Foundation Magazine September/October 2022

The World Around Us

Canadian Geographic Adventures is once again taking readers off the magazine’s pages and into the field with its 2023 Designated Travel Collection. It includes two of its newest members, Adventure Canada and CMH Summer Adventures. With a focus on making Canada better known to Canadians and to the world, the travel program embraces the connection between people and place and supports small and medium sized Canadian tour operators.

Voyages include multi-day, locally-guided, small-group travel supported by expanded learning through Canadian Geographic and RCGS resources. For every booking made, members of the Designated Travel Collection support the impactful programming of the RCGS by providing a contribution to the Society.

A selection of experiences include:

High Arctic Explorer - Adventure Canada - Journey to the Canadian Arctic where you will marvel at towering icebergs, cruise pristine natural areas to spot amazing Arctic wildlife, enjoy the warmth of an Inuit welcome, and explore the spectacular west coast of Greenland.

Heli-HIking in the Cariboo Mountains - CMH Summer Adventures - Forget hiking as you know it. Instead, imagine no trailheads. No crowds. Just a short helicopter flight to the alpine to access gasp-worthy mountaintop views.

Halfway Lodge Horseback into the Allenby Pass - Banff Trail Riders - Exquisite backcountry horse packing expeditions provide guests with the opportunity to immerse themselves in the outdoors with the luxury of a warm, comfortable lodge and homecooked meals.

Magpie River Rafting - Boreal River Adventures - You’ll experience some of the best whitewater in the world, explore charming fishing villages and culture of Quebec’s Cote Nord region, learn about local Indigenous culture and history from a local Innu guide, and should you wish to ‘cast your line,’ you may be lucky enough to catch a speckled trout on your first try.

Saskatchewan Whooping Cranes - Eagle-Eye Tours - Join Royal Canadian Geographical Society Fellow and Sustainable Tourism professional Carol Patterson In October, when sandhill cranes migrate south by the thousands across southern Saskatchewan, stopping at various localities to refuel before continuing their journey.

Essential Peru - Exodus Travels - Unveil the mysteries of the bygone Incan empire on this odyssey through the jungle wilds, lakes, colonial cities, floating villages and lost mountaintop city of Machu Picchu.

PEI Stories & Culinary Delights - Great Canadian Trails - Join us to explore the hidden gems and must-sees of Prince Edward Island, by bike. Cycling through charming communities, including the fictional Avonlea and Lennox Island, you will be charmed by the hospitality of the friendly locals.

Grizzly Bears of Toba Inlet with Canadian Geographic - Klahoose Wilderness Resort - Immerse yourself in the heart of Desolation Sound, located in the northern Salish Sea in beautiful British Columbia, Canada. Included in the package are two Grizzly Bear Viewing Tours in Toba Inlet.

Go to the RCGS website to find out more. As publisher of Canadian Geographic, the RCGS imparts a broader knowledge and deeper appreciation of Canada — its people and places, its natural and cultural heritage and its environmental, social and economic opportunities. The Society’s Board of Governors and its program committees are comprised entirely of volunteers.

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ON THE COVER

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Spending time outdoors and in nature benefits our mental and physical health and well-being. Expanding Canadians’ access to nature is a priority for the Government of Canada, which has made the largest single investment in history of Trans Canada Trail, with $55 million. The money will be used to maintain, enhance, and expand the 28,000 km Trans Canada Trail, the world’s longest network of multi-use trails.

Standing at the Trans Canada Trail and Lachine Canal National Historic Site in Montréal, the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, announced the investment, to come over five years.

The Trans Canada Trail is a network of multi-use trails linking 15,000 communities and passing through every provincial and territorial capital across 28,000 kilometres of land and water routes through rural, urban and Indigenous communities from coast to coast to coast.

This funding, allocated through Budget 2022, will enhance the user experience of the Trans Canada Trail network, supporting its renewal, growth and longterm sustainability.

This funding will help expand connections of local and regional trails to the Trans Canada Trail; improve trail infrastructure in communities across Canada; enhance accessibility and strengthen inclusive use of the Trail; support local trail organizations and managers who steward The Trail in communities across Canada; and better integrate the Trans Canada Trail into local, regional, and national tourism offers and marketing — promoting a healthy lifestyle year-round and inspiring the people of Canada to discover, cherish and steward their natural and cultural heritage.

These measures will ensure Trans Canada Trail can continue to connect Canadians to nature, improve mental health and wellness, promote regional economic development and tourism, and provide opportunities

to support reconciliation with Indigenous peoples and communities.

The Government of Canada is proud to be among the many contributors to Trans Canada Trail. Since 1992, the Government of Canada has contributed over $90 million to Trans Canada Trail, including an investment of $30 million over four years through Budget 2017.

“We are thrilled by Minister Guilbeault’s recommitment to Trans Canada Trail’s annual funding in this year’s federal budget,” said Eleanor McMahon, President & CEO, Trans Canada Trail.”We are honoured beyond measure by this investment — and we look forward to what we can achieve together in the next five years and beyond. As a valued partner to government, we will catalyze Parks Canada’s investment to build the Trail of the future, and to help Canada build back postpandemic, with programs and partnerships designed to deliver on leveraging tourism and economic development, health

and wellness, truth and reconciliation opportunities, and the conservation and preservation opportunities that the Trail provides.”

The Trans Canada Trail ’s story began in 1992, when Albertan Bill Pratt and Quebecker Pierre Camu envisioned a national trail connecting the people of Canada to nature and to one another. Twenty five later in 2017, during Canada’s sesquicentennial year, Trans Canada Trail celebrated the collective achievement of coast-to-coast-to-coast connection — a historic accomplishment by tens of thousands of people in this country. Today, the Trans Canada Trail is the longest multi-use trail in the world, spanning over 28,000 kilometres on land and water. It is a ribbon that connects Canada’s diverse landscapes, seasons, people and experiences, and fosters unity, collaboration and connectedness. Trans Canada Trail is a registered charity and stewards this national trail in collaboration with local Trail partners.

Canada’s biggest brands have bounced back from the pandemic, with a 49 percent rise in total value in the 2022 Kantar BrandZ Top 40 Most Valuable Canadian Brands report. The 10 most valuable Canadian brands and the 10 fastest growing brands all outpace the averages for sustainability, brand purpose and responsible behaviour towards the environment. Sustainability, which has grown 300 percent in importance in the past decade and accounts for nearly half of all corporate reputation, matters.

The total value of the ranking is worth USD$201 billion this year, well ahead of the pre-pandemic total value of US$144 billion in 2019. This rapid pace of growth reflects a combination of pent-up demand and the use of savings accrued by many Canadians during lockdown. The rise in value has been deep and broad with 37 of the 40 brands showing growth, and Banks (+68 percent), Insurance (+60 percent) and Telecom Providers (+41 percent) leading sector growth.

RBC retained its title as Canada’s most valuable brand, growing its brand value by 74 percent over the last two years to US$37.7 billion. RBC is the world’s 57th most valuable brand, according to Kantar BrandZ’s annual global ranking, and the second most valuable bank globally. New digital initiatives over the past year have extended to the release of a new brand platform, ‘Ideas Happen Here.’ Sustainability initiatives, including a roadmap to

support RBC and its clients achieve net zero carbon emissions have helped RBC improve its scores on a range of corporate responsibility metrics.

Mary de Paoli, EVP CMO, RBC comments, “As a purpose-driven brand, we’re deeply committed to helping our clients and communities realize their goals and thrive in a rapidly changing world. There is nothing more inspiring than being part of making their great ideas happen. This is what lies at the heart of our brand’s strength and the trust our clients place in us. We are incredibly grateful to our employees for the dedication and creativity they put into delivering exceptional value every day, and the steady resolve to keep reaching higher. You don’t get to be one of the world’s most valuable brands without having one of the world’s best teams behind you.”

Newcomer Canada Dry (No.30, US$1.3bn) stands out because its parent company, Keurig Dr Pepper, which habitually makes lists of best employers in Canada, has adopted an ambitious sustainability plan that includes specific targets for 100 percent recyclable or compostable packaging, use of post-consumer recycled content, and zero waste to landfills. Such efforts contribute to Canada Dry’s improved scores for environmental responsibility, fair dealing with suppliers and leading the way.

Other key trends highlighted in the Kantar BrandZ Canadian brand ranking include brands with purpose:

Tim Hortons (No.10; US$5bn), Canadian Tire (No.23; US$1.7bn) and Shoppers Drug Mart (No.22; US$2.2bn) have topped Canadian brands for measures of trust and purpose. Canadian Tire’s Jumpstart Charities are committed to helping children overcome barriers to sports and recreation. Shoppers Drug Mart has recently strengthened its commitment to sustainable packaging, pledging to eliminate plastic bags from stores by the start of 2023, and has launched ‘Quo Beauty’, an innovate vegan, cruelty-free beauty collection.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Mastercard Foundation EleV Program sets bold goal with partners to support 100,000 Indigenous youth through education and on to meaningful livelihoods.

date, the program has already enabled 10,700 Indigenous youth to pursue their educational and career goals.

“The Mastercard Foundation seeks a world where everyone has the opportunity to learn and prosper,” said Reeta Roy, President and CEO of the Mastercard Foundation

“Our EleV Program is a commitment to work as partners with Indigenous young people and communities to transform education and employment systems based on their visions and values, in ways that revitalize their languages and cultures. We are led in this work by young Indigenous people themselves, grounded in our commitment to cocreation and our responsibility to reconciliation.”

The Mastercard Foundation’s EleV Program

The Mastercard Foundation’s goal is to reach 100,000 Indigenous youth through its EleV Program.

Established in 2017, EleV aligns education opportunities with the aspirations of Indigenous youth and the priorities of their communities. It supports young people through postsecondary education and on to meaningful work. To

partners with Indigenousled organizations and higher education institutions, working in close partnership with Indigenous youth and communities, to fundamentally transform education and employment systems. The “V” in the program name itself, cocreated with youth and Elders, evokes a flock of migratory geese flying a

long distance wherein each member takes a turn in the tiring lead position — a lesson from nature on the power of collaborative leadership in support of community.

“Post-secondary education needs to be built with the same values and understandings shared by Indigenous peoples in order for it to be meaningful and engaging,” said Monika Rumbolt, Youth Engagement Officer Labrador at Ulnooweg Indigenous Communities Foundation, and EleV partner. “It is not just a spiritual thing. It is scientific. Look at arctic agriculture for example. My people — the Inuit — would burn small islands offshore to help promote new growth in berries. They would rotate the ‘crops’ each few years to ensure a healthy harvest. If we want our youth to be successful in post-secondary, to live a good life, we need to give them the same connection they would find from the people and lands.”

Through the EleV Program, the Foundation will invest $500 million and collaborate with more than 45 partners in all regions of the country, working in education, employment, entrepreneurship, and growth sectors identified by Indigenous youth like clean energy, eco-tourism, and digital technology. In addition to Indigenous organizations, EleV partners with institutions working in deep, sustained partnerships with Indigenous communities, such as the University of Lethbridge in Alberta.

