Report: Canadian’s charitable giving is way down
Posted Dec 20, 2018 9:24 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (660 NEWS) – It’s known as the season of giving, as Canadians are more likely to give from their heart and wallets to support charities at Christmas time. However, new data from the Fraser Institute shows the amount Canadians participating in charitable giving has dropped to 32.2 per cent from 2006 to 2016.
Jake Fuss, a policy analyst with the institute, said the numbers are not good — especially at Christmas time.
“It’s bad news for the most vulnerable in our society who rely on charitable donations for essentials things like shelter and food, particularly during the winter months and the holiday season. One in five Canadians claimed charitable donations on their tax return in 2016 in comparison to almost one in four Americans.”
When it comes to Alberta, the province saw a decline of 31.5 per cent in a ten-year span, with British Columbia seeing the smallest drop at 19.6 per cent.
Fuss said, unfortunately, it’s not only monetary donations that are seeing a drop.
“Recent data shows that between 2004 and 2017, average annual volunteer hours per person has declined, and the share of the Canadian population that volunteer has dropped as well.”
Fuss also pointed to a survey that ranked North American jurisdictions on charitable giving. Manitoba was the highest ranked in Canada, while the number one spot in the continent went to Utah.
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