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NewsBytes: October 2006
Articles are arranged in reverse chronological order.
CharityVillage announces winner of survey prize draw
October 30, 2006
Thanks to everyone who participated in our recent Career Centre Client Satisfaction Survey. The grand prize winner of $2,500 worth of career ads is Doug Irons of the Canadian Actors' Equity Association. We'll be contacting the winners of the 50 CharityVillage Campus courses very soon and sharing highlights of the survey results shortly. We also welcome your feedback and suggestions for improvement anytime. Just head to our Contact Us page to share your thoughts.
October 30, 2006
Last week, Quebec Health Minister Philippe Couillard unveiled $400 million in new funding to address childhood obesity. Half the funding will come from billionaire and former cable television magnate André Chagnon, through the Fondation Lucie et André Chagnon. "This program is unique in Canada," Chagnon told a news conference. "It's unique because it puts forward a strategy aimed at prevention and the promotion of healthy eating, and it's unique because of the financial commitment." The plan, which will be directed at schools, cafeteria operators, food producers, children and parents, aims to lower the incidence of childhood obesity by 2% between now and 2012 - the rate now stands at 23%. For more information, visit: communiques.gouv.qc.ca.
October 30, 2006
There was a small victory for Canadian culture last week as 146 Members of Parliament (MPs) voted to rescind the Conservative government's recent cuts to the Museums Assistance Program (MAP); 114 MPs supported the cuts. On September 25th, the government announced that the MAP would be cut by $4.6 million over two years, triggering a public outcry. The vote came after hours of debate in the House of Commons and a call for a new museums policy.The Canadian Museums Association will meet with Canadian Heritage Minister Bev Oda in the next few weeks to present preliminary recommendations and urge her to bring these policies in with the next federal budget, expected early next year. "Clearly there is strong public support across the country, and strong political support from all parties, to move this forward immediately," said CMA executive director John McAvity. "Canada's museums have been neglected for far too long." For more information, visit: www.museums.ca.
Fast Fact: Canadian healthcare giving shows strong growth
October 30, 2006
New data reveals that donations to Canadian healthcare facilities and organizations increased by 11% last year, to $1.2 billion. Healthcare giving also jumped by a record 16% in the US, to $7.01 billion. Individual donors provided 60% of all funds raised for healthcare in the US. Businesses, including corporate foundations, supplied 18.2% of the funds, foundations other than corporate, 12.7%, and other sources (e.g. hospital auxiliaries, public agencies, civic groups, etc.), 9.9%. -- Association for Healthcare Philanthropy
October 30, 2006
Local developers Joseph and Wolf Lebovic are giving $50 million to Toronto's Mount Sinai Hospital to help address its highest priorities: quality of care and patient experience. It is the largest hospital donation in Canadian history. "Mount Sinai Hospital has a unique ability to offer outstanding care and treatment to patients from all walks of life, something that is engrained in the hospital's heritage of care, compassion and community," the brothers said in a statement. For more information, visit: www.mtsinai.on.ca.
October 30, 2006
Last week, the Toronto Star reported that a crime-fighting charity co-founded by Toronto councillor Cesar Palacio has been paying the mortgage on a building that houses his ward office, while drastically reducing its charitable donations. The main floor of the two-storey building, bought for the Police Community Partnership 12 Division (PCP) by a numbered company in 2002, was used by Palacio for his campaign office in the 2003 elections and has been his local ward office since. According to the Star, the PCP has never operated from the building because it has received free office space in a public housing building since 1994. The PCP's 2005 Canada Revenue Agency T3010 filing reports that it paid $19,981 in mortgage payments on the building, but brought in just $4,943 in rent last year. Records also show that in 2005 less than 20% of all its revenue went to charitable work in the community.