“Breaking away from standard approaches can be difficult and even

uncomfortable, but it’s essential to finding new ways forward,” said Dr. Michael Mahon, President and Vice-Chancellor at the University of Lethbridge.

“Our deep partnership with the Blackfoot Confederacy allows us to find innovative new ways to support success for Indigenous students across the education system because they know the challenges and the solutions.

We’re very pleased the Mastercard Foundation EleV Program helps us strengthen this work.”

The EleV Program National Launch Event is underway today in Toronto, Ontario.

The launch is an opportunity to share new approaches, lessons learned, and best practices that are driving changes in policies and actions to support Indigenous youth as well as strengthen and build new Indigenous systems. One of the key

lessons the Foundation is taking to governments, policy makers, and the public is that it supports success for Indigenous youth by supporting Indigenous-led innovation. This is what it means to ‘take flight together’.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

SOCAN Cultural Impact Award winner Tom Cochrane celebrated with star-studded tribute performance. Meanwhile, Lighthouse members inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, and Drake, OZ, Boi-1da, Allison Russell, Murda Beatz, Keith Power, La Zarra, High Valley also honoured.

More than 500 of the Canada’s most accomplished songwriters, composers, music publishers and industry leaders gathered tonight for the 33rd SOCAN Awards, honouring the country’s most successful music creators and publishers from an array of

genres, including Rap, Pop, R&B, Rock, Film & Television, Dance, Folk/Roots, Country, Classical and more.

Canadian songwriting, performing and philanthropic legend Tom Cochrane was presented with the SOCAN Cultural Impact Award for his truly iconic “Life Is A Highway.” A magnificent finale featured a performance of the hit by a star-packed and stage-full of music creators, including Bill Bell, Dala, Davide Direnzo, Molly Johnson, Jeff Jones, Alex Lifeson, Sam Roberts, and Julian Taylor.

Ralph Cole, Paul Hoffert, Bob McBride, and Skip Prokop of legendary Canadian jazz-rock group Lighthouse were inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame for bringing together music creators with eclectic backgrounds to form an iconic sound that has lasted for five decades. Lighthouse

Canadian Music Creators and Publishers celebrated at 33rd SOCAN Awards. L-R, Nonso Amadi, Quinton “Yung Trybez” Nyce and Darren

“Young D” Metz of Snotty Nose Rez Kids, La Zarra, Murda Beatz, Tom Cochrane, and Jennifer Brown, SOCAN CEO. (CNW Group/SOCAN)

CNW GROUP/SOCAN

as an 11-piece ensemble, delivered an unforgettable performance of their hits, including “Sunny Days” and “One Fine Morning.” Ralph Cole and Paul Hoffert joined the celebration. Sadly, Bob McBride and Skip Prokop passed away in 1998 and 2017, respectively, and their accomplishments, commitment and friendship were well remembered.

Hosted by the CBC’s Amanda Parris, the gala at the Sheraton Centre Toronto also featured unforgettable performances from Snotty Nose Rez Kids and rapper Drezus, recipients of the first-ever Vince Fontaine Indigenous Song Award, as well as Nonso Amadi, La Zarra, Alicia Creti, High Valley, and SOCAN International Achievement Award winner OZ was celebrated with an inspired set by DJ TLO.

Additional SOCAN firsts included the SOCAN Breakout Songwriter Award –Francophone presented to La Zarra, the SOCAN Breakout Composer Award awarded to up-and-coming screen composer, Evan MacDonald, as well as the first-ever SOCAN Reproduction Right Award awarded to Editions Studio V.

“We are thrilled to bring back the SOCAN Awards in-person after two years, and even more excited to present several new awards to deserving music creators, publishers and businesses,” said Jennifer Brown, CEO of SOCAN. “It is so essential to showcase the musical diversity of our country, and we’re in awe of the talent of all our winners tonight.”

Sponsors of the 2022

SOCAN Awards are Gowling WLG, YouTube Music, Anthem Entertainment, GC Partners, Hargraft Schofield LP, KPMG, Long & McQuade, Primary Wave, Proof Strategies, Recording Artists Collecting Society (ACTRA RACS), Yamaha Canada Music, Lake of Bays Brewing Co. and The Printing House (TPH).

Official charity partners: SOCAN Foundation and the Unison Benevolent Fund.

The annual Gala de la SOCAN, celebrating and honouring the work of SOCAN’s Francophone members, will be held on May 7, 2023, in Montréal.

SOCAN is a rights management organization that connects more than four-million music creators worldwide and more than a quarter-million businesses and individuals in Canada.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

The Well Told Company Inc., the female-founded wellness company that offers plantbased supplements, remedies, and other functional wellness products founded by breast cancer survivor Monica Ruffo, has agreed to donate $30,000 of products to after BREAST CANCER, a charity that provides support for individuals who have undergone treatment for breast cancer and have limited financial resources for basic post-operative needs.

The products that will be donated to after BREAST CANCER in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month will be included in Care KITs that go to breast cancer treatment “graduates” to help them recover from the long tail effects of cancer treatment that can often last for years.

“As someone who has experienced the after-effects of breast cancer treatment firsthand, I am very grateful to be in a position to support women in this stage of their journey,” said Monica Ruffo, founder and CEO of Well Told. “The effects of breast cancer treatment can last for a long time and helping women transition to a “new normal” with a little help from our wellness products can be a critical step.”

after BREAST CANCER is a Canadian breast cancer charity set up to ensure that women have access to the basic needs after cancer and to provide mastectomy and lumpectomy bras and

breast prostheses as well as Care KITs to women who are unable to afford them.

Well Told is a femalefounded, emerging plantbased wellness company that formulates, develops, distributes and sells a variety of supplements, remedies and other functional wellness products. Founded by serial entrepreneur and awardwinning leader Monica Ruffo, it was after undergoing treatment for breast cancer, and deciding to take her health into her own hands that she discovered the lack of transparency and availability of clean, plantbased formulations in the wellness industry.

Charity Lawyers Don’t Recommend

BY MALCOLM BURROWS

Irecently spoke to an estate lawyer who told me she would never recommend certain charities to clients. Why? Because of the way these charities treated estate trustees. Some charities are unduly litigious, grind on fees, and are obstreperous about releases. It’s not the first time I’ve heard this comment from estate professionals — and some traumatized lay executors and family members.

Sympathy for Charities

It’s hard to evaluate the validity of these accusations. I have worked at four major charities over the last 32 years. I sympathize with charities and their challenges with estate administration. There are administrative delays, clueless executors, double-dipping lawyers, legal challenges, family dysfunction, and in a few cases, outright fraud.

Major charities that are frequently named in wills typically have experienced estate administrators. They all know each other. When named in the same will, they coordinate on administration and legal matters — partly to reduce costs and partly to provide a united front. They try to be responsible and uphold the testator’s charitable intent. This should be applauded.

Second-Class Beneficiaries

Yet charities are often treated as second-class estate beneficiaries. That is, not family. These interlopers should be grateful for what they receive and not cause trouble. I’ve heard this view repeatedly over the years and actively repudiate it. Individuals have testamentary freedom, which exist in most provinces. Charitable

TANNYAN

Malcolm Burrows

beneficiaries are not only legitimate, but important to society.

Difficult Charities

I do know a few charities that have a reputation for being “difficult” in estate matters. The translation of “difficult” is a charity that asks for clear estate accounts and fee justifications. That’s just being professional.

Nonetheless, some charities get reputations. They use litigation lawyers extensively for routine estate matters and are institutionally hostile to executor fees. One charity has been called “toxic and greedy”. Another serves as executor for their donors to reduce costs, blithely ignoring the conflict of interest.

So-called difficult charities conduct business in a way that erodes trust, or at least that is the perception among estate professionals. Some charities estate administration habits damage their reputation in the community, which could ultimately reduce donations. Charities, however, have a duty to be good fiduciaries and protect charitable property from estates. Done right, the fiduciary obligation outweighs the potential reputational risk.

Illiquid Assets and Estate Donations

TAX RELIEF FOR an estate donation cannot be claimed until the property is transferred to a charity. No tax receipt; no tax credits. If the distribution is after 60 months after death of the donor there is no tax receipt at all. But what if the estate has illiquid assets that can’t easily be monetized, but may, possibly, be transferred in-kind to a charity?

Extended claim period

Formally, the tax rules addressed this issue. When the estate donation rules were first

introduced in January 2016, they were aligned with the 36-month graduated rate estate (“GRE”) period. This made the claim period for donations the two final lifetime returns and the three GRE estate returns. Charities were concerned that they would be see the value of estate donations reduced if the claim period was missed. Delays are most often caused by litigation or illiquid assets. The Canadian Association of Gift Planners advocated for post-mortem transfer period to be extended from 36 months to 60 months. Its wish was granted.

Terminal T1 Liability

The extended claim period, however, only addresses part of the issue. It ensures, in most cases, that there will be tax relief for a charitable gift — which means more money for both charitable and human beneficiaries. The biggest tax bill typically falls in the terminal lifetime return. Tax is owing if the return is filed without a donation tax receipt. It may be recovered later after a re-file, but at the very least interest is payable on the amount of tax owing.

In-kind Distributions

Executors may wish to distribute assets in-kind to named registered charities in time for inclusion on the terminal T1. This is a simple matter if the property is public securities. In this case, there is also additional tax savings due to the elimination of the capital gains tax. The issue is messier with property such as private company shares, art collections, rural real estate, and mineral and energy rights. Collectively, these are example of “complex property”.

Complex property is difficult to transfer to charity, especially if there is more than one organization named in the will. Charities typically don’t have the expertise to accept, value and manage complex property. Complex property is also often difficult to divide. More fundamentally, executors traditionally think it is their responsibility to sell property and distribute cash to charity beneficiaries. Charities, the thinking goes, receive donations for immediate use, not

undertake a lengthy monetization process — essentially acting as a second executor.

Charities as administrators of complex property

There are situations when these assumptions should be rethought. An estate plan may be structured to name a charity that will play an intermediary, administrative role. They combine this administrative role with carrying out the charitable purposes, either directly or through grants to other registered charities.

Fortunate donors of complex property are those that only naming one charity in their will that is sophisticated in the management of property. Most estate donors typically want to support several charities. Traditionally, private foundations have be used to serve this function for estates with complex property. Unfortunately, there are restrictions related to gifts of private shares to private foundations that create planning challenges.

Public foundations

More recently, certain public foundations with donor advised funds are acting as both recipient and administrator of complex property. Public foundations will typically be more able to accept and receipt private company shares than private foundations.

Again, it depends on the capacity of receiving public foundation. A charity that receives an estate donation of private company shares becomes a shareholder of the company. It’s not just a tax plan, but a multi-year relationship. Trust, experience, and governance are needed. When a foundation has this capacity, the tax and planning issues can be addressed. When absent, it is best for the executor to pay CRA interest charges and push to monetize assets within estate.

