…
The New York Times recently published an article “76 Fake Charities Shared a Mailbox. The I.R.S. Approved Them All.” It is an important article in that it illustrates some of the tremendous problems in the US charity system. It is…
Here is our article Gifts by Canadian Charities to the Registered Foreign Universities in 2019. In this article, we will look at funding of registered foreign universities that are qualified donees by Canadian registered charities. We recently reviewed the T3010…
Finally, the “CRA Guidance Protection of the Environment and Charitable Registration” is available to the public. This 2014 version obtained through ATIP is the first non-redacted version of the guidance available to the public. Previously, only the footnotes were available…
Here is the CRA Guidance Purposes Not Furthered which discusses when CRA would register a charity when with respect to some purposes there may not be enough information. Essentially, it sets out the risk assessment that CRA would use. CRA…
Here is CRA Guidance on Credit Counselling. The document was obtained through access to information and privacy. The guidance “discusses considerations for assessing whether credit counselling services further charitable purposes and meet other requirements of the Income Tax Act. It…
The CRA recently published their annual “Report on the Charities Program 2020 to 2021″. (PDF) Here are some comments: The Minister of National Revenue states: “To continue building and maintaining public trust in the charities regulator and the charitable sector,…
Let’s start with the most obvious. Canadian individuals and corporations can donate to numerous Canadian registered charities that are dealing with the situation in Ukraine and neighbouring countries. Here are examples of some of the groups: Canadian Red Cross Society…
Here are some suggestions for donating to a Canadian charity in a disaster such as we are seeing in Ukraine. You might also find our article Helping Ukraine deal with the humanitarian crisis caused by the Russian invasion helpful. Select…