Here are some of the upcoming FREE Charity Law Information Program (CLIP) webinars on appropriate receipting and fundraising with links to the registration pages that I will be delivering. The CLIP program of Capacity Builders is supported by a contribution…
In this procedural motion dealing with the case of Lipson v. Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP. 2011 ONSC 2668 the court deals with a proposed class action and certain summons that had been served by the Defendant Cassels Brock &…
Here is a third article in a series by David Baines of the Vancouver Sun on Vancouver charity lawyer Blake Bromley. It deals with the revocation of the registered charity Prescient Group. Here is the full article from the Vancouver…
According to an article in the Ottawa Citizen on May 8, 2011 a Canadian charity that was recently revoked, was revoked because of involvement with terrorism. On globalphilanthropy.ca we noted on April 21, 2011 that the WORLD ISLAMIC CALL SOCIETY…
Reporter David Baines of the Vancouver Sun has written another article on Blake Bromley entitled “Vancouver ‘expert’ in charity law says CRA is targeting his clients”. For the full article see: Vancouver ‘expert’ in charity law says CRA is targeting…
Here is a CRA letter on whether a campus minister with the Navigators of Canada is eligible for the clergy residence deduction pursuant to paragraph 8(1)(c) of the Income Tax Act (the “Act”)? PRINCIPAL ISSUES: Is a campus minister with…
Here is a CRA letter on payments by non-profits to members and students and how it may affect status PRINCIPAL ISSUES: 1. How are certain payments to members taxed and what are the reporting requirements of the organization in respect…
Here is a CRA letter on the clergy residence deduction not being available for a Rabbi working for an organization that is primarily a community services organization. PRINCIPAL ISSUES: Whether a Rabbi, who is an employee of the XXXXXXXXXX (the…
Here is a quite a helpful recent CRA letter confirming that orgs that are unregistered charities do not qualify for the tax exemption provided by paragraph 149(1)(l) as NPOs. There are big differences between non-profits and registered charities. People are…
Many UK charities are interested in fundraising from Canada. Canadians donate approximately $13 billion to charity every year. As well, many UK charities are looking at accessing Canadian Foundation and Canadian federal or provincial government funds. There are many options…
President Obama announced on TV tonight that Osama Bin Laden is dead. With the death of the most high-profile terrorist it could result in a further decline in Al Qaeda’s fortunes or it could result in a resurgence of retaliatory…
While Canadians are debating whether there has been a drop in donations in Canada (I say not when you exclude reductions in abusive schemes) while others say perhaps a 5% drop in donations, there was a shocking article recently in…
It looks like the Vancouver Sun is doing another series on Blake Bromley and his use of charities. The article is entitled “Charitable donation expert says he heeds law, not CRA ‘technical rulings”. I think there are a few concerns…
The CRA issued a press release reminding Canadian taxpayers that of the “Taxpayer Relief Provisions for Canadian taxpayers affected by natural disasters outside Canada”. Canada Revenue Agency News release Taxpayer Relief Provisions for Canadian taxpayers affected by natural disasters outside…
4 class action lawsuits dealing with abusive charity gifting tax schemes have been commenced by various law firms and the defendants include a number of law firms.. Now the law firm Scarfone Hawkins LLP is looking into the possibility of…
Here is the Blumbergs Canadian Charity Law List for April 2011 – lots of interesting legal and ethical issues in the Canada charity sector and elsewhere. Blumbergs Newsletter Blumbergs Canadian Charity Law List – April 2011 Misuse of Charity Assets…
Here is a list of Canadian Charities Recently Revoked by CRA for cause -April 2011. The list also has the names of the directors of those charities. Charities that are concerned about their reputations may want to think twice before…
The update on the CNCA is that there is no update. On February 16, 2011 Marcie Girouard, Director General of Corporations Canada, and Coleen Kirby, Manager of the Policy Section, spoke in Toronto about the Canada Not-for-profit Corporations (CNCA). Coleen…
Here is a on whether a Canadian registered charity that is a public foundation can borrow money to pay for equipment to be used in charitable activities CRA advanced tax ruling in French Here is the actual CRA letter in…
The International Relief Fund for the Afflicted and Needy Canada (IRFAN-Canada) has had its registered charity status revoked for failing to keep adequate books and records of its foreign activities. They had their receipting privileges suspended last year because according…
I will be co-presenting for Canadian Association of Gift Planners Greater Toronto Area RoundTable on June 13th at 1:30 – 3:00 p.m. on “You Don’t Need to be Rich to be a Philanthropist: Making an impact with your charitable giving”…
Here are some free archived webinars – each approximately 1 hour in length on Canadian charities and foreign activities. If your charity conducts foreign activities these webinars will help in understanding some of the compliance issues. Free Archived Webinars on…
I will be presenting to The Canadian Institute’s Advanced Forum on Government Relations and Lobbying a presentation on “Charities and Lobbying: Ensuring the Sector’s Views are Heard on Funding and Policy” on June 8, 2011. This is a two day…
The Charity Law Information program has posted various videos at These videos came from a conference entitled “Being Good and Doing Good” which was held in Toronto in 2010. Here is a little blurb on the Charity Law Information…