MALCOLM BURROWS is a philanthropic advisor with 30 years of experience. He is head, philanthropic advisory services at Scotia Wealth Management and founder of Aqueduct Foundation. Views are his own. malcolm.burrows@scotiawealth.com. He writes this column exclusively for each issue of Foundation Magazine.

Kathleen A. Provost

New Rules of Engagement

Exploring the work-life intersection

BY KATHLEEN A. PROVOST, CFRE, MAdEd

As a professional fundraiser, I often question how I can be at my best while trying to build relationships with others. I have this notion that this global pandemic should be teaching us something about our way of life, and provide us with key learnings about our own well-being. In this post-COVID moment, I am now questioning how I perceive my well-being as it relates to my work

Lately, I have been considering the numerous factors that influence my well-being. I worry about housing costs, the unemployment rate, models of education, global markets, and interest rates. But, in addition to these economic factors, I still find myself asking: Is my profession aligned with my values? Given the amount of time I spend in the workforce, does it contribute to my well-being?

I think recent questioning of work-life balance is a direct result of this global pandemic. Work-life balance plays an essential role in the well-being of individuals. We have had to adapt and define the workplace differently in response to the global pandemic for more than 30 months. As a result, we are now questioning the social norms as they pertain to our work environment — specifically how we define a healthy work-balance life.

Dr. Maria Kordowicz, Associate professor in organizational behaviour and Director of the

Centre for Interprofessional Education & Learning, Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences at the University of Nottingham, UK recently said: “Since the pandemic, people’s relationship with work has been studied in many ways, and the literature, across the professions, would argue that, people’s way of relating to their work has changed. Our ‘work’ and our ‘life’ aren’t easily disentangled”.

To get another perspective on the way people relate to work, I reached out to Tara Weber, to hear her thoughts on this issue. Tara has been reporting and anchoring in newsrooms across the country for more than a decade and in 2015 she joined the BNN Bloomberg team. As a Calgary-based western bureau chief, she covers the energy industry and a number of issues of interest in Western Canada. Tara is a recipient of Calgary’s Top 40 under 40 class of 2018. She sits on the boards of the Kerby Centre and Accessible Housing and two not-for-profit organizations that assist vulnerable populations in Calgary. In 2020 she became a member of the Governor General’s Canadian Leadership Conference (GGCLC). It is during her GGCLC Nova Scotia tour this past summer that I had the privilege to meet Tara and became aware of her inquisitive mind. I was curious to hear how she perceived this “work-life balance”.

forced us to question the meaning of our work, Tara talked about how prior to 2020 many of us were like “hamsters on a wheel” just going about our business. What the pandemic did, according to her, is make us stop and pause, which allowed us to examine the way in which we worked. We both agreed that individuals had been enduring cuts and/or finding ways to be more efficient — just to keep up. So now, this pause is giving us the space to ask: Do we always need to run so hard to get work done?

A different approach to our work

Tara and I went on to consider if returning “back to business, like things were” prior to this global pandemic, was possible. Tara illustrated very well a phenomenon we are currently experiencing. She said we now need to carve out our personal and professional lines and re-establish compartments that may have become “blurry” during the pandemic. This concept has recently been labelled “Quiet Quitting”. “Quiet Quitting” occurs when individuals are trying to establish better work-life boundaries by doing only what’s required to get the job done. It is about a conscious effort to uphold personal and professional well-being in the way we work, rather than risk burnout through working long or extended hours.

the “business” is done evolved over time. She mentioned that as professionals, we adapted and took more and more on to ensure we deliver on our mandates. Yet, it was only when we experienced COVID, that we were given the permission — almost an easy excuse — to say “no”. COVID gave us the authorization to say: No, I cannot do something because of the risk of contagion. No, I cannot execute on a request because of rules of isolation, or by fear of spreading the virus. This moment in time may have provided us with a realization that we can influence our rules of engagement.

A new rule of engagement

IN CONVERSATION WITH TARA WEBER

A new workforce Tara’s perspective about the workforce offered me a breath of fresh air. When I asked Tara if she thought the pandemic

During the pandemic, Tara was saying “business did not stop”, we just had to find new ways of working. So now we need to explore: Do we end these new rules of engagement in our work which were developed to respond to COVID? Do we revert back to the working rules we had prior to the pandemic? Or do make up new rules? Hence, Tara and I questioned: Is there a need the need to change the relationship between the employer and the employee? Maybe, it is possible to develop new partnerships in which preventing burnouts is accomplished by actively working and communicating with employees to prioritize tasks, create clear email or social media expectations, and even develop new agreed upon work policies.

Tara referenced her own experience in the field of journalism, citing how the way

This global pandemic has changed all the “rules of engagement”, as we knew them. A recent survey from Gallup (2022) found that young workers (generation Z and millennial) said physical wellness isn’t enough and that they want career, social, financial and community wellness, too. Hence, what at times may seem like “disengagement” may just be an attempt to get the work done. It just means an attempt to take control of our mandate at work. It does not mean “quitting or abandoning” my work. By carving boundaries, performance at work can be better, and there is energy left after the work mandate to tend to other identified priority activities.

One’s engagement provides a sense of purpose. To quote Tara: “This can provide the added sparkle we are all looking for.” In essence, professional individuals are attempting not to define themselves simply through their work, but individuals are struggling to create a healthy balance between work and life.

My final thoughts

This global pandemic has enabled us, as human being, to pause. As Tara said, it has given us permission to reflect on our current “rules of engagement”. We now have the opportunity of a lifetime to reshape these rules of engagement because it is time they respond to an evolving society. In our workplace, in our

THINKING

A Community of Connections

BY MARYANN KERR

I’ve been thinking a lot about unity, community and connection.

One of my favourite people (FP) was recently diagnosed with stage 3 lung cancer. Once FP had informed closely held family, friends and coworkers and the initial sharing was complete I was tasked with managing communications. This meant checking in with FP about who to tell, how much to tell, when to tell, and how to tell. As the person living with the illness, FP’s energy was focused on coming to terms with a life-altering diagnosis and a gruelling treatment plan. Talking about a cancer diagnosis, particularly when you are processing and undergoing treatment is hard and repetitive work.

At times FP would share the news abruptly, leaving the recipient of the information shocked and dismayed. Other times, FP chose to keep the diagnosis private as friends were just about to leave for a 30th anniversary trip or with concern the information would get back to their 94-year-old bed-ridden parent. Mostly, FP just didn’t want to talk about it.

Every text, phone call, email add up to create stress and deplete limited energy. At the same time, relationships

Maryann Kerr

are everything, and we want to keep them close and healthy. We chose to use a website called CaringBridge to build a community of information around FP’s diagnosis. It still takes some effort, but it means when FP is tired or not up to a call or text, they know that the people they care about are kept up to date on their journey.

I write the posts; FP approves them — when not in a post surgery haze. FP loves to hear the comments from friends and family. They help FP feel part of what is happening outside of a treatment room or recovery bed.

There is some resistance to this. Some folks don’t like to be treated in an egalitarian manner. They like to feel that their friendship is ‘more’ special than another. It may be. They are family and don’t want to be lumped in with friends or colleagues. Understood. They continue to call or text or email. They let FP know that they love them, but they won’t be posting on the CaringBridge site because they don’t do that sort of thing.

I will admit, I find this frustrating and then remind myself, it’s not about me. In community, we make it about others. We challenge ourselves and stretch our limits to accommodate the greater good. We center others. In this case, we center FP.

It is about the effort not the outcome. It is about participation not getting it 100 percent right.

Whether we want to believe it or not, particularly if we are proponents of the positive psychology movement, our lives are filled with traumas big and small. Being “in community” helps us to navigate them.

When the trauma is a big one, like a cancer diagnosis, there can be a sense of isolation and disconnection. You want to feel part of a familiar community filled with people you know. When you read a comment on a site like the CaringBridge, it reminds you of all the people out there who are cheering you on. Loving you. Missing you. Connected to you through work or home or since you were in grade three.

For FP, this sense of community is an unintended outcome of the CaringBridge site. When those who love FP are looking for a way to be helpful in a long hour of need, this small action can make a world of difference.

If the pandemic taught us anything, it was how important human connection is to our health and happiness. I hope we can hang on to that lesson in the days ahead. In his grand-daughter’s book, Everyday Ubuntu, Desmond Tutu wrote: “The lesson of ubuntu is best described in a proverb that is found in almost every African language, whose translation is, “A person is a person through other persons.’ The fundamental meaning of the proverb is that everything we learn and experience

in the world is through our relationships with other people. We are therefore called to examine our actions and thoughts, not just for what they will achieve for us, but for how they impact on others with whom we are in contact.” (p. 8 Everyday Ubuntu by Mungi Ngomane)

We build connection, community and unity one relationship at a time. As we shared in this publication last April, everything comes down to relationships. FP receives this community of support with deep humility, and it fills us with hope. The community of care around FP is sustenance for the soul.

I am grateful to be in community with you through this issue of Foundation magazine. As always, we welcome your comments and feedback and suggestions.

MARYANN KERR is Chief Happiness Officer, CEO and principal consultant with the Medalist Group. Maryann is a governance, leadership and culture specialist, has worked in the social profit sector for 34 years and helped raise over $110M. She is an associate consultant with Global Philanthropic Canada. Maryann is a sector leader with a passion for her social justice, feminism, and continuous learning.

Maryann’s first book was published by Civil Sector Press in 2021: Tarnished: Let’s rethink, reimagine and co-create a new social impact sector. Maryann earned her CFRE in 1997 and her master’s in organizational leadership in 2016. She is currently exploring opportunities for a Ph.D. or perhaps a second book. She writes this column exclusively for each issue of Foundation Magazine.

Ubuntu rejects the notion that any human being can ever be entirely self-made because no person can exist in isolation. I am only because you are. However, it also goes further and highlights the incredible power we can harness if we choose to stand together.

Everyday Ubuntu, Living Better Together The African Way, Mungi Ngomane

Little Known Strategies for Charitable Giving

BY MARK HALPERN, CFP, TEP, MFA-P

By any measure, we live in an age of instant information. The answers to many of life’s questions are just a Google query away. You probably have a smartphone or computer within arm’s reach.

Correction: I meant to say “disinformation”. Much of the content available online is incomplete, unreliable, or both. For important information, like planning your financial future, you need answers from reliable sources.

When it comes to Philanthropy, experienced professionals provide valuable insights based on your own unique situation.

They will also share effective strategies to help you maximize your philanthropic impact in the most costeffective and tax friendly manner.

At WEALTHinsurance.com, we are building a community of like-minded financial professionals (accountants, lawyers, estate planners, insurance advisors, charities, foundations, etc.) to create $1 billion of charitable giving annually. See additional details at https://wealthinsurance.com/billion.php.