October 30, 2006
New research out of the UK finds that a quarter of charities have had cash or assets stolen through fraud in the last two years, and 9% have been defrauded more than once. This is despite the fact that 90% of survey respondents have rolled out risk management measures such as risk policies, risk registers, business continuity plans and control assurance. However, only one-fifth have all of these measures in place. -- PKF/CFDG
October 30, 2006
The ABC CANADA Literacy Foundation is once again accepting applications from public and school libraries and literacy organizations across the country to advance their reading programs. Gift of Words™, presented by Starbucks, is a national funding initiative that provides resources for libraries and literacy organizations to expand their book collections and launch reading circles that encourage students, their teachers and parents to read and learn together. The deadline for applications is December 15. For more information and application guidelines, visit: www.abc-canada.org/gow.
October 30, 2006
The York University Foundation secured several major donations at the launch of a fundraising campaign that aims to raise $200 million leading up to the university’s 50th anniversary in 2009. In all, close to 30 gifts of $1 million helped kick off the campaign, including a $5 million commitment from the Honey and Barry Sherman family. For more information, visit: www.yorku.ca.
October 30, 2006
The Canadian Medical Association (CMA) is calling for nominations for the 2007 Award for Excellence in Health Promotion. The award was introduced in 2003 to recognize those outside the health sector who have made a significant contribution towards a healthy population and a healthy community. Residents of Canada who are not health professionals or employed in the health sector, as well as organizations that operate outside of the health sector are eligible for the award. The nomination deadline is November 30. For more information and eligibility criteria, visit: www.cma.ca/healthaward.htm.
October 30, 2006
According to the Chronicle of Philanthropy's annual Philanthropy 400 survey, donations to America's largest charities grew by 13% last year, to $62.7 billion. It is the highest percentage gain in the 16 years that the survey has been conducted. The United Way of America was at the top of the list, reporting $4 billion in contributions last year. The Salvation Army was second, raising $3.6 billion, followed by the AmeriCares Foundation ($1.3 billion), the American Red Cross ($1.3-billion), and the American Cancer Society ($929.6 million). There are also indications that the pace of giving will be strong again this year, with contributions expected to grow by a median of 13%. -- Chronicle of Philanthropy
October 30, 2006
More than 250 nonprofit arts organizations across Canada will share $2.15 million in funding distributed by the Imperial Tobacco Canada Foundation in support of artistic programs in 2006. Programs receiving funding cover a variety of genres, including music, theatre, dance, visual arts and film. "The foundation's funding of artistic and cultural programs is the continuation of a long-established tradition of corporate giving in Canada," said foundation chair Benjamin Kemball. "The recipients of this year's donations have demonstrated passion, energy and perseverance in developing artistic programs that both attract new and established audiences and advance homegrown talent - two areas which are at the core of the foundation's support for the arts." For more information or to apply for the next round of funding, visit: www.fondationimperialtobacco.ca.
October 23, 2006
According to a public-opinion poll released by the Muttart Foundation, charities continue to have an overwhelming level of trust among Canadians, despite concerns that they are not doing a good job of communications. Talking About Charities 2006 reveals that almost 80% of Canadians trust charities somewhat or a lot. More than three-quarters of the nearly 3,900 survey respondents said that charities are better than government at understanding the needs of Canadians, while seven in 10 said charities do a better job than government at meeting the needs of the average Canadian. At the same time, only about half think charities do a good job of providing information about programs and services, the use of donations, fundraising costs, and the impact of the work done by charities. For more information or to download the full report, visit: www.muttart.org/news.htm.
October 23, 2006
Marilyn and Stewart Blusson announced last week that they are donating $5 million to the Vancouver Aquarium to help pay for its new aquatic learning centre, which will open in November. It is the largest single donation in the organization's history. In recognition of the gift, the centre will be called the Marilyn Blusson Learning Centre. For more information about the Vancouver Aquarium, visit: www.vanaqua.org.
October 23, 2006
The Canadian magazine industry is bracing for major upheaval with the news that Canada Post Corporation intends to withdraw its $15 million financial contribution to the Publications Assistance Program (PAP) within the next several months. The $15 million gap will mean that postage costs for the average magazine will jump by 31%, an increase to distribution costs that is not viable for many publishers. "We are calling on the federal government to ensure that Canada Post's partnership within PAP is maintained until there's been a review and evaluation of Canada's magazine policy and how to best serve Canadian readers, writers, creators and the small-to medium-sized businesses that publish more than two-thirds of Canada's consumer magazines," said Mark Jamison, CEO of Magazines Canada. "In our view, allowing cuts to a highly successful magazine program without first considering the consequences for the health of Canadian culture, is shortsighted." For more information about PAP, visit: www.cmpa.ca.
