Houses of worship are as much an essential service for our physical needs as grocery stores
Springtime – which includes observances like Easter, Passover and Ramadan – seems a good time to bust the popular Canadian myth that religion is a completely private, personal matter with little relevance for broader Canadian society. New evidence from the Angus Reid Institute, in partnership with the think-tank Cardus, indicates the opposite is true: religion…
Annual fundraising effort to support clinical trial of precision drug developed at U of A
As 40 local hockey players brave the elements on an outdoor rink just outside Sherwood Park, Alberta for the World’s Longest Hockey Game, they’ll be making a difference in the lives of cancer patients in Edmonton. Over the course of more than 10 days and nights of non-stop shinny, the game, which began on Feb.…
Governments inevitably make a mess of social welfare programs, wasting money, discouraging work and encouraging dependence
Long before the COVID-19 recession, the generosity of Canadians, measured by charitable donations, was already steadily falling. From 2008 to 2018, the percentage of tax-filers donating to charity fell from 24.1 per cent to 19.4 per cent. And the percentage of aggregate income donated to charity fell from 0.62 per cent to 0.54 per cent.…
The Christmas spirit only asks us, as Mother Teresa famously said, that we “do ordinary things with great love”
With traditional ways of celebrating on pause, Christmas 2020 was definitely one for the books. Despite COVID-19 – or maybe even because of it – I, and many people I know, celebrated the Christmas season well. As one of my good friends remarked, COVID-19 didn’t spoil her Christmas. She mused that she made new memories;…
Canadian charities are increasingly strapped for resources and face larger financial obstacles
By Alex Whalen and Jake Fuss The Fraser Institute This holiday season, many Nova Scotians will spend their time and money giving back to charitable causes. In fact, every year, tens of thousands of residents in the province donate to charities. However, according to a new study released by the Fraser Institute, both the percentage…
The year’s hardships, and concern for what’s next in 2021, can refocus our vision and practices at the personal and social levels
As we enter the final quarter of this year, many Canadians are likely more than ready to say goodbye and good riddance to 2020, the year of the pandemic. But what if, in some ways at least, 2021 could actually be even more difficult? Consider this: Besides killing nearly 10,000 Canadians and more than one…
The WE Charity scandal shows that our rules surrounding charitable work and fiscal reporting are too lax
The WE Charity scandal inspired the questions but so many other charities should be affected by the answers. In August, the House of Commons standing committee on finance called employees of Charity Intelligence Canada to the stand. Ninety minutes of testimony from managing director Kate Bahen and director of research Greg Thomson demonstrated the need…
Our religious tapestry makes massive economic and social contributions to local communities and to the nation’s well-being
Newcomers to this country often find Canadians have a curious stance toward religion. We seldom say much negative about religion in public but we never take it too seriously either. A new study, The Hidden Economy: How Faith Helps Fuel Canada’s GDP, suggests it may be time to take a second look at the public…
Seven in 10 charities report lower revenues. As a whole, the sector has had to lay off 84,000 full- and part-time staff in Canada
The pandemic hasn’t been all bad for us. For some Canadians, it’s actually meant a bit of a financial boon. That’s not to say there haven’t been massive job losses and income losses. It’s just that the losses have happened unequally. The poorest and the youngest took the worst hit. When think-tank Cardus analyzed the…
The charitable organization has done a great deal of good. And there are plenty of other issues that are far more problematic
It’s time to end the sensationalism about WE Charity. It’s true that the administration of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government showed a lack of judgment by handing the responsibility for a government-funded volunteer program to an organization that several members of the government and their families have been involved in. The federal Liberals have not…
Springtime – which includes observances like Easter, Passover and Ramadan – seems a good time to bust the popular Canadian myth that religion is a completely private, personal matter with little relevance for broader Canadian society. New evidence from the Angus Reid Institute, in partnership with the think-tank Cardus, indicates the opposite is true: religion…