Mark Halpern, CFP, TEP, MFA-P

Achieving that objective can become a reality if generous people have reliable information upon which to act.

This article contains information that isn’t widely known.

Take the test yourself… did you know that:

and keep money growing in a taxdeferred environment during retirement if it remains in the plan (the RRIF part).

The problem arises when people finally access those funds, and that’s when up to 54 percent of those savings (in Ontario) go to the tax department.

Wealthy clients usually have large sums in registered accounts, money they don’t need to pay bills.

Many young families buy (or should buy) inexpensive term Life Insurance to protect the family from a sudden catastrophic loss if a parent dies. By the time the kids grow up and become independent, those policies are often unaffordable and allowed to lapse.

Before they expire, those policies can be very valuable, because they can be converted into permanent Life Insurance with no medical evidence. A client in her early 60s developed a medical condition that made her uninsurable. Using our PolicyPRESERVER™ strategy, we helped transform an expiring $300,000 term life policy that she no longer needed into a $300,000 charitable gift to her alma mater.

An independent actuary valued the term policy at $175,000, which saved her $87,500 in taxes, all at once or spread out over five years. Meanwhile, another graduate stepped up to pay the ongoing premiums on the donated policy and will receive a charitable donation receipt for all the premiums he pays.

She was recognized during her lifetime for her generous legacy gift, and when she passes away, the university will receive the entire $300,000 death benefit.

A $2 million RRSP/RRIF is actually worth only $920,000 to your heirs. Consider donating all or part of your RRSP/RRIF to your own charitable fund and/or other charities and nothing to the tax department (CRA).

Money in RRSP and RRIF accounts is often perceived to be “stuck,” destined only to provide a retirement income stream and tangled up within the strict rules of registered plans. You can liberate those funds to do some good in the world.

We recently helped a client preserve his hard-earned money by converting $2 million of taxable RRSP funds (worth only $920,000 to his family), into a charitable family legacy of $4.5 million.

1. Life Insurance Policy Owned by Charity, Tax Savings Now: As above, create a charitable gift of $1.5 million using joint-and-last-todie Life Insurance, this time with the charity as owner and beneficiary of the policy. Use the CPP benefit to pay the policy premiums and receive an annual charitable donation receipt of $26,000, mitigating the tax payable on the pension benefit and replacing it with a large gift.

2. Life Insurance Policy Owned Personally, Tax Savings Later: Use the CPP benefits to pay the premiums on a joint-and-last-todie Life Insurance policy for $1.5 million. The charity, as beneficiary, will receive the insurance payout on the death of the second spouse. Their estate will receive a donation receipt for $1.5 million and save the family about $750,000 in taxes.

Registered Retirement Savings Plans (RRSPs) and Registered Retirement Income Funds (RRIFs) are useful tools that allow people to save for retirement on a tax-deferred basis (the RRSP part)

You don’t have to be rich and famous to leave a substantial charitable gift and enjoy significant tax savings. You may not need your monthly Canada Pension Plan (CPP) benefits to pay your bills. That ‘never spend’ money only gets taxed, reinvested and then taxed again. We call it “The Tax Grind”.

The CPP Philanthropy™ strategy uses your CPP benefits to fund a permanent tax-exempt Life Insurance policy, creating a substantial windfall for your family and the causes you care about.

Let’s use the example of a married couple, both 65, each receive $1,100/ monthly in CPP benefits, for a total of about $26,000 a year. They live in Ontario and pay tax at the highest marginal tax rate, 53.53 percent.

They can apply this strategy four different ways:

3. Donate RRSP/RRIF By Will or Beneficiary Designation: RRSP/RRIF will be fully taxed as income (at up to 54 per cent in Ontario) on the second death. A $1-million RRSP/RRIF will only be worth approximately $460,000 to their family, after taxes. This strategy designates a charity as beneficiary of the RRSP/RRIF, which mitigates the RRSP/RRIF taxes. To replace the $460,000 that would have gone to the family, use some of the CPP benefit to pay for a $500,000 Life Insurance policy to fund the tax liability, or use the entire CPP benefit to purchase a $1.5 million joint-and-last-to-die insurance policy, with the family/ estate as the beneficiary. On the second death, the Life Insurance policy pays out $1.5 million tax-free to the family. This represents an additional $940,000 for the family (compared to $460,000) and a large gift to charity

4. Charity begins at home. Create a “pension” for your children and grandchildren: Use the CPP benefits to buy a $1.5 million joint-and-lastto-die insurance policy. Designate

your children and grandchildren as beneficiaries. Assuming the insurance proceeds earn 5 percent annually, your descendants will receive a $75,000 “pension” every year, in perpetuity.

RRIF or Tax-Free Savings Account) to purchase an annuity that pays guaranteed income for life at a rate that can be as high as 10 percent, depending on your age. At the same time, you buy permanent Life Insurance and transfer the ownership to a registered charity, donor-advised fund (DAF) or your own private foundation.

created some easy-to-understand onepagers that more fully explain each of the above-mentioned strategies. Please contact us to obtain complimentary copies of those explanatory documents by sending an email to info@WEALTHinsurance.com

Life is full of compromises, but sometimes you can have it all. Use the Gift Pension Strategy™, to create an exceptional charitable gift that combines favourable elements of an Annuity, Life Insurance, Philanthropy and Tax to achieve guaranteed income, maximize legacy gifts, create annual gifts, and save taxes.

Use non-registered money (funds outside a registered plan such as an RRSP,

The annuity income is tax-efficient because it’s a mix of principal and interest. A portion of that income pays the premiums on the Life Insurance, and every premium payment earns you a charitable donation receipt, reducing your annual tax bill.

The result: you have created a rock-solid, dependable pension plan for yourself that won’t fluctuate with market volatility, and you’ve also set up a legacy gift that satisfies your philanthropic objectives.

Due to space limitations, the information contained in this article is limited, so we

We love helping people make generous charitable donations using money that would otherwise go to the tax department. Our advisors across the country are available to help you achieve your own philanthropic and estate planning objectives.

Please don’t hesitate to contact us.

MARK HALPERN is a well-known CFP, TEP, MFA-P (Certified Financial Planner, Trust & Estate Practitioner, Master Financial Advisor – Philanthropy). He was honoured to speak in the Disruptors Category at Moses Znaimer’s most recent ideacity conference. His talk generated high interest and comments.

Watch “The New Philanthropy” at bit.ly/MarkHalpernTalk Learn more at www.wealthinsurance.com. He writes this column exclusively for each issue of Foundation Magazine.

Private Foundation or Donor Advised Fund (DAF)?

A Private Foundation is a corporation or trust registered as a charity with Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) and usually established and managed by one donor or family. There are about 200 private foundations in Canada — the first was launched in Winnipeg and the biggest is based in Vancouver — and they generally make the most sense with a minimum initial investment of $2 to $5 million. Private foundations provide complete control over which charities benefit from donations but are very complex and timeconsuming to manage.

A Donor Advised Fund (DAF) requires significantly less donor time, energy and financial commitment, and can also provide greater anonymity because there’s no disclosure to the CRA by individual donors. A DAF can be established at a Public Foundation to administer and invest donations made by individuals, families and organizations.

Our team can help you decide how to best structure your charitable giving, so your donations have the biggest impact on the causes you care most about.

Creative Deviations is an anecdotal and thoughtful how-to guide to help you become more creative with your fundraising. It’s part graphic design, part design thinking, part storytelling, part strategic thinking and part love note to you amazing humans who work so hard for your causes, your donors, your mission and your desire to contribute and make positive change in our world.

now at: https://hilborn-civilsectorpress.com

“... this book is revolutionary. It’s a ‘once in a generation’ book. It will rewire your brain.”

—TOM AHERN

Towards an Inclusive Economy

BY DR. LORNA READ

Can a post-pandemic economy be an inclusive economy?

It can be — if we are prepared to focus our attention on ensuring economic equity for women, specifically those from underserved communities.

It’s no secret that women were the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. Women lost more jobs, recovered less, and spent more time on unpaid work relative to men. In addition to the losses resulting from unemployment and diminished wages, pandemicrelated policies and isolation measures contributed to an increase in domestic violence, greater burdens of domestic and caregiving responsibilities, and reduced access to social support services.

Advancing Women’s Economic Well-Being, a recently published report by LEAP, takes a deep dive into this issue and shows how and why women lost ground during the pandemic. Amongst its findings:

❯ 800,000 women were removed from the workforce during the peak of the pandemic

❯ 27 additional hours a week were spent by women on childcare, compared to 13 hours per week for men

❯ 12x as many mothers than fathers left their jobs for toddlers or school aged children

Women from equity-deserving groups–including those who are racialized, Indigenous, immigrants, low-income, disabled, lone parents and people in the LGBTQ2S+ community–face additional barriers to economic well-being. These segments of the population are more vulnerable to gendered assumptions — rooted in bias and discrimination — of domestic and caregiving responsibilities and professional and political positions.

These are daunting statistics. But while the pandemic changed the way we live and work, it also created an opportunity

to reimagine a better future for the close to two million women currently living in poverty in Canada. Now is the time to create a stronger and more equitable economy that strengthens the economic support systems of those women from marginalized communities to pave the way for their full participation in the economy.

Investing in women creates long-term social and economic benefits that have a ripple effect in their communities. Their children’s mental and physical health improves, as does their school performance and future earning potential. Women are more likely to invest in their communities and support local businesses. And ensuring women’s equal participation in the economy is good for the bottom line — data shows that by eliminating the gender wage gap, we can lift Canada’s GDP by $150 billion.

It’s important, when looking at the issue, to recognize that women’s financial security is not just about economics. Advancing Women’s Economic Well-Being demonstrates that this is a complex, multifaceted issue with several interconnected drivers. Addressing women’s economic well-being means addressing the barriers that affect women’s personal stability: access to basic needs and social support, education, the opportunity cost of caregiving, workforce opportunity and societal and institutional norms. To make headway on this issue, we must take a holistic, multifaceted approach.

We know that right now in Canada there are impactful social ventures who are already working to advance women’s economic security. These organizations

have passionate leadership and proven, community-based solutions. Their success is often rooted in deep understanding of cultural and social norms, practices and beliefs. When given the opportunity and resources to scale their reach, these social ventures can multiply their impact and help lift more women out of poverty.

This is where LEAP comes in. LEAP believes that when similarly focused organizations come together — to share learnings and opportunities — they can leverage the power of collaboration to effect broader and more sustainable change.

LEAP’s model of venture philanthropy catalyzes large-scale social impact by supporting and scaling breakthrough social ventures and unleashing the power of collaboration. We have recently launched our latest initiative, The Equity Opportunity, which will select and scale up to 10 high-impact social ventures over the course of five years by providing them with strategic guidance, operational support, coaching and capacity building. To enable their scaling, each social venture will receive pro bono professional services from LEAP’s best-in-class sector partners, and the funds needed to implement their growth strategies. Based on LEAP’s track record, it is anticipated that each social venture will grow between 4x and 10x during the course of the initiative.