October 23, 2006
Despite what we see on the news everyday, new research conducted by the Fraser Institute concludes that the world poverty rate is actually in decline. According to the report, between 212 and 428 million people escaped poverty in the past three decades. Researchers attribute these changes to the dramatic rise in economic growth of Asia, especially in China and India. In East Asia, for example, poverty rates fell to 2.4% in 2000 from 32.7% in 1970. Poverty fell to 2.5% from 30.3% in South Asia. Unfortunately, at the same time, the proportion of the African population living in poverty increased to 48.8% in 2000 from 35.1% in 1970. As a result, world poverty is now concentrated in Africa, currently home to 70% of the world's poor. -- The Fraser Institute
October 23, 2006
The Canadian Cancer Society has released the results from its Relay For Life spring fundraising event in British Columbia and the Yukon. Gross revenue from 51 events in BC and the Yukon was just over $6.5 million; net revenue was approximately $4.4 million. This was a 12% increase from 2005, when events raised more than $5.8 million in the region. Nationally, the Canadian Cancer Society achieved a Relay For Life milestone in 2006; the program raised over $100 million across Canada to assist people living with cancer. For more information, visit: www.cancer.ca.
October 23, 2006
Community foundations in several of Canada’s largest cities recently published their first report cards as part of Vital Signs, a new national project aimed at measuring the vitality of communities on an annual basis. The report cards track and grade each community’s quality of life in key areas such as the economy, health, housing, learning and the environment. “This is an exciting first step in bringing the Vital Signs program to communities across Canada," said Monica Patten, president and CEO of Community Foundations of Canada. “Next fall the number of community foundations producing Vital Signs will double and we expect it to keep on growing.” Community foundations in Calgary, Medicine Hat, Red Deer, and the Waterloo region are on track to publish their first report in the fall of 2007. Copies of all the reports can be found at www.vitalsignscanada.ca. Expanded, in-depth reports are also available on each foundation’s website, complete with links to the original community research.
October 23, 2006
The Hospitals of Regina Foundation announced that it has received $2 million from The Mosaic Company. It is the largest single donation ever made to the foundation, and will be used to establish the Mosaic Heart Centre at the Regina General Hospital. "We are totally grateful," said Judy Davis, CEO of the foundation. "This is what the Hospitals of Regina Foundation is all about...they'll make partnerships with community members and raise money to improve health care in our community. So this gift from the Mosaic Company is just awesome, of course, and it will play a part in enhancing cardiac care." Improvements include the creation of a new electrophysiology lab to diagnose and treat heart arrhythmias, a new outpatient clinic to help monitor heart patients, and an updated cardiac catheterization lab. For more information, visit: www.hrf.sk.ca.
October 23, 2006
Research conducted by the UK-based Charities Aid Foundation finds that 57.2% of the adult population gives to charity each month. The average total donation is £14, although 47% give less than £10 a month. And although total giving for 2004/05 was £8.2 billion, that amounts to just 0.9% of GDP. By comparison, US residents donate an amount equivalent to 2% of GDP. -- Charities Aid Foundation
October 23, 2006
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan reported that the United Nations Foundation has delivered $1 billion of new and additional resources to the United Nations and UN causes since the foundation's founder, Ted Turner, pledged to donate $1 billion to UN causes in 1997. Since that time, the foundation and its sister organization, the Better World Fund, have donated more than $600 million from Turner and more than $400 million from individuals, corporations, governments, and NGOs to programs that address global challenges in the areas of children's health, the environment, women and population, peace and security, and human rights. Turner said the foundation would use the remaining $400 million of his gift to leverage another $1 billion for UN causes. For more information, visit: www.unfoundation.org.
