| Charitable status shouldn’t prevent advocacy, says group
A B.C. group is lobbying for legislative changes to allow charities to do more advocacy work without fear of losing their charitable status.
Under the Income Tax Act, groups with charitable status are only allowed to devote 10 per cent of their time to advocacy work such as criticizing government policy. Cathy Beaumont, manager of the Charities and Democracy Project with the Impacs Institute for Media Policy and Civil Society, says her organization wants that to change so that charities have more of an ability to help shape public policy. The institute is a not-for-profit charitable organization.
"We think it’s a fundamental issue of modern democracy. When a government sits down with policy-makers to develop policy that’s ideally in the public interest, it really helps us to have input from people on the front lines of health care, environment, poverty," says Beaumont.
She points out businesses can spend as much time and money as they want lobbying government for changes in public policy, but charities have much less freedom.
"We call it the ‘chill on advocacy,’" she says of the 10 per cent rule.
Beaumont will hold a couple of workshops in Calgary to teach charitable groups what is allowed under the current federal legislation –she says groups are often unclear about what they can and can’t do without risking their charitable status. The workshops will also teach charities the most effective techniques to advocate for change.
Workshops will be held at the Kahanoff Centre on January 19 and 20. For more information, go to www.impacs.org.
New levy for new homes built in suburbs
Calgary developers may have to pay a new $2,500 to $3,500 levy for each new home built in new communities after city council voted to try and recoup more of the costs of new infrastructure in the growing suburbs.
City administration will begin negotiations with developers this week. The city doesn’t have the legislative authority to impose the new levies, so it has to negotiate. The new revenue would be used to build fire stations, libraries, recreation centres and other amenities more quickly. Ald. Diane Colley-Urquhart and Ric McIver opposed the plan, saying it would threaten the affordability of new homes. At the January 16 meeting, Colley-Urquhart said, "We are creating different classes of citizens. Let’s just throw out fair market assessment because the inner city is paying too much."
However, Mayor Dave Bronconnier said the new levies would support the principles of smart growth, equity and user pay.
"We’re ensuring the development industry pays their fair share," said Bronconnier.
At the same meeting, city council directed administration to work on a new report that would recommend ways to fund new infrastructure in established communities, including the inner city.
Energy extraction threatening caribou, say environmentalists
Alberta environmental groups are criticizing the provincial government for selling oil and gas leases in and near the habitat of the Little Smoky Woodland Caribou herd, the most threatened caribou herd in the province.
The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, the Federation of Alberta Naturalists and the Alberta Wilderness Association (AWA) say instead of deferring industrial activity in the herd’s crucial habitat, the government is focusing on killing wolves that prey on the herd.
"There is no point in killing wolves to save caribou if habitat necessary for caribou survival is being wiped out at the same time," says Cliff Wallis, former president of the AWA in a media release.
Environmental groups are demanding that the federal government use its authority under the Species-At-Risk Act to intervene and protect protect caribou habitat from development or else the groups will take the federal government to court. |
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