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January 27, 2009 LEAVE A LEGACY™ Stories and Stats – Philanthropy in Canada is on the Rise

The Canadian Broadcast Association (CBC) recently published an online article claiming that philanthropy in Canada is on the rise – and it definitely is! In 2006, Canadians gave away approximately $8.5 billion a year to charities and non-profits, an increase of 8.3 per cent from 2005! According to the author, this trend is only expected to increase, partly due to the ageing of Baby Boomers as well as tax incentives recently established by the Federal Government.

Other interesting facts from the article included:

 Canadians give to 161,000 registered charities and non-profits in the country.

 In 2006, Twenty-five per cent of all tax filers claimed charitable donations.

 Since 1998, the median size of donations by individual Canadians has increased and reached $250 in 2006.

 Lower-income Canadians actually contribute a larger share of their incomes to charities than wealthier ones. Statistics Canada figures show households with incomes below $19,999 donated 1.7 per cent of their income compared to 0.5 per cent by households with incomes of $100,000 or more.

 Smaller provinces generally have a higher number of charitable and non-profit organizations relative to their populations than larger provinces.

 Canada's non-profit and voluntary sector is the second largest in the world next to the Netherlands.

Make a Difference in the Lives that Follow is more than just our LEAVE A LEGACY™ public awareness message – it’s a way of life that Canadians seem to be taking seriously.

To read the entire article, please click here.