October 23, 2006
West Coast Environment Law is calling for nominations for the Dr. Andrew Thompson Award. This year, the award will be given in two categories. The first will go to an institutional leader who has significantly contributed to environmental sustainability in British Columbia as a direct result of their professional achievements in law or policy. The second award will be given to a community leader who has significantly contributed to environmental sustainability in British Columbia as a direct result of their voluntary local or regional initiatives and their environmental activism. The nomination deadline is October 27. For more information and eligibility criteria, visit: www.wcel.org/resources/ataward/nominate.
October 23, 2006
The Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre received a major boost to its multi-organ transplant program last week. Pharmaceutical company Roche Canada announced a $500,000 donation to the program. The gift will help fund an endowed chair in transplant research in Halifax. "People throughout this region will be benefiting from this gift to this particular institution," said John Young, chair of the QEII Foundation. For more information about the QEII Health Sciences Centre Foundation, visit: www.qe2foundation.ca.
October 16, 2006
Peter Munk, chairman of Barrick Gold Corp., announced last week that he is giving $18.5 million to the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology. Munk, 78, says the gift to Technion is to further the long-term sustainability of the state of Israel. "Because I am of Jewish heritage, I felt an obligation to help the Jewish people," he said. The school will create the Peter Munk Research Institute in his honour. Munk is the second Canadian to make a major donation to Technion in recent weeks. Seymour Schulich gave more than $20 million to the institution in late September.
October 16, 2006
Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced a new green plan last week that promises to deliver "intensity-based targets" for the reduction of pollution and greenhouse gases. "This approach will mark a fundamental departure from the approach of the previous government," Harper said. "Canada's Clean Air Act will allow us to move industry from voluntary compliance to strict regulation. It will replace the current ad-hoc patchwork system with clear, consistent and comprehensive national standards."However, many environmentalists say the intensity-based approach, also adopted in the U.S. by President George W. Bush and by the provincial government in Alberta, make it easy for large industries to increase emissions and still meet their reduction targets when the economy is growing. "By [Alberta's] own numbers, its greenhouse gas emissions would rise by 39% over two decades," said Dale Marshall, climate-change policy analyst from the David Suzuki Foundation. "That's what intensity-based targets means. The absolute emissions continue to go up even though the emissions, based on a per economic activity, continue to go down." The Clean Air Act will be tabled in the House of Commons this week. For more information, visit: www.pm.gc.ca.
October 16, 2006
The Sport Information Resource Centre (SIRC) has launched the 2006 SIRC Research Award. The award recognizes outstanding sport research that benefits the Canadian sporting community. SIRC invites Canadian university students and faculty to submit their original sport related research for consideration. This year, the award has two categories: the social impact of sport on the community, and the impact of applied research on athletic excellence/high performance. One winner will be named for each of the categories, with more than $10,000 in cash and prizes to be awarded to the winners. The deadline for submissions is December 29. For more information and eligibility criteria, visit: www.sirc.ca/researchaward.
October 16, 2006
Women who head up nonprofit organizations still earn less than their male counterparts, but the gap is shrinking. The median compensation of male chief executives in 2005 was 25.6% higher than the pay for females in similar positions, according to a study by US-based GuideStar. Despite the significant gap, this is still an improvement compared to figures from 2000, when the pay gap between male and female executives was 45.7%. One reason for the disparity is that female chief executives are more likely to be found at smaller organizations. Women account for 57% of the top executives at nonprofit groups with budgets of $1 million or less, but just 36% of larger organizations, which tend to offer higher pay. -- GuideStar
October 16, 2006
Edmonton-based Katz Group, Canada's largest drug store chain of companies, announced that it is contributing $7 million to the University of Alberta, an amount that will be matched by the provincial government. The $14 million investment will be used to support new educational initiatives in the Faculties of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Law. The Katz Group, which owns Rexall, Medicine Shoppe, Pharma Plus and Guardian IDA, has also committed to help the university raise an additional $5.5 million from pharmaceutical and related industries. The province has agreed to match those funds as well, for a potential total investment of $25 million. For more information, visit: www.expressnews.ualberta.ca.
