Gifts of Cultural Property – Undoing Heffel By: Karen Cooper As part of a package of measures intended to increase support for Canadian artists and cultural events, Budget 2019 included aimed at ending any lingering uncertainty around gifts of cultural property arising from the Federal Court of Justice’s decision in Heffel Gallery Limited v. The […]
Supporting Non-Profit Journalism By Arthur Drache As had been promised last year, the Government has moved on it undertaking to support non-profit journalism…a promise which had been viewed as contentious in some circles. But as we had predicted, the mechanism to implement this scheme was to create a new category of qualified donees. The key […]
Another Run at the Social Finance Fund By Alexandra Tzannidakis The 2019 Budget confirms the creation of a Social Finance Fund, which will make investments of federal capital into organizations that are working to remedy Canada’s social challenges. This project has been in the works for a while, beginning with the 2017 creation of a […]
Budget 2019: Housing strategies Lex Klombies Budget 2019 was heavy on housing strategies. Among other things, it claims to modernize the Home Buyer’s Plan, which went 10 years without being increased or even adjusted for inflation. Budget 2019 also proposes to introduce the First-Time Home Buyer Incentive, and to start a $100 million fund for […]
Retail Therapy for Governments by: Adam Aptowitzer Pre-election budgets can be predictable in their spending, but in certain circumstances budgets are predictable because they spend. Budget 2019 falls into this unusual class of retail therapy because government revenues are pouring in yet this is a pre-election budget (and this is a Liberal government). Consequently, extra revenues […]
Nothing is More Opaque than Absolute Transparency[1] By: Adam Aptowitzer It is no secret that Canada often legislates on the basis of its international commitments. What Canadians often do not realize is that Canada also legislates on the basis of international pressure on it. Such is the case with recent amendments to the Income Tax Act […]
On April 1, 2018, Ontario Regulation 112/18 came into effect amending O. Reg. 4/01 (Approved Acts of Executors and Trustees, hereinafter “Regulation”) [i] under the Charities Accounting Act (the “CAA”). The new provisions modify the existing Ontario common law rule that prohibited a charity from making payments to a director (or any person related to […]
The economic statement tabled by Finance Minister Morneau on November 22 had a couple of welcome announcements which will touch on at least certain parts of the sector. But there was very little detail available about implementation and we suspect that we’ll have to await the next federal Budget to get those details. The Social […]
There has been a lot of concern over whether Canadians are saving enough for retirement. One reaction to this is the gradual enhancement of the Canadian Pension Plan, which starts in 2019. Another is the new defined benefits pension plan for the Ontario nonprofit sector, OPTrust Select, which was launched April 2018. OPTrust Select is […]
Those that have been following the political activities saga will be happy to know that after years of promises, a court case, a blue ribbon Panel, and some annoying dithering the Federal Government has finally tabled legislation in Parliament to allow charities to engage more fully in ‘Political Activities’. In a previous article on this […]