The Equity Opportunity will transform societal and institutional norms, strengthen and modernize the social sector and empower women personally and as a collective, which will ultimately

Inside Canadian Fundraising: The Status of Our Sector

Report

BY DAVID BENJAMIN

Each year, the charitable sector is challenged to adjust and respond to a unique combination of economic, social, political, and environmental influences. Within the last year, Canadian organizations have shown strength despite years of exceptional challenges, with 53 percent of respondents exceeding fundraising targets and 41 percent reporting income growth.

Resilience is a word that has seemingly increased in use over the last few years, illustrating the capacity of the sector to recover quickly from challenges. Such resilience not only acts as a risk management strategy but also as fuel for innovation and growth.

This year, Canadian non-profit employees have leaned into resilience, modelling a clear tenacity to support their missions despite unprecedented headwinds. Canadian supporters responded with an increase in exceptional gifts. While testament to the philanthropic history of this culture, it is an income source that is variable and organizations will need to ensure focus on long-term sustainability.

As growth was fuelled by an unpredictable revenue stream, it is even more critical to evaluate long-term plans and ensure alignment of investments to those goals.

Despite acknowledging the value of technology in improving supporter relationships, only a fraction of employees feel like tools are maximized. Technology provides a clear opportunity to not only minimize risk for the primary cause of income decline and the ability to raise funds, but also to address the 59 percent of organization’s concerns about retaining and recruiting talent.

Employee replacement rates have been cited to cost one to two times the employee’s annual salary and ongoing performance development opportunities have been proven to boost employee engagement and retention.

Several circumstantial variables remain outside of organizational control and will continue to change this year and in years ahead. Non-profit organizations have a highly effective tool to help manage through this: the opportunity to invest in people. Up-skilling employees, who in turn engage with donors and manage operations, generates energy needed to strengthen the ability to respond and thrive in an ever-changing climate.

By empowering our sector with development opportunities that optimize the use of technologies that extend impact by streamlining processes or customizing the supporter experience, organizations can recognize and reward valuable talent while scaling impact and building strength and agility to thrive within any environment.

Thank you to everyone that took part in our survey therefore allowing us to build this picture of the current landscape of fundraising in Canada. We hope you find the research insightful and useful to benchmark your performance and plan ahead.

We are excited to bring you the very first Status of Canadian Fundraising Report featuring the views and insight of charity professionals working in Canada.

The Status of Canadian Fundraising Report creates a comprehensive view of fundraising in 2022 and provides a unique opportunity for charities looking to benchmark their performance.

The survey on which the report is based was open for three weeks in June and saw over 100 charity professionals take part, answering a number of questions which covered topics including income trends and fundraising targets, digital transformation and collaboration.

We also carried out a number of in-person interviews with fundraising professionals at a broad cross-section of social good organizations around the world. We would like to give special thanks to Mimmo Di Giacomo, Development Director, Animal Free Research UK; Bethany Thomas-Braithwaite, Fundraising Manager, City Hearts; Mike Keech, Head of Fundraising, Marketing and Partnership, Make-a-Wish New Zealand; and, Rich McStraw, Fundraising Manager, Standout.

Our sincere thanks also go to Susie Mullen, freelance data analyst and market researcher, whose help and expert guidance was much appreciated in the production of this report.

Who we spoke to:

❯ 60 percent are fundraisers

26 percent are experienced non-managers

29 percent are managers

34 percent are directors

76 percent identify as women

34 percent identify as men

Key Findings:

❯ Canadian respondents are more likely than UK and Australians to report that they have exceeded their fundraising targets.

❯ More than half of Canadian organizations (53 percent) said they exceeded their fundraising target over the last full financial year.

❯ The economy, retaining and recruiting talent and adapting to the post-pandemic fundraising world are the main challenges for organizations.

❯ 75 percent said the economic situation is their biggest concern.

❯ Larger Canadian organizations ($10M) consider retaining and recruiting talent is as big a challenge for the sector as the current economic situation.

❯ 74 percent of large organizations said retaining and recruiting talent is a challenge, while 72 percent said the economy is a challenge.

❯ Individual giving is the biggest income stream and 56 percent say it contributes more than it did before the pandemic.

❯ Overall, larger organizations report income streams contributing more than they did before the pandemic.

❯ A high majority of organizations invest in technology (73 percent), and even more (76 percent) say they understand how technology can help them. However, only 39 percent

of organizations say they get the most out of tech. The organizations who say they get the most out of tech and invest in tech also say they are digitally mature, their employees collaborate well together, and they are committed to ESG.

SECTION #1: ORGANIZATIONAL INCOME

Despite a difficult few years, 41 percent of respondents said their organizational income has increased in the last year, and only 14 percent said they had experienced a decline in income.

Thinking about the last full financial year, how did your organization’s voluntary income change, compared with the year before?

One quarter of respondents said they did not know how their income had changed compared to the previous year.

See Chart A

Organizations which increased their income are more likely to:

have an overall income more than $10M

have exceeded fundraising target

say individual giving is now contributing more than before the pandemic Organizations which saw a decrease in income are more likely to:

have an overall income of less than $1M

have missed their fundraising target

say individual giving, corporate and community funding are contributing less than before the pandemic

Fundraising Targets

More than half of organizations (53 percent) reported that they had exceeded their fundraising target last year, with only 12 percent saying they did not reach their target.

See Chart b

Taking a closer look at the 53 percent who exceeded their targets, we can see that these organizations are bigger and more positive about the future. The research shows they are more likely to:

❯ have an income more than $10M

❯ say income increased ❯ be optimistic they’ll meet targets in next 12-18 months

Income Growth and Decline

Of those that saw their income increase, over half (51 percent) said the main reason for this growth was because of exceptional gifts received. This was closely followed by 35 percent attributing growth to their focus on supporter experience, and 33 percent calling out an increase in income due to the pandemic.

See Chart c

This emphasis on supporter experience is interesting — when asked the same question in the UK, only 18 percent of organizations gave this reason for income growth.

The pandemic was given as, by far, the main driver of a decrease in income, followed by:

❯ existing supporters giving less ❯ organizations not being adequately resourced to grow ❯ organizations not having enough people with the right skills

See Chart d

Income Streams

Individual giving and grants are the largest source of income for the sector, regardless of charity size.

See Chart e

When asked how income streams have been affected by the pandemic, organizations reported that grants, trusts and foundations, and individual giving are all contributing more now, but event fundraising, community giving and corporate funding are contributing less than pre-pandemic times.

Interestingly, larger organizations are most likely to see income streams contributing more post-pandemic.

Income Round-Up

Commented Dan Keyworth, Vice President and Head of Global Customer Success Program: “Over the past two years, the Canadian social good sector has demonstrated tremendous resilience, agility, and creativity in responding to the changing world around us. That remains no less important in the years ahead, and we must continuously evolve to meet combined needs of our causes, beneficiaries, and supporters, whilst collectively elevating our voice to build a better world.

“There will be both winners and losers, too, given the uncertain economic climate; positively, 41 percent said they had seen

an increase in income over the last 12 months, with only 14 percent seeing a decline. Time to value matters, with those more able to quickly adapt thriving most, whilst others may struggle. Identifying, building, and stewarding deep meaningful donor relationships whilst lifting the importance of our missions is more important than ever; those charities that did report growth, said this was due to exceptional gifts, and an emphasis on supporter experience. Stability, brand, and trust each matter too, with this research highlighting that organizations that experienced growth more likely to be larger.

“Looking ahead, prudent investment to ensure you can effectively and efficiently raise resources, manage operations, deliver programs, and measure impact, will be pivotal. It is heartening that Canadian organizations are poised to continue to drive more social impact, by individually and collectively being agile, establishing deep and meaningful connections, maximizing the use of digital experiences, and above all connecting and amplifying our causes and the critical role of fundraising.”

SECTION #2: TECHNOLOGY

Almost everyone (83 percent) agrees that technology helps improve supporter relationships, 76 percent say they understand generally how technology can help their organization and 73 percent say their organization invests in technology. However, only 56 percent invest in technology, and only 39 percent said they get the most out of their technology.

See Chart f

Taking a closer look at the third of organizations who do get the most out of technology, these organizations no more likely to be big or small in size, but they are more like to be:

more collaborative

digitally mature

committed to ESG

Digital Maturity

We asked respondents to score their organization on a scale of 1-10 regarding their digital maturity. Twenty-nine percent of organizations scored themselves as 8 or above, with only

8 percent scoring a 9 or 10. The average score is 6.2, with 65 percent of organizations scoring 6,7 or 8, and 28 percent scoring 5 or below.

See Chart g

The organizations with low digital maturity scores also tend to:

❯ say they do not collaborate well

❯ disagree that technology helps to improve supporter experience

❯ do not invest in technology

❯ do not understand how technology can help

❯ do not use data to improve decision making

Tech Round-Up

Commented Marc Roy, Senior Solutions Engineer, Blackbaud: “When we look at what organizations are telling us about technology — it’s so reassuring to see that there is widespread agreement in the benefits of tech. The majority are fully aware that investing in the right technology can truly enhance their organization’s success. However, it is definitely concerning to see that only 1/3 of organizations are getting the most out of their technology. There could be many reasons for this — perhaps time constraints and other priorities are preventing organizations from taking on the training and learning to truly get to grips with their systems. Technology has advanced by leaps and bounds over the last few years, and we want to concentrate on supporting the two thirds of organizations who are not reaching their full potential to really get the most out of their technology and push their fundraising to new levels.”

SECTION #3: CULTURE AND COLLABORATION

Optimism across the sector is generally high, with a huge 76 percent feeling positive that they will be able to deliver services in the next 12-18 months. However, only half of all organizations said they are optimistic that they will thrive.

See Chart h Overall, organizations across the sector are willing to understand their supporters, innovate, adapt, collaborate and respond to employee feedback.

Collaboration

We asked respondents to the survey to score themselves on a scale of 1-10 according to how well their organization collaborated where 1 is ‘we work in silos’, and 10 is ‘collaboration across teams and departments is easy and seamless’.

Results show 20 percent of organizations score themselves as an 8 or above on the spectrum, and the average score is 5.9.

Organizations with a higher collaboration score are more likely to:

say they are willing to respond to employee feedback

take risks

say their organization is very/extremely committed to ESG and measure their ESG scores

be digitally mature and agree they get the most out of their tech

Organizations with a lower collaboration score are more likely to:

say they are unwilling to innovate, adapt to change and collaborate with other similar organizations

❯ say their organization is not at all/slightly committed to ESG

❯ be digitally immature and do not get the most out of technology, invest in technology, understand how technology can help nor use data to improve decision making

ESG stands for Environmental Social and Governance and refers to the three key factors when measuring the sustainability and ethical impact of an organization.