October 16, 2006
According to a new report released by the United Nations, hundreds of millions of children suffer from violence as a part of daily life. "We knew children were victims of violence, but even so, it was very surprising and shocking that it was so widespread," said Mehr Khan Williams, the UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights. "It cuts across cultures, income levels, education levels. No country is immune from it." The United Nations Secretary-General's Study on Violence against Children concludes, among other things, that the best way to deal with violence against children is to stop it before it happens by investing in prevention programs. "States must invest in evidence-based policies and programs to address factors that give rise to violence against children, and ensure that resources are allocated to address the underlying causes." For more information or to download the full report, visit: www.unviolencestudy.org.
October 16, 2006
A joint gift of $2 million from Durham region's Windfields Farm and new home builder Tribute Communities will go toward providing students at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) with a leading-edge learning environment. New labs will be equipped with the latest technology and designed to give students hands-on research experience. "Thanks to the generous contribution of community partners such as Windfields Farm and Tribute Communities, UOIT will continue to provide its students with the latest technology which will allow them to collaborate with their professors in the classroom and the lab, turning innovative ideas into real solutions," said Dr. Richard Marceau, provost of UOIT. For more information, visit: www.uoit.ca.
October 16, 2006
A national survey conducted by the Canadian Council on Learning reveals that 62% of parents do not have the knowledge to help their children with homework. At the same time, only 17% strongly agree that Canadian schools are doing a good job of teaching the basics, though most parents (73%) believe teachers are well trained. The survey also shows that the more a person enjoyed school and the better educated a person is, the more likely they are to take work-related training. For example, 63% of university-educated workers took work-related training in the last year, compared with 43% of college grads, 26% of high-school grads, and 12% of high-school dropouts. -- Canadian Council on Learning
October 16, 2006
Air Canada and WestJet announced that together they have selected more than 175 charitable organizations to receive a cumulative total of $10 million throughout the remainder of 2006 for the benefit of children and youth across Canada. Children's Miracle Network received the single largest donation, with $2.5 million going to the organization for the benefit of 14 pediatric hospitals across the country. Other big recipients include the Boys and Girls Club of Canada Foundation, which will receive $1.5 million, and the Breakfast Clubs of Canada, which will receive $1 million.
October 16, 2006
A group of East Coast skateboarders wrapped up a five-month, 8,000 kilometre journey in Vancouver last week. Rob Lewis, Aaron Jackson, Benjamin Jordan and Carlos Koppen, all in their 20s, pushed off from Halifax on May 1st to raise money for breast cancer research. Their Push for the Cure raised $40,000 for the cause and also helped to raise awareness among young people about the disease. "This is something that's taking out our moms, our sisters, our girlfriends, our daughters," said Jackson. "You remove a cornerstone like that from any family, what's left of that family?" For more information, visit: www.pushforthecure.com.
October 10, 2006
The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) announced last week that Roberta Langtry, a retired Toronto teacher who passed away in 2005, has left $4.3 million to the organization. It is the largest bequest in NCC’s history, and the largest bequest ever to conservation in Canada. The money will be put to work over five years through four separate funds allowing direct wetland conservation across the country, assisting in communicating NCC’s science work, supporting activities to raise awareness and funds, and conservation in the Oak Ridges Moraine area. A portion of the gift will also be set aside as an endowed fund. For more information, visit: www.natureconservancy.ca.
October 10, 2006
More than 170,000 Canadians in 50 communities took part in the 15th Annual Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation CIBC Run for the Cure. It is the largest, single-day, volunteer-led, national event to support the breast cancer cause, raising $23.4 million this year. Funds raised will enable the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation to focus on the emerging area of primary prevention research and understand the risk factors for breast cancer, with the long-term goal of building knowledge about how to stop the disease before it starts. For more information, visit: www.cibcrunforthecure.com.
