Supreme Court of Canada Upholds Decision to Deny Accreditation to Trinity Western University Law School
On June 15, 2018, the Supreme Court of Canada released its much-anticipated decisions in Trinity Western University v. Law Society of Upper Canada (2018 SCC 33) and Law Society of British Columbia v. Trinity Western University (2018 SCC 32). The...
B.C. Considers Benefit Corporations
British Columbia may become the first province in Canada to pass legislation that provides for the creation of “benefit corporations.” Benefit corporations are different from the typical for-profit business corporation in that they must be mandated to conduct business for...
Forewarned is Forearmed: Questions You Should Ask Before Joining A Board of Directors
Joining the board of a charity or a non-profit organization (“NPO”) can be an enriching and mutually rewarding experience. Whether orientation of new board members is approached informally or formally, both the organization and the new director should be sure...
Legal Issues for Charities and NPOs on Social Media Networks
Maintaining a social media presence can be a huge asset for charities and non-profits as they pursue their missions and mandates. These networks are powerful tools that can be used to reach wider audiences, increase brand awareness and outreach and...
Charity Checklist: What to do if your charity is audited
There are over 86,000 registered charities in Canada. Each year, the Canada Revenue Agency Charities Directorate audits approximately 700 of these charities. Some of these audits occur based on random selection, some as a result of targeted reviews of particular...
Budget 2018: Developments Affecting Private Companies
Passive Income Proposals for Private Corporations Budget 2018 contains two new measures to deter the accumulation of passive assets within private corporations. These changes are a welcome departure from the Federal Government’s July 18, 2017 announcement on the treatment of...
Recent Developments for Charities & Not-For-Profits
Miller Thomson Social Impact seminar
Gala Event Gone Bad – President’s Club Charitable Trust
I never thought that I would write an article on why sexual assault and harassment should not be used as a charitable fundraising technique. Then I read press reports from England about the President’s Club Charitable Trust (the “Trust”). The...
Senate of Canada to Study Charitable Sector
On January 30th, 2018, the Senate of Canada passed a motion to appoint a Special Committee of the Senate to review issues related to the charitable sector in Canada (the “Committee”). The Senate confirmed that the Committee’s general mandate will...
CRA Announces New Business Numbers Not Required for Internal Divisions
We previously reported that, as part of the Canada Revenue Agency’s modernization project, CRA had planned to assign (and in fact began assigning) new business numbers to internal divisions of registered charities. CRA has now determined that it is not...