The Environmental, Social and Governance factors are a subset of non-financial performance indicators which include ethical,

sustainable and corporate governance issues such as making sure there are systems in place to ensure accountability, invest in and care for human capital, and managing the corporation’s carbon footprint.

In the survey, we asked respondents to tell us more about their understanding and adoption of ESGs.

How important is it for you to work with an organization that takes its ESG obligations seriously? How committed do you think your organization is to ESG?

Does your organization measure and publish its ESG score?

92 percent reported that they don’t know if their organization measures their ESG score, and of these people, 38 percent are interested in finding out more.

Culture and Collaboration Round-Up

Jasmyn Mason, Director, Human Resources, People and Culture, Blackbaud, commented: “Collaboration is something we take seriously, especially now as employees are located all over the world in our global remote first environment. This starts with creating a culture of trust; building positive environments where teams can bring their authentic selves and know they can ask for help when needed, taking advantage of all available resources for a successful outcome. I think any experienced professional would support the sentiment that the finished product is always stronger when diverse points of view come together. We hear from customers every day about the incredible difference our collaboration makes and the results they can achieve because of how we harness our collective expertise. It’s so inspiring to see that this research shows that the organizations that invest in collaboration are also more digitally mature, more optimistic about the future, more willing to be innovative, demonstrating how powerful it is when we make time to work together.”

SECTION #4: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES

The main concern for the sector is the current economic situation. This was flagged as a concern by 75 percent of respondents.

See Chart i

Retaining and recruiting talent is also identified as major challenge for the sector. Over half of all respondents (59

percent) said this is a big concern for their organization. Interestingly, for larger organizations, retaining and recruiting talent is considered as big a challenge as the troubled economy. For the medium sized organizations, rising costs are the major issue.

See Chart j

Supporter Experience

The research shows continued support for organizations within the sector with 39 percent of organizations say they are gaining more supporters than they are losing, and 60 percent say supporter numbers remain consistent. Only 14 percent of organizations say they are losing more supporters than they are gaining.

See Chart k

The increase in supporter numbers rises dramatically when it comes to organizations who reported an increase in income. Of these organizations, 60 percent said they are gaining more supporters than they are losing.

See Chart l

There is clear agreement that most organizations have clear goals, strategies that are fit for purpose, and prioritize longterm success over short-term goals.

See Chart m

Challenges Round-Up

Commented Ashley Thompson, Director, Blackbaud Institute: “While, for most organizations, the road ahead may feel shaky given the current economic uncertainty, the path forward

doesn’t have to be. “Research has shown time and again that, by building successful teams and harnessing the most effective practices, organizations can successfully navigate this—or any other challenges. “As the last few years have shown us, resilient teams will continue to lean in with an unwavering commitment

to stewarding their generous supporters, inspiring and broadening their constituent networks, and leveraging best-inclass digital cultivation tactics.”

DAVID BENJAMIN

Executive Vice President, Chief Commercial Officer, Blackbaud.

New Rules of Engagement

13

homes, in our communities and yes, in philanthropy too.

In May 2022, Julia Howell published in The Philanthropist Journal — Why philanthropy needs a new story Howell wrote: “For many, the word ‘philanthropist’ conjures up old-timey images of the golden-hearted titan of industry or the giant in the community… it is time to remove ‘direction and control,’ and shift to more reciprocal relationships.”

In the field of philanthropy, we have a unique opportunity to shift the delicate relationships that exists between “the funder” and “the grantee”. More recently, how we establish the “rules of engagement” between “the giver” and “the receiver” within our endowment structures is becoming a paradigm to explore this reciprocal relationship.

Liban Abokor, Executive Director of Youth LEAPS and founding member of the working group for the Foundation for Black Communities, illustrated very well this reciprocal relationship when he said:

“I have never given or donated. I have returned … so what I’ve taken from the pot, I’ve simply returned, for others to benefit as well.”

Others like, Senator Ratna Omidvar with her podcast entitled Moving the Needle on Wicked Problems provides a forum for guest speakers to offer different lenses on some of the current philanthropic norms. And even Kris Archie, CEO of The Circle on Philanthropy and Aboriginal Peoples in Canada warned us of these upcoming changes when he stated: “These changes will transform the world of all those involve”.

Today, we have the opportunity to take part in creating new “rules of engagement” with an objective of developing reciprocity in all areas of our work and of our lives. Let’s make the most of this unique chance.

KATHLEEN A. PROVOST, CFRE is currently the Director, Campaign Initiatives at St. Francis Xavier University, in Antigonish, NS. She brings over 25 years of fundraising experience within the charitable sector. She has been a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) since 2007, and a longtime member and volunteer for the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP). As a recognized leader, Kathleen has tailored presentations and workshops for French and English audiences at various events including AFP-Nova Scotia, AFP-Ottawa, AFP-National Congress, Coady International Institute and the Canadian Council for the Advancement of Education. Kathleen is a McGill University graduate and holds a Master, Adult Education from St. Francis Xavier University. She has received numerous recognitions during her career, including the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for her contributions to the charitable sector and 2021 Fundraiser of the Year in Nova Scotia.. She writes this column exclusively for each issue of Foundation Magazine.

Towards an Inclusive Economy

CONTINUED FROM page 21

lead to systemic change.

To date, The Equity Opportunity has attracted financial support from a

number of individual philanthropists and corporations, including BMO Financial Group, Manulife, RBC Foundation, Scotiabank, and TD Bank Group. LEAP and its champions continue to fundraise to support this critical initiative.

On every level, enabling economic independence for women is one of the highest value investments we can make as a society. We know that a return to the prepandemic status quo is not good enough. Now is the time to place our collective focus on helping women elevate their economic independence, in a way that reaches as many women as rapidly as possible.

DR. LORNA READ is Managing Director of LEAP | Pecaut Centre for Social Impact. LEAP | Pecaut Centre for Social Impact (LEAP) believes in a society where everyone has the opportunity to reach their full potential. We catalyze large scale social impact by selecting, supporting and scaling breakthrough social ventures and unleashing the potential of collaboration. We achieve collective impact by working across issue-focused cohorts and with our sector partners, all business leaders in their respective industries: Boston Consulting Group, EY LLP, McCarthy Tétrault LLP, Hill+Knowlton Strategies Canada, Marts & Lundy, and Google.org. To date, over two million Canadian lives have been improved in every province and territory.

O ering professional prospect research, training, and fundraising strategy. Editor and contributor to “Prospect Research in Canada”, Canada’s first book on prospect research.

Recent Scandals in the Sector Point to a Need for Greater Transparency

BY MARK BLUMBERG

Unfortunately, we have less transparency today in the non-profit and charity sector than we had 15 years ago. Both the Conservative and Liberal Federal governments have whittled away at transparency in the nonprofit and charity sector.

Here is the Blumbergs’ Pre-Budget Submission for the 2023 Canadian Federal Budget. For those who have not been following our law firm’s submissions over the last 10 years, they have focused on transparency and accountability in the non-profit and charity sector.

Unfortunately, many have not learned an important lesson from the multitude of scandals in the non-profit and charity sector: that those who abuse the system are adept at taking advantage of weaknesses in the rules and their enforcement, as well as of blind spots in transparency. If you are a normal person, you probably don’t pay much attention to non-profit and charity regulations, to what exactly is or isn’t available publicly, or to when and how information will become publicly available.

I promise you that there are some people who are well aware of our system and how to game it. As we have noted elsewhere, even if CRA, which regulates registered charities, finds out that a charity is abusing the system, it typically takes 10-15 years for the public to know about it. Think of all the money donated over that 10 to 15-year period to the organization that would almost certainly not have been donated if the public knew. Think of all the government agencies, who typically have very little skill and training in due diligence on grantees, and how much funding was provided to that organization that perhaps would not have been provided. Think of the poor governance that is allowed to continue.

There was much discussion of these issues in the past when ORNGE, the Ontario air ambulance service, was being covered, when McGill University Health Center’s (MUHC) construction was done by SNC-Lavalin, when child abuse scandals were hitting various institutions, or when WE Charity and its relationship with the Federal government and lobbying was discussed in 2020/2021. It is being discussed again now with the coverage of Hockey Canada.

These are only a few of many scandals — far too many to

mention, and while a small number get lots of media attention, many don’t get any. We often realize far too late that even if an organization says that they are a ‘model of transparency’, they may only be providing very selective and curated information that does not answer many basic questions that one should have about a non-profit or charity.

Sometimes groups doing problematic things are not required, legally speaking, to provide certain information, but often these groups also do not provide information that is legally required. I sometimes even point out the legal problems on my blog, but often those groups don’t care enough to even fix those problems; perhaps it is because they don’t read my blog, or perhaps they know there will probably be no consequences.

Interest in transparency ebbs and flows. If we only knew how much lack of transparency costs our country, we would be more interested.

It is painful to watch what is going on with Hockey Canada. When will we learn that greater transparency requires little work but makes it much more likely that organizations will act appropriately and funds/resources of organizations will be used appropriately? This should not be a “partisan political” issue. There are very few heroes when it comes to this file. If MPs think that they will be heroes by asking tough questions of Hockey Canada — no. They would be heroes if years ago they insisted that non-profits and charities provide more information to the public so that these issues either would have come to light earlier or perhaps never happened in the first place. Are people just working out in 2022 that there is a cultural problem with hockey in Canada? I hope that you know there is a problem with guns in the US! Are you aware that there are some morale issues in the Russian army?!

There are over 200,000 non-profits in Canada, and no amount of parliamentary committees can cover even 1/10 of a percent of those groups. In addition, while MPs have lots of skills, I am not sure most are adept at understanding non-profit and charity governance, due diligence on non-profits, etc. There might be a few MPs with some basic knowledge, but you get my point that this type of committee investigation should be a last resort.

I assume that hockey and other sports and charities, etc.

will be around for a while — it is best if we strengthen the accountability and transparency that is in place to help us, our children and our grandchildren.

The CRA and the media have very limited resources to monitor the non-profit and charity sector. Often the best chance of oversight is from people who are near or adjacent to an organization. If these people can see information on an organization, (such as financial statements, budgets, etc) they are likely to ask questions or blow the whistle if they see something egregious.

With almost 200,000 non-profits in Canada, regulators and the media will only take a cursory look at groups. In many cases even board members are not aware of important issues that are dealt with by the ED/CEO or an executive committee. So yes — better transparency will also help some boards to have a better idea of what is happening in their own organizations.

In our summary in the submission, we note:

We are concerned that there are not adequate measures in place to ensure the efficient use of charitable assets, prevent the misappropriation of charitable assets and prevent non-profits and charities from engaging in egregious conduct. We will provide two recommendations to improve the productivity and competitiveness of the non-profit and charitable sector through greater transparency and other recommendations.

Here are our recommendations (which we discuss in greater detail in the submission):

Primary Recommendations

❯ Recommendation 1: That the Federal government amend Section 241 of the Income Tax Act in order to allow the CRA to disclose serious non-compliance with legal requirements by a registered charity, Registered Canadian Amateur Athletic Associations or certain other qualified donees.

