The CRA just put out a press release entitled “The Canada Revenue Agency revokes the charitable status of the Canadian Foundation for Tamil Refugee Rehabilitation”. The Canada Revenue Agency revokes the charitable status of the Canadian Foundation for Tamil…
Here are the CRA’s “Program areas and field codes” for the T3010 Registered Charity Information Return and the TF725 Registered Charity Basic Information Sheet (BIS). These codes are needed when you are completing the T3010. As well they are useful…
The new Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act (CNCA) is in force as of October 17, 2011. Industry Canada has placed hundreds of pages of information on the new act on their website in over 70 different documents. We have tried to…
In Lipson v. Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP, 2011 ONSC 6724, Perell J. of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in a well written and fascinating judgement dismissed the Lipson class action claim against Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP as…
Charity Central, based in Edmonton, has released a series of resources entitled Road to Accountability to help Canadian charities deal with the issues of accountability and transparency. Here is a description from the their website: “Road to Accountability, a project…
The US Chronicle of Philanthropy has written an article entitled “Controversy Over Drug Values at Aid Groups: A Look at a Key Player” – it has some discussion on valuation schemes in the Canadian context. Here is the Chronicle of…
David Baines of the Vancouver Sun just wrote an article dealing with the VIA Project entitled “Ontario company pitching controversial charitable donation scheme in Victoria: Canada Revenue Agency has disallowed similar ‘buy low, donate high’ schemes” Here is a link…
The CRA has just released another letter on the issue of whether a non-profit that is not a registered charity qualifies as a non-profit as opposed to being a for-profit taxable entity. This letter covers “Does a Hall Charities Association…
I recently gave a presentation to the Law Society of Upper Canada’s 14th Annual Estate and Trust Summit providing the Charity Law Update. Here is a copy of my slides. Here is a copy of my paper Charity Law Update…
Today the Toronto Star posted an article entitled “Audit of charities encounters resistance”. I think that it is very important that there be transparency about charities and I have written quite a bit on the subject. Charities must be transparent…
The Toronto Star has written about a Canadian charity named HEDAC in an article entitled “Toronto charity goes from zero to $60M in a year” Toronto charity goes from zero to $60M in a year November 16, 2011 10:11:00…
Another Canadian charity has been revoked involvement with “abusive charity gifting tax shelters”. [Update] Here is a copy of various letters from CRA to The Malvern Rouge Valley Youth Services. November 15, 2011 10:39 ET The Canada Revenue Agency…
Here is a program we are putting on entitled “Trends in U.S.-based Global Grantmaking” with Andrew Ho of the US Council on Foundations. [update below] Trends in U.S.-based Global Grantmaking Charitable foundations and philanthropists in the United States are increasingly…
It seems that the Australians are also suffering from some of the tax schemes that have plagued Canada. The Australian Tax Office notes “Examples of tax schemes Tax schemes often involve a series of complex transactions. They may also involve…
The CRA has just released its Consultation on Proposed Guidance on Arts Organizations and Charitable Registration under the Income Tax Act. The link is here: The summary from the consultation draft is: Summary 1. The Canada Revenue Agency’s Charities…
The CRA released on November 1 a bulletin on the new Canada Not-for-Profit Corporations Act (CNCA). Charities Connection is an electronic publication that gives registered charities information on technical issues, new guidance and policy changes, CRA initiatives, and reminders.…
The Globe and Mail is doing a number of articles on giving and philanthropy this week. For example Paul Waldie wrote a piece entitled “For Canada’s charities, this is a time of crisis and a moment of opportunity” There…
Here is a copy of the Regulatory Impact Analysis Statement for the Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act (CNCA). This document prepared by Industry Canada provides some interesting background and information on the Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act (CNCA).
The CRA has placed some new web pages about the CNCA on its website. Here is the relevant link: There will be additional CRA information such as newsletters on the subject. Also Industry Canada has placed hundreds of…
The official version of the regulations under the Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act will not be available until the next edition of the Canada Gazette Part II and should be on the Justice Canada website within a few weeks thereafter. Here…
The Charity Tribunal in the UK delivered a decision on public benefit and private schools which will affect almost a thousand UK private schools that have charitable status. This will be of interest to Canadian private schools that are registered…
I will be presenting on Partnering with Charities for Effective CSR. Here is a brochure on the the Canada-Southern Africa Chamber of Business seminar entitled Risk Mitigation and CSR in Africa and Emerging Markets.
Here is a copy of the Blumbergs Canadian Charity Law List – October 2011. To sign up and receive monthly updates go to FEATURED 1) Industry Canada announces that on Monday October 17, 2011 Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act (CNCA)…
The long awaited Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act will come into force on October 17, 2011. Until October 16 the current legislation (the Canada Corporations Act) can be used for incorporation but as of October 17, 2011 only the new Federal…