We are all familiar with those who find themselves subject to public or media criticism responding with the old saw that what they did, or what they said, was “taken out of context.” Sometimes there is merit to that complaint, sometimes not. Usually, we associate being taken out of context with an … [Read more...]
Anti-spam Law May Snare Charities
Those of us who work for charities are probably as accustomed as anyone to getting unsolicited emails asking for funding or other support. Even in the occasional cases where these requests are genuine, rather than scams or trickery, the sender often hasn’t taken the time to even check if what’s … [Read more...]
Questioning Jurisdiction
One of the great unanswered questions in Canadian charity law is just how far the federal government’s jurisdiction extends over “Establishment, Maintenance, and Management of Hospitals, Asylums, Charities, and Eleemosynary Institutions”. That is the language used in s. 92(7) of the 1867 … [Read more...]
More Clarity on Program-Related Investment Rules in New CRA Guidance on Community Economic Development
Although the idea that charities ought to be more entrepreneurial is frequently lauded these days, the practical difficulties of doing so are easy to underestimate. One aspect of this is the suggestion that charities could or should engage in more revenue-generating activities as a means of … [Read more...]