❯ Recommendation 2: That the Federal government amend Section 241 of the Income Tax Act in order to allow the CRA to disclose to the public information contained on the T1044 Non-Profit Organization (NPO) Information Return.

Secondary Recommendations

❯ Recommendation 3: That the Federal government further increase the disbursement quota payout from the slight increase of 5 percent beginning in 2023 to a higher number such as 10 percent to deal with the $130 billion of accumulations held by private and public foundations.

❯ Recommendation 4: That the Federal government ensure that each donor advised fund is required to disburse a certain percentage per year per fund.

❯ Recommendation 5: That the Federal government and specifically the Charities Directorate of CRA roll out additional educational programs to assist Canadian charities and nonprofits understand their compliance obligations.

❯ Recommendation 6: That the Federal government reinstate the Charities Partnership Outreach Program, or create a similar program, which provides funds to Canadian charities to fund educational initiatives within the sector to increase compliance.

❯ Recommendation 7: That the Federal government require charities to demonstrate annually in their reporting that they actually have a “public benefit”, rather than this being assumed.

❯ Recommendation 8: That the Federal government consider a system where the ability to issue tax receipts is not based on being a “registered charity” but rather a narrower category of deductible gift recipients as is currently in Australia.

❯ Recommendation 9: That the Federal government establish a unit within the RCMP, or other police force, tasked with the responsibility of reviewing complicated abusive charity schemes that provide inappropriate official donation receipts or inappropriate private benefits.

❯ Recommendation 10: That the Federal government providing funding to CRA to improve the transparency of the T3010 Registered Charity Information Return.

MARK BLUMBERG is a lawyer at Blumberg Segal LLP in Toronto, Ontario. He can be contacted at mark@blumbergs.ca or at 416-361-1982. To find out more about legal services that Blumbergs provides to Canadian charities and non-profits as well as foreign charities please visit www.CanadianCharityLaw.ca, www.SmartGiving.ca,or www.CharityData.ca. This article is for information purposes only. It is not intended to be legal advice. You should not act or abstain from acting based upon such information without first consulting a legal professional

Recipients of the Award for Innovation in Mental Health and Addictions Care

The recipients of the Council of the Federation (COF) Award for Innovation in Mental Health and Addictions Care.

Presented in each province and territory for innovative initiatives that positively impact mental health and addictions care, the award recognizes individuals and organizations excelling in the field.

“On behalf of all Premiers, I extend congratulations to the recipients of this award for their diligent and innovative work in the field of mental health and addictions care,” said Heather Stefanson, Manitoba Premier and COF Chair. “It is critical that we continue to have open conversations on mental health and how to best support the many Canadians who are impacted by mental health challenges.”

Each award recipient will receive a certificate, signed by the Premier of their province or territory, as well as a $5,000 prize to advance the awarded initiative and foster further innovation.

The Council of the Federation comprises all 13 provincial and territorial Premiers. It enables Premiers to work collaboratively, form closer ties, foster constructive relationships among governments, and show leadership on important issues that matter to Canadians.

Recipients

Day Treatment Mental Health and Addictions Program – Kainai Wellness Centre (Blood Tribe Department of Health) – Alberta Blood Tribe members have been affected by opioid and other substance use in the community. The Day Treatment Mental Health and Addictions Program, founded in 2014, involves a qualified team, innovative approaches that address deep rooted issues, the wisdom of elders and knowledge keepers, and

traditional ceremonies as part of their approach. The program is designed to provide awareness, education, and support to those who are suffering with illicit substance and alcohol use disorders who are not attending residential treatment programs. Clients acquire a variety of skills to cope with drug and alcohol related urges. The program shares resources on several key topics: addiction awareness, physiology of addiction, relapse prevention, grief and loss, trauma, compassion fatigue, anger management, healthy parenting, healthy relationships, and coping techniques, among others. To date, over 341 participants have benefitted from this program, and there has been healing at the individual, family and community level.

Cherokee Bent – British Columbia Cherokee Bent was born on the unceded and traditional lands of the Nlaka’pamux people. At 18 years old, Cherokee felt called through her cultural teachings to become a leader in Vancouver’s mental health and substance use recovery communities, with involvement in both adult and youth treatment centres. Through her work with Vancouver Coastal Health, Cherokee has designed and delivered curricula to healthcare providers about providing culturally safe care to youth who use substances and teaching healthcare providers how to better work with Indigenous youth from rural and remote communities. Cherokee has co-written and starred in an educational film used to teach healthcare workers about using cultural safety and humility when working with people who use substances.

KIDTHINK Children’s Mental Health Centre Inc. – Manitoba KIDTHINK provides a model of care that includes psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, occupational therapists, and other professionals to create a truly multi-disciplinary team that works together to give children and their families the highest standard

of care. Within the Client Care Subsidy Program, the KIDTHINK multi-disciplinary clinical team provides approximately 13 hours of no-cost, evidence-based mental health intervention for children ages 12 and under and their families who are lowincome status. This includes providing services for a variety of mild to moderate social, emotional, and behavioural challenges. Mental health disorders or challenges addressed include, but are not limited to, anxiety, depression, behavioural disorders, ADHD and learning difficulties/disabilities. KIDTHINK recognizes the importance of reducing barriers to accessing mental health services, the focus is on providing timely and preventative interventions by offering services to children with or without a diagnosis.

St. John’s Status of Women Council Managed Alcohol Program (MAP) – Newfoundland and Labrador

The Managed Alcohol Program in Newfoundland and Labrador is a pilot that began in 2021. The program operates within the St. John’s Status of Women Council to assist women and nonbinary individuals who experience risks and harms related to alcohol use. MAP’s harm reduction approach provides a safe and stable supply of alcohol to participants, along with social and healthcare support. MAP works with Eastern Health to assess participant eligibility, determine a safe dose of alcohol, and provide ongoing reassessment and primary healthcare services. While managed alcohol programs are increasingly recognized as valuable tools, the St. John’s Status of Women Council’s MAP is unique in its focus on women and nonbinary individuals and offers an innovative mix of outreach delivery, residential programming, and satellite site pick-up alongside research and learning. In addition to direct benefits to participants, MAP shares learnings from this pilot widely with the aim to increase managed alcohol services across other organizations and for more populations. MAP has created a model of collaboration across services that can set an example for others interested in pursuing similar work.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Tele-Counselling for Family Caregivers – Dr. Pamela Durepos, Nicole Cormier, Chandra MacBean – New Brunswick

The Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) Telecounselling for family caregivers of a person living with dementia in New Brunswick was developed and launched by Dr. Pamela Durepos of the University of New Brunswick, and Nicole Cormier and Chandra MacBean of the Alzheimer Society of New Brunswick. The ACT tele-counselling program is also the first ACT program for caregivers of persons with dementia in Canada and its overall aim is to improve access to high quality mental health services (e.g., psychotherapy) for all caregivers of persons with dementia in Canada. More specifically, ACT is an individualized program that screens participants for current depression, anxiety, and stress levels in order to identify persons who cannot wait for therapy and may require immediate mental health care. This service is provided in both official languages

at no cost using technology (such as telephone, text, or video conference) in order to reduce barriers to access and to assess whether participants are assigned to receive usual care or the ACT program. ACT is an acceptance and mindfulness-based form of psychotherapy different from cognitive behavioural therapy. ACT has proven effective at reducing depression and anxiety and in increasing acceptance and psychological flexibility. A study to evaluate the potential benefits and feasibility of providing ACT tele-counselling to caregivers is underway. The program is expected to expand beyond New Brunswick.

Supporting Wellbeing – Northwest Territories Supporting Wellbeing (SWB) is a training program being developed by an Indigenous mental health expert with the aim of providing tools for land-based program providers. Led by a Steering Committee of on the land (OTL) leaders, the program will better prepare OTL providers to mitigate and respond to mental health challenges in remote environments. Given the prevalence of trauma experienced because of colonization, it is not uncommon for participants (and staff) to experience mental health challenges while on the land. During training, OTL leaders will learn about topics related to the planning and delivery of trauma informed OTL programs, including intergenerational trauma, suicide intervention, conflict resolution, and participant aftercare. After completing the training, OTL leaders will be better equipped to support people in distress, mitigate risks, and decrease burnout. This, in turn, will improve participants’ ability to safely engage in and benefit from OTL programs. SWB will strengthen OTL programs across the NWT, increase the emotional intelligence of community members, enhance community capacity for mutual support, and further the resurgence of Indigenous cultures, languages, and ways of being.

Strongest Families Institute, SFI Companion App – Nova Scotia Strongest Families Institute, based in Lower Sackville, is an award-winning charity whose focus on innovation and research has led to pioneering a new way of delivering mental health programs that reduces waitlists and makes care more accessible. Strongest Families Institute provides bilingual evidence-based mental health services to children, youth, adults, and families using telephone coaching coupled with online or printed support materials. Their Companion App was developed to integrate with their e-mental health platform and enables clients to benefit from access to their online educational platforms even while working offline, helping to bridge the digital divide.

Mary Ugyuk – Nunavut Mary Ugyuk has been employed as Wellness Coordinator for Hamlet of Taloyoak since 2010. Initially mentoring youth and pre-natal health groups, Mary has worked to expand existing programs and to create new ones that benefit her community, including: Adult Drop In (a safe and sober meeting place seven evenings a week), Elder’s Cabin, mobility scooters, a soup

kitchen, an Elder and youth center, a summer on-the-land culture camp, an annual shoreline and community clean-up, a community volunteer annual Christmas dinner, “The Turkey Has Landed” Christmas frozen turkey and food voucher program, Lily Love and Elder Love programs, weekly Elder’s tea and weekly Elder’s Culture Day, Elder’s driver program, and Elder’s radio show. Mary has been instrumental in creating and driving community wellness programs from a local perspective, rather than a territorial or regional focus, with the unique onsite ability to adapt if adjustments are needed to ensure effective and functional program delivery.

The Path Home – LOFT (Leap of Faith Together) Community Service – Ontario

LOFT (Leap of Faith Together) Community Services’ “The Path Home” is a supportive housing model specializing in transitioning patients with complex needs back to their community. Piloted, tested, and expanded across the populations and geographies served by LOFT, this model is guided by two goals: addressing unmet needs and system gaps through working collaboratively with health system partners, and providing exceptional and specialized need-driven care that enables people to stay safely in the community. This innovative model of care is designed to support individuals facing complex mental health challenges, addiction, dementia, and responsive behaviours along with physical health and care needs who no longer need to be in the hospital, but continue to require ongoing care. The Path Home provides an opportunity for vulnerable individuals to live with dignity and is successful in reducing the number of Alternate Level of Care (ALC) rates in hospital.

