The 2010 Fall Report of the Auditor General of Canada has been released and Chapter 7 deals with Registered Charities and the Canada Revenue Agency. The audit report is positive. The report suggests some areas for changes or improvements. Here…
Here is a copy of the Blumbergs Canadian Charity Law List newsletter for October 2010. Blumbergs Newsletter Blumbergs Canadian Charity Law List – October 2010 1) Upcoming Charity Law Seminars across Canada with Mark Blumberg or CLIP It is important…
CIDA today released further information on its third and last priority theme:Sustainable Economic Growth. CIDA had previously discussed food security and children and youth. Here is the CIDA press release: Minister Oda unveils CIDA’s Sustainable Economic Growth Strategy October…
Cathy Hawara, previously Acting Director General, has now been appointed Director General of the Charities Directorate of the CRA, effective October 5, 2010. This is very good news as we will have some greater stability at the Charities Directorate. She…
The Ontario Not-For-Profit Corporations Act received Royal Assent on October 25, 2010. Here is a copy of the Explanatory Notes and the Ontario Not-For-Profit Corporations Act. Ministry News Here is a press release from October 19, 2010: Strengthening Ontario’s Not-For-Profit…
Here is an interesting article by Kevin Donovan of the Toronto Star entitled “Charity boss hires own firm to fundraise” in which he describes some of the dealings at the Oshawa Hospital Foundation. There is also a response by the…
I am going to be involved with a number of informal “Charity Chats” over the next few months. The first one is going to be on “Media Coverage of Charities and Fundraising Rules”. The description is “The media has recently…
The “William J. Clinton Foundation” has been added as a qualified donee in the “Attachment to IC84-3R, Gifts to Certain Charitable Organizations Outside Canada”. IC84-3R is of currently 13 organizations. However many of those organizations have not in the last…
Here is a Pre-Budget Submission to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance entitled “Canadians demand more transparency in non-profit and charitable sector” by Blumberg Segal LLP. For more information on transparency and the Canadian charitable sector see www.globalphilanthropy.ca…
Here are some comments from attendees to my recent presentations on receipting. The Dos and Don’ts of Charitable Receipting “I learned a lot of great info that i didn’t know before.” “Extremely knowledgeable and humorous presenter” “Enjoyed responses to questions…
I will be presenting 2 workshops in Ottawa on November 3rd with Volunteer Ottawa- one on “Top CRA Compliance Issues for Canadian Registered Charities and their Directors” and the second workshop on “Foreign Activities by Canadian Charities – CRA’s new…
At the upcoming 2010 AFP Greater Toronto Congress I will be on a panel to discuss “The Great Debate: Charity Ratios and Ranking” The Great Debate: Charity Ratios and Ranking Thursday, December 2 9:00AM – 11:45AM Speakers Dan Pallotta,…
If you are a bit greedy and thinking of investing in charity gifting tax shelters here is a good article in the Winnipeg Free Press by David Christianson that is worth reading entitled “Make sure tax shelter doesn’t break CRA…
Here is an excerpt from an article entitled “Debunking Charity Salary Myths” from the American Institute of Philanthropy. This article is particularly relevant to the discussions in Canada about what is appropriate compensation for non-profit employees and Bill C-470. The…
An article appeared in the Edmonton Journal October 4, 2010 entitled “Charity tax-avoidance scheme entices many: Those trying to save money with such shelters are ‘damn fools’: lawyer”. The article refers to “slick” promoters “Participants are lured by the…
The Accessibility Standards for Customer Service Regulation has been in force since January 1, 2010 for some major charities in Ontario including hospitals, schools, municipalities and certain public sector organizations. For business and charities that have one or more employees…
Monday, October 4, 2010 is World Habitat Day. “In December 1985, the United Nations General Assembly declared the first Monday of October to be World Habitat Day in recognition of the state of human settlements and the basic need for…
I will be presenting at the 4th Annual Risk Mitigation & Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in Africa and Emerging Markets conference in Toronto. My topic will be “Selecting and Working with Canadian Charities as CSR Partners”. Here is the 4th…
I will be speaking at the Community Foundation of Greater Peterborough Philanthropy Forum 2010 on “Fundraising and Receipting Compliance Issues for Registered Charities” on Tuesday, November 16, 2010. Workshop 2 A: Fundraising and Receipting Compliance Issues for Registered Charities Description…
The Not-for-Profit Organizations Task Force of the Risk Oversight and Governance Board of the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants has released a submission on Bill C-470. Here is the full submission and also below are the summary and conclusion. …
Here is a press release from the CRA entitled “Canada cracks down on unreported offshore account holders”. You might wonder ‘what does this have to do with charities?’ Well we all know that offshore accounts in some tax havens (“secrecy…
Here is CIDA’s “Report to Parliament on the Government of Canada’s Official Development Assistance 2009-2010”. It is 47 pages long and provides some details on Canada’s official development assistance (ODA) or “foreign aid” activities. This is the second report under…
Here is a press release reminding Canadians that the Pakistan Flood Relief Fund matching period ends October 3 Pakistan Flood Relief Fund Matching Period Ends October 3 September 30, 2010 Ottawa, Ontario – The Honourable Beverley J. Oda, Minister…
Recently the Canadian government announced changes to the Lobbying Act to include “all members of Parliament, senators and senior staff in the offices of the Leader of the Opposition, both in the House of Commons and the Senate” as designated…