The CRA recently revoked the registered charity Divine Faith and Deliverance Assembly. I note it as the reasons for revocations were refreshingly mundane and not extraordinary and many charities could learn from the issues Some of the non-compliance includes: Failing…
Here is an article in the Globe and Mail entitled “Ontario universities promise funding guide amid Carleton donor backlash” which again discusses strings attached to major gifts. In the article it discusses how some universities will come together to discuss…
Here is a copy of a letter from the Charities Directorate to the Hindu Temple Society of Canada. It is interesting for a number of reasons in that it discusses penalties for making gifts to non-qualified donees and the imposition…
Lord Hodgson has now published the report of his Review, and it has been laid before Parliament. It is entitled “Trusted and Independent: Giving charity back to charities – Review of the Charities Act 2006”. There is also a report…
A UK law firm Farrer & Co recently published an article entitled “Tax reputation for high-profile individuals and corporations – being ‘legal’ is not enough”. Although it is a UK article it provides some important points for Canadians who are…
The new Ontario Not-for-Profit Corporations Act (ONCA) is targeted to be brought into force by the Ontario government January 1, 2013. Both the Ministry of Consumer Services (MCS) and the Ministry of Government Services (MGS) will share responsibility for the…
The Ontario government has released Background Information on the Ontario Not-for-Profit Corporations Act (2010). In the background they note that the “ONCA is targeted to come into force on January 1st, 2013”. Here is the information from the Ontario government:…
I am looking forward to giving a presentation with Lois Fleming of The Salvation Army on “Where do I start when leaving a legacy to a charity?”. This presentation is part of the CAGP Toronto Leave a Legacy Community Outreach…
The Charities Directorate of the Canada Revenue Agency occasionally releases information on the size of the charity sector using the T3010 Registered Charity Information Return. Here are two interesting charts which looks at 2009 and 2010 charity filings in terms…
Paul Waldie of the Globe and Mail just wrote an article “New scrutiny on charities snares Riddell foundation” which discusses a small penalty against the Riddell private foundation for owning too many shares under the excess business holdings rules for…
I recently had the pleasure of hearing Ross McMillan, President & CEO of Tides Canada, at the Economic Club on June 27, 2012. He spoke eloquently on the role of environmental charities and the current debate around Canadian charites involved…
With the recent release of two Canadian aid workers who were working for the Norwegian Refugee Council there has been discussion about whether Canadian charities or aid workers should work in places that are in the midst of conflict. Humanitarian…
Canada has sanctions against a number of countries. These countries include: Burma / Myanmar, Belarus, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Liberia, North Korea, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Egypt and Zimbabwe. Canadian…
Here is some great advice on some of the advantages and dangers of charities using social media as well as what you can do to mitigate such risk. First of all I should admit that I did not even know…
This CRA letter looks at “Whether a donation receipt can be issued by a charity to an individual who has agreed to donate wines and incur expenses in hosting a fundraising dinner on behalf of the charity, and to the…
The CRA has announced “The Application review process Web page has been updated to reflect the new procedures we follow when an applicant does not respond to our request for clarification or more information.” CRA is streamlining the application system…
The CRA recently released a press release that “Stéphane Saintonge, one of the promoters of an art-donation scheme to the municipality of Larouche in the Saguenay region, pleaded guilty to a tax evasion charge today before the Court of Quebec…
According to the Globe and Mail “An environmental charity at the centre of controversy surrounding political activism and foreign donations is taking the rare step of releasing a detailed account of grant recipients and international donors in an effort to…
The New Zealand Charities Commission role will be taken over by the New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs. As a cost cutting measure, the NZ Charity Commission will be “disestablished”. There is no question that the NZ Charities Commission in…
The CBC and various newspapers have articles on abuse of children by volunteers involved with Scouts Canada. CBC notes “A review of how Scouts Canada handled allegations of sexual abuse by its group leaders has found that dozens of cases…
The University of Virginia’s board recently, at the behest of some major donors, fired the President of the university. Slate magazine covers the story in detail entitled “Strategic Mumblespeak”. While there are many stories of donors excercising increasingly large influence…
Here is a recent report entitled “The impact of the public benefit requirement in the Charities Act 2006: perceptions, knowledge and experience”. It has been interesting to watch the public benefit discussion in the UK. It would not be a…
On the heels of an OECD report on CIDA, CIDA has published the 4th annual CIDA’s Development for Results 2010–2011 report. You can read the report at:
The New York Times discusses the conviction of Msgr. William J. Lynn, a former cardinal’s aide, in Philadelphia and describes it as “becoming the first senior official of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States convicted of covering up…