Peer Support Program, Canadian Mental Health Association, PEI Division – Prince Edward Island

The Peer Support Program, operated by CMHA PEI, assists individuals experiencing mental health and addictions issues by providing a trained mentor with lived experience and recovery history to lend support, guidance and inspire hope for others experiencing similar situations. This program currently employs peer support specialists who host peer support groups and one-on-one sessions, and accompany clients to appointments. The peer support specialists empathize with the struggle and emotional pain that may accompany mental illness and share their thoughts and insight on the path to recovery. They provide support to clients via advocacy, housing resources, suicide prevention, coping strategies, support groups and help to bridge the gap between the client and the available mental health services on PEI. The overall benefit to Islanders and Canadians is evident. While there are similar programs elsewhere in Canada, the success of the Peer Support Program on PEI serves as an example model for other provinces and territories.

Équipe-toi : accompagne un proche en santé mentale – Québec

The Association québécoise des parents et amis de la personne atteinte de maladie mentale (AQPAMM) supports families

and friends of people living with a mental health disorder. The Association quickly reacted to the conditions imposed by the pandemic to continue offering services and reach those affected, in particular those young people who were especially hard hit in this context. With the support of partners (Bell Let’s Talk and the Foundation of Greater Montreal), AQPAMM has developed interactive online training tools available on mobile phones for young people aged 13 to 25, called “Équipe-toi: accompagne un proche en santé mentale” as well as training for youth workers, “Équipe-toi: accompagne un jeune en santé mentale”. By focusing on young people’s preferred means of communication and relying on innovative strategies such as peer-help and selfcare, AQPAMM contributes to the development of knowledge in the field of mental health and offers tools to young people to help them cope with complex situations related to mental health.

Mentally Safe Minecraft Server (MS²) – CMHA-SK – Saskatchewan Mentally Safe Minecraft Server (MS²) is an interactive computer gaming program that combats cyber-bullying and its impact on mental health. Developed by the Saskatchewan division of the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA-SK), MS² was created and programmed by Saskatchewan youth with lived mental health disorders and takes into account things that are both meaningful and triggering for them. Chats are monitored by CMHA-SK Youth Coaches, mental health workers from CMHA branches around the province, youth peer supporters, and volunteers. Chat areas allow youth to confidentially ask a mental health worker questions about mental health or where/ how to access services. There are also Saskatchewan helplines added in the in-game. In addition, there is a space for virtual groups to convene and learn about mental health tools. A mental health tip appears on the corner of the MS² screen every ten minutes, and there are creative events to celebrate Mental Health Week and challenge players’ creativity.

Chris Spencer – Yukon Chris Spencer is a passionate Whitehorse resident who cares about the mental health and wellness of their community. Chris founded the Yukon Disc-versity Guild, a disc golf club designed to be a safe space for women and the 2SLGBTQQIA+ community and youth. Chris chose to centre the club around disc golf for the sport’s benefits of being out in nature, providing activity and socialisation for people who struggle with their mental wellness, and because of the low barriers of cost and fitness level to participate. Additional benefits from the creation of the club have been the development of new community role models who provide inspiration and hope for young people, safer outdoor spaces, and representation of healthy lifestyles for women and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people. Chris also founded the “Feed your inner light” peer support group for people with diagnosed and undiagnosed eating disorders. Chris sits on Queer Yukon’s advisory committee for non-binary and trans people and is also involved in the CMHA Reach Out Support Line.

HISTORIC

Historic Plaques Which Honour Philanthropy

New provincial plaque commemorates Mother Marie Thomas d’Aquin (1877-1963)

The Ontario Heritage Trust, in partnership with the Sisters of the Jeanne d’Arc Institute, unveiled a provincial plaque commemorating Mother Marie Thomas d’Aquin (1877-1963) for her significant contributions toward advancing the status of women and for her positive impact on the community of Lowertown Ottawa, Ontario and beyond.

Mother Marie Thomas d’Aquin is celebrated as a leader and the visionary founder of the Sisters of the Jeanne d’Arc Institute, a religious order whose mission of service and charity extends to all communities without distinction of race, language, nationality, social status or religion.

Sister Yvette Papillon, Sisters of the Jeanne d’Arc Institute said “We are proud today that Mother Marie Thomas d’Aquin, our founder, is honoured for who she was as a woman, for her forward-thinking vision and for the legacy she left us. We welcome the presence of a plaque in her honour in the Jeanne d’Arc Court at 18 Clarence Street, Ottawa.”

Mother Marie Thomas d’Aquin 1877-1963.

Jeanne Lydia Branda grew up near Bordeaux, France. From a young age, she felt called to become a nun and teacher. In 1899, she joined the Dominican Sisters of Nancy, where she would teach and take the name Sister Marie Thomas d’Aquin. She left France and settled in Maine where she was deeply influenced by the freedom and openness of America. While visiting Ottawa in 1914, she agreed to head the Jeanne d’Arc Institute, a home and haven for young women who were looking for employment, working or studying. Under her leadership, the Institute underwent unprecedented growth, moving to a larger complex on Sussex Street. The Institute offered classes, companionship and, above all, community. Sister Marie Thomas d’Aquin created a new order in 1919 – the Sisters of the Jeanne d’Arc Institute – that embraced openness without distinction for race, language, nationality, social status or religion, a progressive initiative blending the religious and secular that contributed to the evolution of the status of women. As head of this new congregation, she would now be called Mother. A gifted writer, her published poems, under pen name Marie Sylvia, earned many literary awards. Mother Marie Thomas d’Aquin was a forward-thinking visionary, whose mission of service and charity extended to the broader community.

“Ontario has a long history of exemplary individuals. We are honoured to see Mother Marie Thomas d’Aquin’s story commemorated through this provincial plaque. Her welcoming vision, passion and commitment to serving her community has made our province a better place,” said Michael Ford, Ontario Minister of Citizenship and Multiculturalism.

John Ecker, Chair, Board of Directors of the Ontario Heritage Trust, added, “Among her many achievements, Mother Marie Thomas d’Aquin made significant contributions to the social, economic and educational well-being of women. She lived a remarkable life of faith and service, working directly in the heart of her community and caring unconditionally for her congregation and beyond. We are delighted to honour her with this new provincial plaque.”

The provincial plaque is permanently installed at Jeanne d’Arc Court, 18 Clarence Street, Ottawa.

The plaque text is available in both French and English.

The Ontario Heritage Trust has unveiled numerous plaques commemorating Franco-Ontarian history and the French community in Ontario. Examples include: Almanda Walker-Marchand and the Fédération des femmes canadiennesfrançaises, Marie-Rose Turcot, Jeanne Lajoie and Elisabeth Bruyère.

Since 1956, 1,286 of the Trust’s iconic provincial plaques have been unveiled, commemorating provincially significant people, places and events in Ontario’s history.

Check out featured stories on the Heritage Matters website that explore Francophone heritage and women’s history in Ontario. Explore stories related to Franco-Ontarian history in the Trust’s online exhibit Snapshots of Franco-Ontarian Heritage.

The Ontario Heritage Trust (the Trust) is an agency of the Government of Ontario. The Trust conserves, interprets and shares Ontario’s heritage. We conserve provincially significant cultural and natural, tangible and intangible heritage, interpret Ontario’s history, celebrate its diversity and educate Ontarians of its importance in our society. The Trust envisions an Ontario where we conserve, value and share the places and landscapes, histories, traditions and stories that embody our heritage, now and for future generations.

Five Lives: What We Do

Each issue Foundation Magazine provides a mini-profile of five people whose work and commitment make Canada a more liveable country. We thank them for their service.

Francine Negre Laroche is excited for the opportunity to be the Vice President of TAVA, serving it’s members and connecting with Volunteer Managers in the community. Francine has been working in the non-profit sector for the past 15 years, helping with affordable housing and healthcare in the Greater Toronto Area. The spirit of giving rings true in all that she does, whether through volunteering weekly at a local food bank in her neighborhood or helping to organize food drive and feminine hygiene products, she is a strong believer in making our community a stronger and healthier place together. She has devoted herself to ensuring volunteers feel a sense of connection, engagement, and appreciation through their contribution to the community.

Jane Chambers-Evans, N, M.Sc. A., M.Sc. (Bioethics), McGill University. Her areas of interest are end-of-life care, surrogate decision-making and the role of family in care decisions. She chairs the McGill University Health Centre’s Clinical Ethics Committee. In that role, Jane has helped research and author key papers on the kidney donation process and outcomes in Canada, collaborating with a large team. The resulting recommendations in this report were intended to guide individual programs, regional health authorities and jurisdictions in the development of DCD protocol. Canadian Council for Donation and Transplantation (CCDT) worked to strengthen Canada’s donation and transplant system through recommendations to the Conference of Deputy Ministers of Health.

Through three IIHF World Junior Championships and over 30 years with Hockey Edmonton, Joan Kirillo has dedicated her life to her city. Like most hockey parents turned volunteers, Joan Kirillo got involved in the game when her kids started playing. For over 30 years, Kirillo gave back to her community as a volunteer with Hockey Edmonton, and she served as a board member for Edmonton Minor Hockey Week for 27 years. “From that, I got to meet some really good people,” explains Kirillo. “[Including] Al Hamilton and Ted Green.” Identifying the need for an outdoor rink in Edmonton’s inner district, Oilers alumni Hamilton and Green, along with Father Jim Holland of Sacred Heart Church, recruited Kirillo to their committee to build what would eventually be the McCauley Community Rink. The group raised $200,000 to build the rink, which came to life in 2012. When the World Juniors return to Edmonton this summer for a renewal of the 2022 event that was cancelled last December, Kirillo stayed involved, navigating her commitments with the golf course and the international event. After more than 30 years of volunteering in her community she encourages others to do the same and reap the same fulfillment.

Gifted Storyteller, Marketing Strategist And Fundraiser, Bernie Forestell has been around the nonprofit sector for many years. From his early days at Lee Valley Tools when he’d mail catalogues one day and see the flood of orders a few days later, Bernie Forestell found his calling – getting people to take action. Bernie is a fundraiser, storyteller, strategic thinker and marketing and business development professional. A gifted writer, Bernie’s compelling copy draws the reader in, helping them see how they can positively impact the world in which we all live. Bernie has worked inside large healthcare institutions, for national industry associations and has produced fundraising campaigns for local, national and international non-profits. Since his early direct mail beginnings, Bernie has helped raise millions of dollars and has created exponential national partnership programs growth.

Marshall Watson is the Communications Coordinator for the Paws for Hope animal rescue in Maple Ridge, BC. Marshall manages the Paws for Hope website and makes sure the organization’s documents and reports are clear and effective and look professional. He is also the Communications Manager at The Federation of Community Social Services of BC. He grew up in Edmonton where he played in queer rock and roll bands, helped run a leadership camp for queer youth, and was a professional wedding photographer. He also volunteered his time to take professional photos of the animals at the Edmonton Humane Society to help them get adopted as quickly as possible. It was dope. He lives in Vancouver with his partner and their terrible cat-child, Record. He thinks that everyone should play Dungeons & Dragons.