July 19, 2020
We have recently added two new online courses for Canadian charities
We have recently added 2 new full-day courses namely Fundamentals of Running a Canadian Charitable Organization/Operating Charity and Fundamentals of…
June 6, 2020
New course on restricted gifts in Canada by Mark Blumberg
Today we are launching a new course of restricted gifts for Canadian charities: "Restricted Gifts - Managing the Opportunities and Dangers of…
May 8, 2020
Additional Information from the BC Financial Services Authority on gifts of life insurance to charities
I wrote to the BC Financial Services Authority on May 4, 2020, asking for some clarifications relating to their Information Bulletin entitled…
May 5, 2020
BC Financial Services Authority and gifts of life insurance to charities
Every year less than 1% of Canadian registered charities identify in their T3010 receiving a life insurance policy for which they issued an official…
April 23, 2020
PGT views of what is “pandemic-related”
We have written about 2 recent notices from the Ontario Public Guardian and Trustee ("PGT") relating to restricted funds and the pandemic. These are…
April 8, 2020
Ontario Ministry Allows Virtual Witnessing of Wills -important for bequests
Many people at home right now have some time on their hands and some are thinking about updating their wills. Some don't have wills at all and for…
March 22, 2020
If your Canadian charity has assets/reserve and you don’t have a reserve fund policy you should stop fundraising
There is a backlash brewing against charities that are putting up desperate requests for funding but when people look at their annual report,…
January 29, 2020
Some initial issues for a new Canadian grantmaking foundation
Here is our article "Some initial issues for a new Canadian grantmaking foundation". Hopefully, it will provide some ideas as to issues that new…
December 9, 2019
Donor Advised Funds can have greater secrecy – it can also be a problem
Donor Advised Funds are registered charities in Canada that allow a donor to donate to the charity but the donor retains the ability to recommend…
August 27, 2019
Question to CRA on alter ego trusts and whether transfers are a donation
STEP Canada had a CRA Roundtable on June 6-7, 2019 and they discussed a number of topics. One issue of interest to charities and…
June 28, 2019
Online Charity Law Courses from Blumbergs – 24/7 compliance education for registered charities
We have created two new online courses for those outside of Toronto who are not able to easily attend our programs. They might also be helpful to…
April 22, 2019
CFA Society of Toronto 2019 Wealth Conference
I will be speaking at the CFA Society of Toronto 2019 Wealth Conference on May 1, 2019 dealing with the topic "Professional Advisors and…
February 27, 2019
BC Bodner Estate Case – yes an estate can give to a list of charities and non-profits
An interesting little case in BC called Bodner Estate. Irene Bodna died and left about 8m to 24 different registered charities and non-profits that…
July 17, 2018
CRA letter on gifts from an estate and recent changes to rules
Here is a letter from CRA discussing when an official donation receipt can be issued for a gift from an estate and how the 2016 changes affect…
July 17, 2018
CRA letter on private foundation receiving residue of alter ego trust and excess corporate holdings
There are certain rules in the Income Tax Act that only apply to private foundations and not charitable organizations and public foundations. …
June 24, 2018
UK guidance on bequest giving can be helpful for Canadian charities
The Institute of Legacy Management has published voluntary ethical guidelines for charities' legacy professionals, covering issues that can arise…
May 25, 2018
Blumbergs’ Receipting Kit for Canadian registered charities – by Mark Blumberg
Here is our Blumbergs’ Receipting Kit for Canadian registered charities 2018. If you wish to receive updates on the Receipting Kit you should join…
May 11, 2018
Philanthropy and First Nations with Richard Bridge, charity lawyer
Here is a recent archived presentation Philanthropy and First Nations with Richard Bridge which explains the importance of philanthropy with…
May 2, 2018
Finance Canada releases 2018 Report on Federal Tax Expenditures Concepts, Estimates and Evaluations
The Department of Finance has released the 2018 Report on Federal Tax Expenditures. The document is over 300 pages and discusses the financial…
January 27, 2018
CRA updates guidance P113 – Gifts and Income Tax 2017 to reflect recent changes
P113 - Gifts and Income Tax 2017 is the main CRA publication dealing with gifts and their income tax consequences for Canadian taxpayers. The…
November 30, 2017
US changes to tax code could mean big problems for US charities
The US House and Senate are looking at major changes to the tax code that could have a significant impact on US donors and whether they receive…
October 28, 2017
CRA has some thoughts on advantages and gala dinners – fundraising costs and advantage are not same
Many Canadian charities conduct gala dinners although it seems fewer than in the past. We recently spoke to CRA regarding the amounts…
September 15, 2017
CRA letter on transfers of property by a corporation to its sole shareholder
CRA recently released a letter that discusses whether a transfer of property by a corporation to its shareholder that is a private foundation is a…
September 1, 2017
CRA’s views on gifts of life insurance policies to qualified donees
The Canada Revenue Agency recently released its views on when the adjusted cost base of a life insurance policy may be used to determine the cost of…