October 10, 2006
According to USA Track & Field’s annual survey of charities, runners and walkers involved in charitable events raised $656 million in 2005. This represents a 14% increase from the previous year and the largest single-year increase since the survey was first conducted in 2002. In that year, run/walk events raised an estimated $520 million in the US. This jumped to $560 million in 2003, and $575 million in 2004. The survey also found that more than 50% of fundraising run/walk participants are women. -- USA Track & Field
October 10, 2006
The US-based group dotOrganize has released a new study that compiles insights from more than 400 social change groups, technology providers, and nonprofit technology capacity builders who are using new technologies for social change initiatives. Online Technology for Social Change: From Struggle to Strategy shows that groups are still struggling in their effort to make use of new and emerging technologies, and that, regardless of size and financial situation, organizations feel strapped for time, money, and know-how. The authors assert that, "As a sector, we need to develop new and innovative ways of approaching this ongoing issue. This may include strategizing about creative financial possibilities, multi-agency partnerships, and incentives that encourage providers to allocate resources toward this population." Other recommendations include the development of an online resource hub for the organizing sector, and an online searchable database of potential integrators. For more information or to download the full report, visit: dotorganize.net/report/introduction.
October 10, 2006
The annual CanWest Raise-a-Reader event generated $2.24 million for literacy programs, an increase of almost 20% from 2005. All of the funds raised in the one-day exchange of daily newspapers for donations will go toward literacy programs in each of the eighteen participating markets: Victoria, Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Regina, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Toronto, Hamilton, Windsor, Ottawa, Montreal, Halifax, Saint John, Moncton, Fredericton, Charlottetown and St. John's. For more information, visit: www.raiseareader.com.CIBC, along with an anonymous donor, also showed support for literacy last week, pledging more than $100,000 for literacy development and enhancement products that will be created by the Canadian Language and Literacy Research Network. The newly funded products are the online Encyclopedia of Language and Literacy for policy makers and practitioners, and the English-as-a-second-language (ESL) Assistant, a game-based software package to improve the English skills of ESL children. Both projects are scheduled for launch in 2007. For more information, visit: www.cllrnet.ca.
October 10, 2006
The Target Analysis Group Quarterly Index of National Fundraising Performance showed a 2.5% median drop in donors from the first half of 2005 to the first half of 2006. American donor counts decreased not only because of declining acquisition of new donors, but also because of declining retention and reactivation of multi-year donors. However, the average amount given by each donor increased 3% over the same period. -- Target Analysis Group
October 10, 2006
Students in their final year of high school or CEGEP (in Quebec) are invited to submit applications for the TD Canada Trust Scholarships for Community Leadership. Valued at more than $1 million per year, scholarships are awarded to 20 high school students who have the vision to solve problems in their community. Previous recipients were involved in such initiatives as local employment programs, environmental clean-up, and support group creation. Each scholarship is valued at up to $60,000 and includes full tuition at any accredited university or college in Canada, $5,000 a year toward living expenses and a guaranteed offer of summer employment at TD Canada Trust for up to four years. The deadline for applications is October 31. For more information and eligibility requirements, visit: www.tdcanadatrust.com/scholarship.
October 10, 2006
Reza Nasseri, founder and CEO of Landmark Group of Builders is donating $1 million to Edmonton's NorQuest College to enhance its educational programs for both Aboriginal and new immigrant students. It’s the largest community gift in NorQuest’s 41-year history. "Providing Aboriginals and new Canadians with quality programs and services translates to important workforce solutions for Alberta," said Nasseri. "Opening doors to education for the people who need it most is something NorQuest does extremely well and we’re committed to ensuring the college has the support it needs to enhance these important initiatives." For more information, visit: www.norquest.ca.
October 10, 2006
In a recent survey, 61% of Canadian executives and 84% of U.S. executives polled said it takes just one or two typographical errors in a resume to remove a candidate from job consideration. Of those respondents, 27% of Canadian and 47% of U.S. executives said a single typo can be the deciding factor. -- OfficeTeam
October 10, 2006
Inco Limited and WWF-Canada announced a new $1 million agreement to advance a number of conservation initiatives, both in Canada and internationally. Inco will contribute $200,000 per year to WWF-Canada for the next five years in support of a three-pronged conservation program with the following objectives: conserve species at risk of national and global importance in Canada; develop a conservation stewardship approach for Inco in Canada; and scope and explore work of a similar nature in areas where Inco operates internationally. "We look forward to taking our long-standing relationship with WWF-Canada to a new level," said Bill Napier, Inco vice president of environment, safety and health. "Among other benefits, we believe that their expertise will result in better conservation stewardship in the lands that adjoin our operations, not just in Canada but at our other locations around the world." For more information about WWF-Canada, visit: www.wwf.ca.
