CIDA press release on food security
Here is a CIDA press release on food security
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Can a Canadian non-profit earn a profit? CRA’s views on the subject
Can a Canadian non-profit under 149(1)(l) earn a profit. Does it matter if the profit is intentional and/or will be used to further the organization’s purposes? LANGIND E DOCNUM 2009-0337311E5 AUTHOR Zannese, Lisa DESCKEY 25 RATEKEY 2 REFDATE 091105 SUBJECT…
Maréchaux, F.M.E. v. The Queen (TCC) – leveraged donation scheme nixed by Tax Court of Canada
In Maréchaux, F.M.E. v. The Queen the case revolved around whether F. Max E. Maréchaux, was entitled to a charitable donation tax credit. Maréchaux is a lawyer at the law firm Miller Thomson LLP. http://www.millerthomson.com/index.cfm?cm=Employee&ce=details&primaryKey=16425 CRA had disallowed the…
Are charitable donations in Canada down in 2008? Depends how you define donation/legitimate charity
According to Statistics Canada total charitable donations in 2007 were $8,648,660,000 ($8.6Billion) and in 2008 $8,189,280,000 ($8.1B). I am not great at math but that seems to indicate a drop of about $450 million dollars. That is only part of…
Carol Goar asks interesting questions about use of volunteers in recent Toronto Star article
Carol Goar in her article “All dressed up and nowhere to volunteer” asks some interesting questions about why we are not adequately using volunteers. Hopefully the article will intensify the discussion on the point. Goar: All dressed up and nowhere…
CRA Charities Directorate Website Survey
CRA is asking those who visit their Charities and Giving Web pages which are geared towards donors and charities. You can take their survey at:
Russel v. Queen – Tax Court of Canada crushes abusive tax gifting schemes
Russel is an art donation case. However, it is more than that. It might be the beginning of the end of the abusive charity gifting tax shelters in Canada. This is now the fourth in a line of cases that…
Social Enterprise for Canadian Charities: Legal Compliance from A-Z in Toronto Nov 21, 2009
Social Enterprise for Canadian Charities: Legal Compliance from A-Z (9:00 AM – 5:00 PM) Saturday November 21, 2009 Charities are under increasing pressure to increase and diversify revenue. At the same time social enterprise offers a method to tackle complex…
Article by Lee Berthiaume on CIDA, Auditor General’s Report, Government Response and future of CIDA
Here is an interesting article by Lee Berthiaume in Embassy on CIDA
New UK Charity Commission online toolkit to help trustees manage risks to their charity
The first chapter of the online toolkit covers charities and terrorism. The next chapters will deal with Safeguarding charity funds; Safeguarding charities – people, property, reputation; and a case study archive (good practice examples from the sector for all chapters)…
Ontario PGT bulletin entitled Charitable Fundraising: Tips for Directors and Trustees.
The Ontario Public Guardian and Trustee has produced a charity bulletin entitled Charitable Fundraising: Tips for Directors and Trustees. In that bulletin they discuss fundraising requirements for charities that operate in Ontario. Here is the text of the bulletin: Information…
Faith Assemblies Mission International v. H.M.Q.
Another case involving a charity losing its charitable status. Another example of a very weak case being brought that just helps perpetuate bad case law involving charities. Date: 20091102 Docket: A-530-07 Citation: 2009 FCA 318 Coram: NOËL J.A. NADON J.A.…
What’s Wrong With Charitable Giving—and How to Fix It – very interesting WSJ article
Here is an interesting article on the US foundation sector that appeared recently in the Wall Street Journal entitled “What’s Wrong With Charitable Giving—and How to Fix It”
Auditor General Report on the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) out
Here is the 2009 Fall Report of the Auditor General of Canada and Chapter 8—Strengthening Aid Effectiveness—Canadian International Development Agency .
Charity Legal Compliance Risk Assessment Tool from the Charity Law Information Program
I recently prepared a Charity Legal Compliance Risk Assessment Tool for the Charity Law Information Program. It is available at the CLIP website. Hope you find it useful. Mark Blumberg is a lawyer at Blumberg Segal LLP in Toronto,…
Major updates forthcoming in Ontario for charity law including repeal of Ont. Charitable Gifts Act
The Ontario government has put forward a “Good Governance” bill – “The majority of the nearly 600 items included in the Good Government Act, 2009 were contributed to by 22 ministries and propose technical changes that would simplify government processes,…
The Voluntary Sector in Israel
Many Canadian charities are involved with supporting the voluntary sector in Israel. Here is some information on the voluntary sector in Israel. The Israeli Third sector At a Glance Israel Center for Third Sector Research at Ben Gurion University…
Donation from shady donor can be costly to charity
Interesting article entitled Charities Face Greater Threat From Ponzi Schemes Than Lost Investments The long and the short is that a charity that received a donation from a person who had obtained those funds either illicitly or the return on…
Criteria for Philanthropy at Its Best: Benchmarks to Assess and Enhance Grantmaker Impact
In March 2009, the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP) (www.ncrp.org) released the Criteria for Philanthropy at Its Best: Benchmarks to Assess and Enhance Grantmaker Impact. “The Criteria is the first ever set of measurable guidelines that will help foundations…
What role do the provinces play in regulation of charities in Canada?
Here is a good page of links on the CRA website entitled “What role do provincial and territorial governments play in the regulation of charities?”. Also see “Constitutional Jurisdiction Over Charities”.
Strengthening Governance, Ethical Standards and Financial Controls Presentation – CLIP
Here is the Charity Law Information Program (CLIP) presentation Strengthening Governance, Ethical Standards and Financial Controls. Production of this workshop and materials was made possible by a financial contribution from the Canada Revenue Agency. — Mark Blumberg is a lawyer…
CRA’s Foreign Activities Guidance and Dealing with Non-Qualified Donees Presentation
Here is the Charity Law Information Program (CLIP) CRA’s Foreign Activities Guidance and Dealing with Non-Qualified Donees, prepared by Mark Blumberg — Mark Blumberg is a lawyer at Blumberg Segal LLP in Toronto, Ontario. To find out more about legal…
CLIP Charity Compliance – A Primer for Boards presentation by Mark Blumberg
Here is a presentation I prepared for CLIP entitled Charity Compliance A Primer for Boards — Mark Blumberg is a lawyer at Blumberg Segal LLP in Toronto, Ontario. To find out more about legal services that Blumbergs provides to Canadian…
Charity Checklist – Managing Legal Compliance Risks Presentation in PDF – by Mark Blumberg
Here is the Charity Checklist – Managing Legal Compliance Risks presentation — Mark Blumberg is a lawyer at Blumberg Segal LLP in Toronto, Ontario. To find out more about legal services that Blumbergs provides to Canadian charities and non-profits please…