Canada’s most charitable metropolitan areas
Canadians are among the most charitable people in the world, ranking sixth behind Australians in terms of helping a stranger, donating money or volunteering time, according to a 2019 Charities Aid Foundation study.
Since 1990, Statistics Canada has been tracking the amount of money Canadians report donating on their tax returns. Almost 5.2 million Canadians reported making a charitable donation on their 2019 return, down from 5.6 million a decade earlier. Nevertheless, the amount of donations claimed on tax returns was up by one-third (+33.0%) over the same period to $10.3 billion in 2019, thanks in part to a growing share of large donors.
Much of the increase in charitable giving in recent years is attributable to the growth in the number of big donors (those giving $100,000 or more). In 2019, for example, 5,580 people claimed charitable donations of $100,000 or more on their tax returns, up from 4,710 in 2017.
Where are Canada’s most charitable metropolitan areas, based on 2019 records?
In Atlantic Canada, residents of Saint John (20.0%) were most likely to donate, while Halifax had the highest median donation, $380.
Residents of the city of Québec (23.4%) were most likely to contribute in Quebec, while Gatineau ($190) had the highest median donation provincially.
Guelph (22.9%) claimed the top spot in terms of the share of donors in Ontario, and Toronto ($450) posted the highest median donation.
Winnipeg (22.9%) had the largest share of donors in the Prairies for the ninth consecutive year, while Lethbridge led the region with a median of $770 in charitable giving.
In British Columbia, Victoria had the largest share of charitable donors (22.0%). Residents of Abbotsford–Mission donated a median of $900—as a result, Abbotsford–Mission retained its top spot as Canada’s most charitable metropolitan area for the 18th year running.
The share of tax filers reporting donations increases with age, ranging from 4.8% of those 24 years of age and younger to 26.4% of Canadians aged 65 and older. While the youngest age group (15 to 24 years old) had the lowest participation rate with respect to charitable donations, this same age group had the highest participation rate in volunteer activities.
Today, of course, Canadians make many small donations that are not claimed on tax returns, such as text messages where no tax receipts are issued, or at checkout counters of retail stores. Canadians also contribute to crowdfunding platforms for individuals or organizations not linked to charities registered under the Income Tax Act.
These small donations are impossible to accurately track over the course of a year, but Giving Tuesday, a global generosity movement that comes on the heels of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, raised $21.9 million in one day in 2019 thanks to millions of Canadians donating a few dollars at a retail outlet or online.
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