How to improve public trust in registered charities in Canada?

I was recently asked what are some ideas about improving public trust in Canada.  Isn't public trust high in Canada for registered charities?…

Future of Good doing series on charity advocacy and the Alternative Minimum Tax changes and whether the advocacy is misplaced

It is nice to see that Gabe Oatley of the Future of Good is looking at the topic of the proposed changes to the Alternative Minimum Tax and how that…

More information on questions that will be added or removed from the T3010 version 24

CRA advised on November 9, 2023, that there will be a new T3010 form for those filing on or after December 31, 2023.   The form will be called T3010…

CRA releases updated version of Guidance CG-032, Registered charities making grants to non-qualified donees

The CRA has released an updated or "finalized" version of Guidance CG-032, Registered charities making grants to non-qualified donees (PDF)) today.…

The Burden of Care: Addressing Challenges in Employment in the Nonprofit Sector – new report by Steven Ayer on Charity/NPO sector employment

Did you know that Canadian charities spent in 2021 about $177 billion on salaries and other compensation expenditures, according to our Blumbergs…

CRA clarifies that it is maintaining its current position that charities not be required to file the T3 for internal trusts

It was nice to see a clarification from CRA today on an issue that garnered far too much attention in the charity sector, namely the issue of filing…

CRA advises that a new version of the Form T3010 is coming in January 2024

If your Canadian registered charity has a December 31, 2023 year-end or later, you will need to use the new form of T3010 (called version 24).  For…

How much publicly listed securities are donated to Canadian charities and how will AMT changes affect charities?

Here is our article How much publicly listed securities are donated to Canadian charities and how will AMT changes affect charities November 2023…

No further update on the T3 filing for express trusts but optimistic that there will be further guidance soon

On July 28, 2023, we wrote a blog Will Canadian registered charities need to file T3 forms for “express trusts” beginning next year? In that article…

CBC “Lawyers barred from practising law in Canada for 3 years after having Manitoba judge followed in 2021”

CBC reports today in an article by Caitlyn Gowriluk that Lawyers barred from practising law in Canada for 3 years after having Manitoba judge…

CharityVillage webinar “Top Ten Compliance Issues for Canadian Registered Charities” with Mark Blumberg is available on the CharityVillage website

Here is a presentation delivered by Mark Blumberg for CharityVillage on October 19, 2023. Top Ten Compliance Issues for Canadian Registered……

What Canadian Organizations Need to Know About Providing Funds to NGOs in India

We have received several inquiries about whether Canadian charities and non-profits can continue working with nongovernmental organizations (NGO)s in…

Having celebrity ambassadors can be challenging for charities

Many charities have effectively used celebrity ambassadors for various purposes, including fundraising and advocacy.  They can be a very positive…

CRA has a new page encouraging taxpayers not to become involved in inappropriate tax schemes including those offered by some charities

CRA has a new page encouraging taxpayers not to become involved in inappropriate tax schemes, including those offered by some charities.  The page is…

About 2% of Ontario non-profits under ONCA have filed articles of amendment after 2 years – and there is only one year left!

On Tuesday last week, we had our Blumbergs' Canadian Charity Law Institute.   We had a very good presentation by two Ontario government lawyers…

Canadian Charities cannot support terrorism or listed terrorist organizations

Just a reminder that Canadian charities are not allowed to support terrorism. Doesn’t matter whether you are Christian, Muslim, Sikh, Hindu, Jewish…

Charity gets in trouble with Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC) for inadequate consent for sharing of mail list

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC) released on September 19, 2023 a finding that a Canadian charity had an inadequate process for…

Chronicle of Philanthropy “With 200,000 Nonprofits Rated, the New Charity Navigator Aims High, Falls Short”

I don’t think I often meet people who, when faced with an equal path, one very difficult and one easy, deliberately take the difficult path.  Almost…

Chronicle of Philanthropy “Donor Codes of Conduct to Fight Sexual Harassment of Nonprofit Fundraisers Are Growing More Common”

It was good to see that the Chronicle of Philanthropy is covering Donor Codes of Conduct in their article "Donor Codes of Conduct to Fight Sexual…

Lawsuit in the US is a reminder of the importance of charities being transparent and accurate in their fundraising solicitations

The Washington Post recently had a story "He was Mormon royalty. Now his lawsuit against the church is a rallying cry."  The article deals with a…

Operating in Afghanistan is particularly precarious for Canadian charities

It was reported in the media that a number of aid workers have recently been arrested in Afghanistan.   Here is the article "18 Charity Workers…

Charity Commission report on Care4Calais offers Canadian charities some interesting lessons around internal controls, governance and political activities

The UK has far better transparency when it comes to charities than we have in Canada.   It is interesting to read a report by the Charity Commission…

Good news from Australia on the charity transparency front

We have urged that the Charities Directorate in Canada be given more leeway to provide information to the public when charities are involved with…

Blumbergs’ Pre-Budget Submission for the 2024 Canadian Federal Budget

Here is the Blumbergs’ Pre-Budget Submission for the 2024 Canadian Federal Budget. For those who have been following our law firm’s submissions over…