“Buffett says the rich should give back both in taxes and philanthropy. “They may think they did it all by themselves, but the society has done an awful lot for them,” he says. “So you ought to have a taxation…
Here are the flyers for Financial Management for Non-Financial People with Eric Plato in Toronto and Oshawa
I am in the midst of attending the PFC annual conference in Calgary. There have been some very interesting speakers and discussions for foundations. Here are some ideas for foundations to consider in dealing with the tough economic times: 1)…
Here is a link to some upcoming Canada Revenue Agency webinars
Here are some upcoming charity law, governance and internal controls workshops I am delivering in Calgary and Edmonton. Calgary Foreign Activities Brochure, Calgary Charity Law Workshops Brochure, and Edmonton Charity Law workshops Brochure. See all upcoming workshops and webinars. —…
The purpose of the proposed “Corporate Accountability of Mining, Oil and Gas Corporations in Developing Countries Act” is to “ensure that corporations engaged in mining, oil or gas activities and receiving support from the Government of Canada act in a…
I will be making a presentation on Legal Structures for Canadian Companies Carrying out CSR Abroad at the Risk Mitigation and CSR in Africa Seminar which will be held in Toronto on Thursday October 22, 2009. This full-day seminar is…
According to their site “One World Trust, a London based think tank, has launched a portal on civil society self-regulation which includes a database listing over 320 initiatives (codes of conduct, certification schemes, working groups, self-assessments and information services) across…
The UK Charity Commission has published an interesting report entitled Charities Back on Track 2008-09 which looks at various investigations involving UK charities and “financial mismanagement, trustee duties and responsibilities, vulnerable beneficiaries, and inappropriate political activities and campaigning.” The number…
Here is the OECD Money Laundering Awareness Handbook for Tax Examiners and Tax Auditors. As the OECD website notes: “Criminals accumulate significant sums of money by committing crimes such as drug trafficking, human trafficking, theft, investment fraud, extortion, corruption,…
The Charities Directorate of CRA has just announced that Canadian Charities can receive easier access to their info with CRA My Business Account (MyBA) access. CRA on their website notes: My Business Account My Business Account (MyBA) is a secure…
If you are looking for software for a Canadian charity that also prepare the T3010B Registered Charity Information Return you may find this link at the CRA website helpful The link is of a “List of companies authorized to…
CRA on October 7, 2009 updated the status of the “Small and Rural Charities Initiative (SARC)”. Although 2/3 of Canadian charities are “small” (under 100,000 in income) or “rural” (by postal code) the SARC initiative has resulted in some very…
CRA has posted a piece on “Avoiding common mistakes when filing the T3010B return” at Here is a copy of the full document which is located at: Avoiding common mistakes when filing the T3010B return Mistakes can cause…
Vern Krishna, a very respected Canadian tax lawyer, a few months ago provided an interesting affidavit on the lawsuit against Fraser Milner Casgrain and others with respect to the Banyan Tree Foundation at All allegations have yet to…
Here is an article entitled “Foreign Contractors of Canadian Registered Charities Carrying Out the Canadian Charity’s Projects – A Very Simplified View of the Process” that I wrote for the Capacity Builders Charity Law Information Program (CLIP) Mark Blumberg…
Here is an article entitled “CRA’s Consultation on Foreign Activities: What is New and Interesting with Canadian Charities Conducting Foreign Activities” that I wrote for the Capacity Builders Charity Law Information Program (CLIP) Mark Blumberg is a lawyer at Blumberg…
Any humanitarian relief organization that will operate in a conflict or post-conflict area should review “The Do No Harm Handbook (The Framework for Analyzing the Impact of Assistance on Conflict) which is located at: “ Mark Blumberg is a lawyer…
I am compiling a list of statistics relating to Canadian charites. Perhaps the best information on Canadian charities comes from the T3010 database. A number of authors have analyzed the information in the T3010 although they have just touched the…
I have started a small twitter channel at or It will focus on Canadian charity law issues and especially educational efforts to inforrm charities of their legal obligations.
The CRA has recently removes Guide RC4108, Registered Charities and the Income Tax Act from their website. It was quite out of date and they have now placed the relevant material in other places on their website. “As of September…
CRA in June 2009 released its Guidance on Fundraising by Canadian charities. You can see the document in English at: and in French at: It is 35 pages at 9.5 font. To make it easier to read I…
In an earlier blog () I had noted the case of Holy Alpha and Omega Church of Toronto. The Federal Court of Appeal heard the matter in September 2009 and here is the decision The case involved a charity…
Here is an article at Imagine Canada’s website on “Some Top CRA Compliance Issues” by William Harper Mark Blumberg is a lawyer at Blumberg Segal LLP in Toronto, Ontario. To find out more about legal services that Blumbergs provides…