October 10, 2006
Rogers Video has up to $100,000 in total grant funds available for Canadian nonprofit organizations supporting children's health and education initiatives. The Rogers Video Children's Charitable Fund was established in 2003 to support nonprofit organizations that promote a positive childhood experience. Past grant recipients included: Camp Quality Canada, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Junior Achievement, Discovery House (Halifax), and KidSport Canada. The deadline for submissions is October 20, 2006. They can be sent to: sarah.good@rci.rogers.com or mailed to Sarah Good, Rogers Video, 100 - 10991 Shellbridge Way, Richmond, BC V6X 3C6.
October 2, 2006
Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty announced last week that the Conservative government will slash $1 billion from federal spending over the next two years. Much of that money is being cut from heritage, education, and environmental initiatives, all of which affect the nonprofit sector. Perhaps the biggest blow for the sector, however, was the announcement that support for the Canada Volunteerism Initiative (CVI) will be eliminated. For more information about the cuts and reaction from the voluntary sector, read our Cover Story.
October 2, 2006
The Donner Canadian Foundation has selected 28 nonprofit agencies from across Canada as finalists for the ninth annual Donner Canadian Foundation Awards for Excellence in the Delivery of Social Services. The awards recognize excellence in social service provision by encouraging best practices and greater accountability. Organizations are ranked on their performance in ten key areas, including management and governance, the use of staff and volunteers, innovation, program cost, and outcome monitoring. The top organization in each of nine categories of social service delivery will win $5,000 awards, while the $20,000 William H. Donner Award for Excellence will be presented to the highest performer overall. The awards will be presented in Toronto on November 30th. For a complete list of finalists, visit: www.fraserinstitute.ca.
October 2, 2006
The National Arts Centre Foundation announced a gift of $1 million from Richard Li, chairman of PCCW Limited, the largest provider of communications services in Hong Kong. The surprise donation is the largest one-time gift in the foundation's history. "We are thrilled to receive this vote of confidence from a dynamic business leader of Richard Li's stature," said Peter Herrndorf, president and CEO of the NAC. The centre will use the funding to create learning and performance opportunities for young artists from across Canada, as well as provide scholarships and educational opportunities for students and young artists in China. For more information, visit: www.nac-cna.ca.
October 2, 2006
According to The Chronicle of Philanthropy's 14th annual survey of compensation and benefits, the median pay of leaders at the largest nonprofit organizations in the US rose faster than inflation last year. Top officials of the biggest charities and foundations received a median increase of 4.8% in 2005, while inflation rose at a rate of 3.4%. The median compensation for chief executives was $327,575, based on information from 241 organizations. In 2004, the median salary was $316,058. The three most highly paid leaders in 2005 were executives of hospitals and medical centres. The fourth and fifth most highly paid chief executives in the survey came from the world of arts and culture. The highest paid nonprofit executive overall was Harold Varmus, chief executive officer of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, with compensation of $2,491,450. -- The Chronicle of Philanthropy
October 2, 2006
Vancity, in partnership with the Real Estate Foundation of British Columbia, has up to $150,000 in total grant funds available for BC nonprofits and cooperative organizations with compelling environmental building projects. Since it was launched two years ago, the annual Green Building grant program has distributed $275,000 to community groups involved in renovations, retrofits or regulatory changes that contribute to the slowing of climate change. Past recipients have included everything from the retrofit of a church to the installation of a bio-diesel water heating and radiant floor heating system in a cob and straw bale building. The deadline for submissions is October 3. For more information, visit: www.vancity.com.
October 2, 2006
Thousands of participants from 73 communities in six provinces took part recently in the 2006 Cheerios Heart&Stroke Walk for Heart in support of the Heart and Stroke Foundation. The event reached its fundraising goal, bringing in $3.2 million for research. "With one-in-three deaths in Canada caused by heart disease and stroke, it's more important than ever to raise money that will fund results through research," said Sally Brown, CEO, Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada. For more information, visit: www.heartandstroke.ca/walk.
October 2, 2006
According to a new report from Pivot Legal Society, Vancouver’s homelessness crisis is about to get a lot worse unless immediate action is taken. Cracks in the Foundation: Solving the Housing Crisis in Canada’s Poorest Neighbourhood, documents the looming low-income housing shortage facing Vancouver and shows the shocking conditions of existing low-income housing in the Downtown Eastside. “If we continue to lose low-cost housing in the Downtown Eastside at the current rate, we can expect to be coping with at least three times the number of people living on Vancouver’s streets by the time the world arrives for the 2010 Olympics,” states lead report author and lawyer David Eby. "We are currently spending $51 million dollars per year to maintain people on the street. Government calculations show it would be much less expensive to simply build new supportive housing." The report is based on 160 affidavits collected from Downtown Eastside residents in housing crisis and documents obtained through Freedom of Information requests. For more information, visit: www.pivotlegal.org.
October 2, 2006
Governor General Michaëlle Jean now has her own forum to dialogue with Canadians. Citizen Voices will enable Internet users to respond to, and interact with Jean and other citizens across the country on issues and ideas that are important to them. "It has already been a year that we have been meeting with the citizens of this country, and in that time, we have seen initiatives that bring hope to others that should be shared with everyone," the Governor General stated. "We hope to continue the dialogue with other socially engaged women, men and youths who are actively involved in their neighbourhoods, cities and communities. And we hope that this site will be a useful tool to allow Canadians of all ages and from all walks of life to talk to one another and break down solitudes." Site users will be able to navigate through four themed sections: belonging, youth, women, and culture. For more information, visit: www.citizenvoices.gg.ca.
October 2, 2006
International migration continues to be the main contributor to population growth in Canada, accounting for about two-thirds of the annual increase in 2005/2006. Between 2005 and 2006, Canada's population increased by 324,000 to an estimated 32,623,500. This growth included 254,400 immigrants, 9,800 more than in the previous year. It was the highest level since 2001/2002. Alberta had the strongest growth rate among the provinces and territories, almost three times higher than the national average. International migration has accounted for more than 60% of Canada's population growth since 2001. Comparatively, it represented 46.2% of the country's demographic growth from 1990 to 1995. -- Statistics Canada
October 2, 2006
The Canadian Cancer Society, BC and Yukon Division has evidence of an organization falsely representing itself as the Canadian Cancer Society. Unsuspecting consumers receive an "award notification" letter in the lottery scam that they "have been approved for a lump sum payout of $55,000." On the letter, the organization named as the World Cancer Society has illegally used the highly recognizable Canadian Cancer Society logo, the stylized daffodil. The letter gives instructions about depositing money into the recipient's bank account by contacting a claims agent for the processing and remittance of the prize money. "The Canadian Cancer Society in British Columbia and the Yukon is definitely not involved in a sweepstakes lottery or asking people to reveal banking information to one of our representatives," says Barbara Kaminsky, CEO for the Canadian Cancer Society, BC and Yukon Division. "We are also not aware of any organization called the World Cancer Society." Anyone who receives such a prize notification is advised to contact police or the Better Business Bureau. For more information, visit: www.cancer.ca.
October 2, 2006
The Bank of Nova Scotia is donating $1 million in support of students with disabilities and international exchange programs at Queen's University. The gift will provide support for the creation of the first-ever bursary dedicated to students with disabilities. The Scotiabank Accessibility Bursary will enable students with disabilities to participate more freely in academic and social life at Queen's. The funding will also help expand the Queen's School of Business International Exchange Scholarship and Bursary program. For more information, visit: business.queensu.ca/news/index.php.
October 2, 2006
Skills for Change is seeking submissions for its New Pioneers Awards (NPA) program, which recognizes immigrants and refugees who are making a difference in communities in the Greater Toronto Area. Each year, the awards showcase outstanding contributions made by immigrants and refugees in six main areas of accomplishment, including arts, community service, entrepreneurship, science and technology, and youth. The deadline for nominations is October 31st. For more information, visit: www.skillsforchange.org/npa/index.html.
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